The Microdosing is staying on a GLP-1 dose lower than the standard maintenance doses on the FDA-approved label, as prescribed by a provider. The word does not appear in the Wegovy or Zepbound prescribing information. BrightSide offers compounded microdose semaglutide and microdose tirzepatide, each prescribed by a provider based in Seattle.
How does microdosing apply to compounded GLP-1 treatment?
Microdosing is tied to compounded GLP-1 medication because of how each product is supplied. The Wegovy label lists single-dose pens and syringes that each hold one fixed dose, and the Zepbound label lists six strengths from 2.5 mg to 15 mg. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are separate products. FDA notes that compounders offer semaglutide in multiple-dose vials and prefilled syringes, in concentrations that vary by compounder, so the amount in each injection is the amount written on the prescription. A provider can prescribe less than a label dose, or keep a patient at a low dose for longer than the label schedule does. Compounded medications are not FDA approved at any dose. BrightSide's microdose semaglutide and microdose tirzepatide are compounded for one patient on a prescription. There is no set microdose schedule. Your provider picks a starting dose with you and adjusts it.
What do the FDA-approved labels say about low doses?
The labels treat the lowest doses as starting doses. The Wegovy injection label starts at 0.25 mg once a week for four weeks, steps up every four weeks, and names 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg as the maintenance dosage for weight reduction in adults. The Zepbound label starts at 2.5 mg once a week for four weeks and names 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg as the maintenance dosage for weight reduction. It states that the 2.5 mg dosage is for treatment initiation and is not approved as a maintenance dosage. Both labels tell the prescriber to consider treatment response and tolerability when selecting a maintenance dosage, and the Zepbound label says to consider a lower maintenance dosage if a patient does not tolerate one. Staying at or below a starting dose is a decision a provider makes outside those schedules. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide have no FDA-approved label of their own.
What does microdosing mean at the pharmacy?
At the pharmacy, a microdose is a small volume drawn from a vial, and small volumes are where measuring mistakes happen. Check the dose on your pharmacy label before every injection, and message your provider in your patient portal with any question. Plans for both microdose treatments are on our pricing page, and our pharmacy network page covers how we choose pharmacies.
| Wegovy (semaglutide) injection label | Zepbound (tirzepatide) label | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting dose | 0.25 mg once weekly, weeks 1 through 4 | 2.5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks |
| Maintenance dosage | 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg once weekly | 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg once weekly |
| Starting dose as a maintenance dosage | Not listed | Not approved as a maintenance dosage |
| Microdosing | Not described | Not described |
Common questions
Is microdosing on the Wegovy or Zepbound label?
No. Each label sets a starting dose, a schedule of increases and a maintenance dosage, and neither describes microdosing. The Zepbound label says its 2.5 mg dosage is for treatment initiation and is not approved as a maintenance dosage. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not FDA approved at any dose. A provider decides whether a lower dose is appropriate for you.
Has microdosing been studied?
Not the way label doses have. A 2026 study in Biology Methods and Protocols used health records to look at patients who stayed on the lowest label dose, 0.25 mg of semaglutide or 2.5 mg of tirzepatide, for at least six months. The authors write that this pattern may overlap with, but does not establish, intentional microdosing, and that their findings motivate prospective studies.
Related terms
- Titration: the stepwise increase in dose that microdosing slows down or stops.
- Maintenance dose: the label dose that a microdose sits below.
- Compounded medication: the kind of drug a microdose prescription is filled with.
- Subcutaneous injection: how a microdose is given.
Sources
- Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information, Eli Lilly, revised 8/2026, on DailyMed: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=487cd7e7-434c-4925-99fa-aa80b1cc776b
- Wegovy (semaglutide) prescribing information, Novo Nordisk, revised 6/2026, on DailyMed: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ee06186f-2aa3-4990-a760-757579d8f77b
- FDA, FDA alerts health care providers, compounders and patients of dosing errors associated with compounded injectable semaglutide products, content current as of July 26, 2024: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-alerts-health-care-providers-compounders-and-patients-dosing-errors-associated-compounded
- Murugadoss K, Venkatakrishnan AJ, Soundararajan V. Comparison of cardiometabolic benefits and tolerability in patients on sustained low doses of semaglutide or tirzepatide. Biology Methods and Protocols, 2026: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42857675/ (DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/biomethods/bpag048)
Compounded medications are not FDA approved. They are prescribed by a licensed clinician and filled by a licensed 503A pharmacy.
