Foundayo doses: UK tablet steps from 0.8 mg to 17.2 mg

The licensed tablet steps

You start on 0.8 mg once daily. After at least 30 days the dose rises to 2.5 mg. After at least 30 days on that dose, your prescriber can raise it to 5.5 mg. Further steps are 9 mg, 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg, with at least 30 days between increases. Each decision depends on your response and side effects.

The maximum daily dose is 17.2 mg. Never take more than one tablet a day to reach a higher dose. Swallow tablets whole. Some interactions set a lower maximum or rule out a combination, so the standard steps never replace a review of your medicines.

Why older articles mention 36 mg

Orforglipron trials used hard capsules. The UK label explains the tablet and capsule do not match milligram for milligram. The 17.2 mg film-coated tablet, for example, gives the same exposure as the 36 mg capsule used in studies.

The difference lies in the formulation. UK patients receive the full treatment. The strength on your dispensed pack is the number on your prescription. Never buy a different formulation or build a dose from conversion advice found online.

Check before the next increase

Ask yourself four questions. How long have you taken the current dose? How many doses have you missed? What symptoms have you had? Are you eating and drinking enough? A calendar month from your first prescription can differ from a month of steady treatment.

Write down changes to other medicines, recent illness and any planned procedure. Any of these can change the decision even when your weight is moving the right way. Check each planned increase against your health at the time. A dose step should never run like an automatic subscription.

Your dose is a clinical instruction

Nobody should set your dose from a friend's weight, the appetite suppression you want or the tablets left in a pack. The dose steps follow evidence for this medicine and formulation. A higher dose does not reliably bring a better overall result.

If the label, an email and your prescriber's message give different instructions, ask the dispensing pharmacy to sort out the difference before you take the dose. Keep the pack and prescription details to hand. A clear written plan states the strength, daily frequency, next review and what to do if side effects become a problem.

When a new pack arrives, check the strength against your written plan before the first tablet. The delivery date is not automatically the start of an increase. If you spent less time on the last strength than planned, or had significant symptoms, contact the prescribing service to confirm what comes next.

Questions for your appointment

Ask whether any of your medicines lower the maximum dose allowed or call for an alternative. If someone quotes a 12 mg or 36 mg dose, check whether they mean a trial capsule or the UK film-coated tablet.