When should I increase my GLP-1 dose?
Not until you need to. If you are losing 1 to 2 pounds a week and the food noise is quiet, stay put.
Not until you need to. If you are losing at a healthy one to two pounds a week and the food noise is turned down, there is no reason to move up just because the standard schedule says so.
Think of dose levels like ammunition. You want to win with the smallest calibre possible. Sprint to the maximum and you have spent your heavy artillery before the real battle, so when you hit a plateau, and you will, there is nowhere left to go.
The standard schedules, which your provider may adjust: semaglutide 0.25mg weekly, then after four weeks 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg, 2.4mg. Tirzepatide 2.5mg weekly, then after four weeks 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg, 15mg.
Never adjust your dose without talking to your doctor or prescription provider first.
None of this is medical advice. It is educational material drawn from FAT BITCH: Killing the Willpower Myth by Cat Clark, and it does not replace your prescriber, your pharmacist, or your actual doctor. If something here does not match what your care team told you, go with your care team and bring this along to the conversation.