Wegovy & Mounjaro Dose Conversion: GLP-1 Injections to Tablets

If you’re taking a GLP-1 medication for weight loss, there’s a good chance you’ll consider switching at some point. Perhaps your current medication is out of stock, the side effects haven’t settled, your weight loss has plateaued, or you’d simply prefer a daily tablet to a weekly injection.

Whatever the reason, one thing catches almost everyone out: you can’t switch milligram for milligram. Wegovy and Mounjaro are different molecules with different potencies, and the new Wegovy tablet is absorbed very differently from the injection. Getting the conversion wrong in either direction means either losing progress or struggling with avoidable side effects.

This guide maps every common GLP-1 switch to its conservative equivalent dose, explains why the numbers look the way they do, and covers what to expect in the first few weeks after changing over.

Medical disclaimer: The conversions below provide conservative guidance anchored to clinical efficacy data (SURMOUNT-1 and STEP 1 Phase 3 trials) and pharmacokinetic equivalence principles. They do not replace individual clinical assessment. Always switch under the supervision of your prescriber.

Why do people switch between GLP-1 medications?

The most common reasons patients change GLP-1s include:

• Effectiveness. If weight loss has slowed or plateaued on one medication, a prescriber may recommend trying another — most often a move from semaglutide (Wegovy) to tirzepatide (Mounjaro).
• Side effects. Nausea, reflux and other gastrointestinal effects vary between medications and between people. Some patients tolerate one GLP-1 noticeably better than another.
• Availability. Supply of weight loss injections has fluctuated in recent years, and switching is sometimes the only way to avoid a gap in treatment.
• Route of administration. With oral semaglutide now available as a Wegovy tablet, some patients prefer a daily pill over a weekly injection.
• Cost. Prices differ between medications and doses, and this can influence long-term treatment decisions.

Why GLP-1 doses don’t convert milligram for milligram

Before looking at the tables, it helps to understand why a 2.4 mg dose of one medication doesn’t equal 2.4 mg of another.

Wegovy Injections (semaglutide) is a single-receptor agonist — it acts on the GLP-1 receptor alone. The weekly injection titrates from 0.25 mg up to a 2.4 mg maintenance dose, with a 7.2 mg high dose (HD) also available.

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a dual agonist, acting on both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors. Each milligram effectively works harder, which is why its dose range (2.5–15 mg) sits on a completely different scale.

Wegovy tablets (oral semaglutide) contain the same molecule as the Wegovy injection, but oral semaglutide is absorbed far less efficiently through the gut. The tablet strengths — 1.5mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg daily — therefore look much larger on paper while delivering comparable clinical effect to much smaller injected doses.

Because of these differences, sensible conversions are anchored to clinical effect — matching doses that produced similar outcomes in the major Phase 3 trials — rather than to the number printed on the pen or packet.

Switching from Wegovy injection to Mounjaro injection

This is the most common switch, typically made when patients want the additional weight loss seen with tirzepatide in clinical trials. Because tirzepatide is potent milligram for milligram, almost every Wegovy dose converts to Mounjaro’s 2.5 mg starting dose. Only patients tolerating the highest Wegovy doses well begin at 5 mg.

Notice that tolerability changes the switch recommedation. If you’ve had ongoing nausea or other gastrointestinal issues on Wegovy 2.4 mg or 7.2 mg HD, the safer landing point is Mounjaro 2.5 mg rather than 5 mg.

Switching from Mounjaro injection to Wegovy injection

Patients move in this direction too — often because of side effects, supply, or cost. The lower Mounjaro doses map step for step onto the Wegovy titration ladder. From 10 mg upwards, the conversion is capped at Wegovy’s 2.4 mg maintenance dose.

If you’re switching from a high Mounjaro dose, it’s worth setting expectations: Wegovy 2.4 mg is the standard maintenance dose, and your prescriber will monitor how you respond before considering any further change.

Switching from Wegovy injection to Wegovy tablet

The arrival of oral semaglutide means patients can now move from a weekly injection to a daily tablet without changing molecule. The three tablet strengths cover the entire injectable range.

The much larger tablet numbers reflect absorption, not strength: only a small fraction of oral semaglutide is absorbed, so a 25 mg daily tablet delivers a clinical effect comparable to the 2.4 mg weekly injection.

Switching from Mounjaro injection to Wegovy tablet

Some patients want to move from a weekly tirzepatide injection straight to a daily semaglutide tablet. The same conservative logic applies, with the top three Mounjaro doses all converting to the 25 mg tablet.

