A semaglutide dosing chart in units tells you how far to draw the syringe for each weekly dose, and the answer depends on the strength of your vial. On a 2.5 mg/ml vial, a 0.25 mg dose is 10 units. On a 5 mg/ml vial, the same 0.25 mg is 5 units.
This article explains how the numbers work. It is not a dose recommendation. Your prescribing provider sets your dose.
What is a semaglutide dosing chart?
A dosing chart lists the weekly doses of semaglutide in milligrams (mg), step by step. Compounded semaglutide is sold in multi-dose vials, and you draw each dose into a syringe yourself. So the chart people use every week is a second one: the same doses, written as units on the syringe.
Units are a measure of liquid, not of medication. On a standard 1 ml insulin syringe, 100 units equals 1 millilitre. How much semaglutide is in those units depends on how concentrated the vial is, and that is why one chart cannot fit every vial.
The clinic's pharmacies mix semaglutide at two common strengths: 2.5 mg per ml and 5 mg per ml. This article gives the chart for both.
How do I turn milligrams into units?
Divide your weekly dose in milligrams by the strength printed on your vial (mg per ml). That gives millilitres. Multiply by 100 to get units on a 1 ml insulin syringe.
For example, 0.5 mg from a 2.5 mg/ml vial is 0.5 ÷ 2.5 = 0.2 ml, which is 20 units. The same 0.5 mg from a 5 mg/ml vial is 0.5 ÷ 5 = 0.1 ml, which is 10 units.
If your vial has a different strength, type it into the GLP-1 vial calculator instead. It does this sum for you.
What does the dosing chart look like in units?
Pick a weekly dose below to see the units for each of the two vial strengths. The doses are the ones in the clinic's published schedules: 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 0.75 mg, 1 mg and 1.5 mg from the pharmacy kit schedules, and 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg from the clinic's titration page.
Weekly dose in units
Tap a weekly dose. The bars show units on a 1 ml syringe for each vial strength (the scale is 0 to 100 units).
A 0.5 mg weekly dose is 20 units on a 2.5 mg/ml vial and 10 units on a 5 mg/ml vial.
Each figure is the dose divided by the vial strength, times 100. Example only. Your prescribing provider sets your dose.
| Weekly dose | 2.5 mg per ml vial | 5 mg per ml vial |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | 10 units | 5 units |
| 0.5 mg | 20 units | 10 units |
| 0.75 mg | 30 units | 15 units |
| 1 mg | 40 units | 20 units |
| 1.5 mg | 60 units | 30 units |
| 1.7 mg | 68 units | 34 units |
| 2.4 mg | 96 units | 48 units |
The clinic's quantity planner page carries the pharmacy chart for further doses on the same two strengths, and works out how many weeks a kit lasts at your dose.
What does a sample kit schedule look like?
Here is a worked example from the clinic's semaglutide pricing and programs page. The 7.5 mg kit is 3 ml of semaglutide at 2.5 mg per ml. The sample schedule the pharmacy supplies with it runs twelve weeks:
| Weeks | Weekly dose | Units on a 1 ml syringe |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | 0.25 mg | 10 units |
| 4 to 6 | 0.5 mg | 20 units |
| 7 to 9 | 0.75 mg | 30 units |
| 10 to 12 | 1 mg | 40 units |
Add it up and you get 7.5 mg, the full vial. It is a sample schedule, not a prescription. Your provider sets how long you stay at each step.
How does this compare with the FDA-approved label?
The brand-name injection, Wegovy, is supplied as a pen or prefilled syringe, so there is no unit conversion to do. Its FDA-approved label starts at 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg for 4 weeks, 1 mg for 4 weeks and 1.7 mg for 4 weeks, with a maintenance dose from week 17. The usual maintenance dose is 2.4 mg once a week.
It is the same ladder of doses, but the sample kit schedule above holds each step for 3 weeks and the label holds each step for 4. Compounded semaglutide is not FDA-approved, so the label is a reference, not a schedule for your vial. Ask your prescribing provider which timing applies to you, and do not mix the two.
Why can't I use someone else's chart?
Because the units belong to the vial, not the dose. A 2.5 mg/ml vial and a 5 mg/ml vial can look identical and hold different amounts of medication. Drawing 20 units from the wrong one is a different dose from the one you meant.
The FDA has said it received reports of adverse events, some needing hospital care, that may be linked to dosing errors with compounded semaglutide, such as patients measuring the wrong amount. Before every vial: read the strength on the label, check it against your units, and ask the clinic if anything does not match.
Multi-dose vials also have a time limit. The pharmacy notes on the pricing page say the FDA and USP recommend using a multi-dose vial within 28 days unless the pharmacy states it has been tested for longer, and for the larger vials you go by the beyond use date printed on the vial. If your vial does not match any strength on this page, send the clinic a photo of the label before you draw up and they will tell you your units.
Frequently asked questions
What is a semaglutide dosing chart in units?
It is a table that shows how many units to draw on a 1 ml insulin syringe for each weekly dose in milligrams. The units depend on the strength of the vial: a 5 mg/ml vial needs half the units of a 2.5 mg/ml vial for the same dose.
How many units is 0.25 mg of semaglutide?
On a 2.5 mg/ml vial, 0.25 mg is 10 units. On a 5 mg/ml vial it is 5 units. Check the strength on your own vial label.
How many units is 1 mg of semaglutide?
On a 2.5 mg/ml vial, 1 mg is 40 units. On a 5 mg/ml vial it is 20 units.
Is 10 units always the same dose?
No. Units measure liquid, not medication. On a 2.5 mg/ml vial 10 units is 0.25 mg, and on a 5 mg/ml vial 10 units is 0.5 mg.
How do I convert semaglutide mg to units?
Divide the weekly dose in mg by the vial strength in mg per ml, then multiply by 100. For 0.5 mg on a 2.5 mg/ml vial that is 0.5 ÷ 2.5 × 100 = 20 units.
Is compounded semaglutide dosed like the brand-name injection?
The doses use a similar ladder, but compounded semaglutide is not FDA-approved, comes in vials rather than pens, and follows the schedule your prescribing provider gives you. The label is a reference, not your schedule.
How long can I use a vial?
The pharmacy notes say the FDA and USP recommend using a multi-dose vial within 28 days unless the pharmacy states it has been tested to last longer. For the larger vials, go by the beyond use date printed on the vial.
More from this guide series
Next step
To find out whether semaglutide is right for you, start the free intake form. The clinic will contact you to schedule an appointment, and your prescribing provider will set your dose. If you also use tirzepatide, the tirzepatide units guide works the same way for that medication.