When to Take Your First Dose: Timing the Switch

The rule is to take the final dose of your current medication as normal, then start the new medication on the day the next dose would have been due, never overlapping the two.

For the injection-to-injection switches (Wegovy Injection ↔ Mounjaro Injection)

A seven-day gap: last injection of the old drug, then the first injection of the new one a week later on the usual injection day. Because semaglutide’s half-life is around seven days (tirzepatide’s around five), the outgoing drug is still pharmacologically active during that week — so the patient isn’t “uncovered” during the transition, but it’s also precisely why you must never inject both in the same week. The residual exposure from the old drug overlapping with the new one is another reason the conversion doses are deliberately conservative.

For injection-to-tablet switch (Wegovy Injection/Mounjaro Injection ↔ Wegovy Tablets)

the published guidance follows the same logic: take the final injection as normal, wait seven days, then start the tablet on what would have been the next scheduled injection day. During that week no semaglutide is taken in any form, but the injectable drug remains active given its ~7-day half-life, so patients shouldn’t experience significant hunger or weight changes in the gap. And it’s worth noting that the injection and tablet should never be used at the same time, nor should the tablet be combined with any other GLP-1 such as Mounjaro.

For tablet-to-injectio switch (Wegovy Tablets ↔ Wegovy Injection/Mounjaro Injection)

One extra nuance if you ever cover the reverse direction (tablet → injection): because the tablet is daily rather than weekly, the injection is started the day after the last tablet.

So the practical summary for the article: no gap in treatment, no washout, but a strict “one week from last injection” rule (or “next day” when coming off the daily tablet), and never both at once.

What to expect when you switch

Conversions deliberately start low. These equivalents err on the conservative side because it’s far easier to titrate up after a smooth transition than to recover from side effects caused by starting too high. A temporary step down in dose intensity is normal and expected.

Side effects may return briefly. Even when the conversion is well matched, your body is adjusting to a new molecule or a new route of administration. Mild nausea or digestive changes in the first one to two weeks are common and usually settle.

Timing matters. Your prescriber will advise exactly when to take your first dose of the new medication relative to your last dose of the old one — don’t overlap doses or improvise the changeover yourself.

Weight loss trajectories differ. Don’t judge the new medication by the first fortnight. GLP-1s take several weeks at a stable dose to show their full effect, and starting doses are not maintenance doses.

The final say

Switching between GLP-1 medications is common, safe and often sensible — but only when the dose conversion respects the real differences between semaglutide, tirzepatide, and oral versus injectable formulations. Use the tables above as a guide to the conversation with your prescriber, start conservatively, and give the new medication a few weeks at a stable dose before judging it.

Dose conversions are anchored to clinical efficacy data from the SURMOUNT-1 and STEP 1 Phase 3 trials and pharmacokinetic equivalence principles. Always consult your prescriber or pharmacist before changing your medication or dose.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch from Wegovy to Mounjaro at the same dose?

No. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Wegovy) are different molecules with different potencies, so doses are never interchanged number for number. Most patients switching from Wegovy start Mounjaro at 2.5 mg regardless of their Wegovy dose; only those tolerating Wegovy 2.4 mg or 7.2 mg HD well start at 5 mg.

What is the Mounjaro equivalent of Wegovy 2.4 mg?

It depends on tolerability. If you’ve tolerated Wegovy 2.4 mg well, the conservative equivalent is Mounjaro 5 mg. If you’ve had tolerability issues, the recommended starting point is Mounjaro 2.5 mg.

What is the Wegovy equivalent of Mounjaro 15 mg?

Wegovy 2.4 mg, the standard maintenance dose. All Mounjaro doses of 10 mg and above convert to Wegovy 2.4 mg.

Why is the Wegovy tablet dose so much higher than the injection?

Oral semaglutide is absorbed far less efficiently through the digestive system than injected semaglutide. The 4 mg, 9 mg and 25 mg daily tablets are formulated to deliver a clinical effect comparable to much smaller weekly injected doses — the 25 mg tablet corresponds to the 2.4 mg weekly injection.

Will I lose progress when I switch GLP-1 medications?

A well-managed switch is designed to preserve your progress. Because conversions start conservatively, appetite suppression may feel slightly reduced for a short period while your dose is re-titrated, but this is a deliberate safety measure rather than a setback.

Do I need a prescription review to switch?

Yes. Every switch should be confirmed by a prescriber or pharmacist, who will consider the timing of your last dose, your response and side effect history, and any other medicines you take.