Compounded Tirzepatide Dosage Chart in Units
Units to draw for each FDA label dose of tirzepatide, by compounded vial strength - not a dose recommendation. Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA-approved.
The short version
Tirzepatide's FDA label sets each dose in milligrams, but a compounded vial is labelled in mg/mL. You have to convert the dose into units on a syringe. This page does that conversion for the label's own dose steps, using concentrations that named compounding pharmacies say they dispense. A compounded vial is not FDA-approved, and the strength on your own vial's label governs, not this table.
- Doses shown are the FDA label's own titration steps for Zepbound and Mounjaro, from 2.5 mg up to 15 mg.
- Units depend entirely on the concentration printed on your vial's label, which compounders do not standardize.
- Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA-approved, and FDA's shortage-based compounding allowance ended in 2024-2025.
- A prescriber sets the milligram dose and the pharmacy label sets the concentration; this table only converts between the two.
A compounded tirzepatide vial’s label states a concentration in mg/mL, not the milligram dose an FDA label uses. To draw the right amount, you have to convert between the two. This page does that conversion for the FDA label’s own dose steps, using concentrations that named compounding pharmacies say they dispense. It is not a recommendation to use a compounded product, and it does not replace reading your own vial’s label.
US legal status - FDA-approved · prescription only
Tirzepatide is FDA-approved as Mounjaro and Zepbound. A compounded version is prepared by a pharmacy under section 503A or 503B of the FD&C Act - it has not gone through FDA premarket review and is not one of those approved products.
AU legal status - TGA-registered · prescription only
Tirzepatide is Schedule 4 of the Poisons Standard - prescription only.
Regulators reach their own conclusions on their own timelines. Where these two disagree, the difference is the point - not an error.
Compounded tirzepatide dosage chart: units by vial strength
The dose steps below are the FDA label’s own numbers for the titration that Zepbound and Mounjaro share. The full schedule is at tirzepatide dosage. The concentrations come from compounding pharmacies’ own product pages. Empower Pharmacy lists 8 mg/mL and 17 mg/mL tirzepatide vials, and Red Rock Pharmacy lists 10 mg/mL and 20 mg/mL tirzepatide vials. Other concentrations are in circulation, so use the number on your own vial, not the closest row here.
Tirzepatide: units for each label dose, by compounded vial strength
| Strength | 1 unit = | 2.5 mg | 5 mg | 7.5 mg | 10 mg | 12.5 mg | 15 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 mg/mL | 80 mcg | 31.5 units | 62.5 units | 94 units | over 100 units | over 100 units | over 100 units |
| 10 mg/mL | 100 mcg | 25 units | 50 units | 75 units | 100 units | over 100 units | over 100 units |
| 17 mg/mL | 170 mcg | 14.5 units | 29.5 units | 44 units | 59 units | 73.5 units | 88 units |
| 20 mg/mL | 200 mcg | 12.5 units | 25 units | 37.5 units | 50 units | 62.5 units | 75 units |
Units on a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL), to the nearest half unit. Dose columns are Zepbound's and Mounjaro's own titration steps; concentrations are strengths named compounding pharmacies state on their own product pages, not a standard.
Why the concentration on your vial is the number that matters
A compounded vial’s strength is whatever that pharmacy mixed it to. Unlike Zepbound or Mounjaro pens, there is no single “tirzepatide vial”. Concentrations from roughly 5 mg/mL to 20 mg/mL or higher are in circulation, and a vial’s mg/mL can change between refills from the same pharmacy.
That is why this chart covers a range of concentrations. Find the row that matches your label exactly, not the row closest to it. If your vial’s strength is not in the table, the dosage calculator runs the same arithmetic for any concentration you enter.
Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA-approved
FDA has approved tirzepatide only as Mounjaro and Zepbound. A compounded version is prepared under section 503A or 503B of the FD&C Act. That route exempts it from the premarket review that checks a drug’s safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality, so it has not been through that review, whatever its label claims.
FDA determined the tirzepatide shortage resolved on December 19, 2024. That removed the main basis compounders had used to prepare a copy of the approved product, and FDA’s clarifying statement set wind-down dates for the temporary allowance that followed. FDA also proposed on April 30, 2026 to exclude tirzepatide from the substances outsourcing facilities may compound in bulk under 503B. The comment period has closed, and no final determination had been published as of this writing.
None of this makes a compounded product automatically unlawful. The legal room compounders once had has narrowed, and only a prescriber and a licensed pharmacy can say whether a specific product is compliant. For the full legal breakdown, see compounded vs branded semaglutide, which covers tirzepatide as well.
Related
- Tirzepatide dosage: the FDA-approved schedule, step by step
- Compounded semaglutide dosage chart: units for each label dose
- Compounded vs branded semaglutide: what differs
- Compounded tirzepatide cost (and semaglutide): what sets the price
- Dosage calculator
Common questions
What is a compounded tirzepatide dosage chart?
A table that converts each FDA label dose of tirzepatide, in milligrams, into units to draw on a U-100 insulin syringe. It covers compounded vial concentrations that named compounding pharmacies say they dispense. It is arithmetic, not a dose recommendation. The milligram dose comes from a prescriber, and the concentration comes from your own vial's label.
How many units of tirzepatide should I draw for a given dose?
That depends on the exact concentration on your vial's label, which pharmacies do not standardize. Concentrations from 5 mg/mL to 20 mg/mL and higher are in circulation. The chart above converts the FDA label's dose steps into units for several concentrations that real compounding pharmacies say they use. The numbers are only correct if your vial matches one of those concentrations exactly, so check the label.
Is compounded tirzepatide FDA-approved?
No. FDA has approved tirzepatide only as Mounjaro and Zepbound, each made under an approved application. A pharmacy prepares a compounded version under section 503A or 503B of the FD&C Act, which exempts it from premarket review. FDA has not reviewed it for safety, effectiveness or manufacturing quality, whatever its label states.
Is compounded tirzepatide legal?
It can be, within narrow conditions. The pharmacy has to be licensed and follow 503A or 503B rules, and the product generally cannot be an unpermitted copy of the approved drug. FDA determined the tirzepatide shortage resolved on December 19, 2024, which narrowed the shortage-based allowance that had given compounders more legal room. See the compounded vs branded guide for the full legal picture.
References (6 sources)
Bibliographic detail is fetched from PubMed, not written by me - so a citation here cannot drift from the paper it names. Study design comes from PubMed's own tags rather than my judgement.
- 1.ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide) injection - full prescribing information, dosage and administration: titration schedule and maximum dose.- DailyMed, National Library of Medicinelabel
- 2.MOUNJARO (tirzepatide) injection - full prescribing information, dosage and administration: starting dose and titration for glycemic control.- DailyMed, National Library of Medicinelabel
- 3.FDA - FDA clarifies policies for compounders as national GLP-1 supply begins to stabilize, stating the tirzepatide shortage resolved December 19, 2024 and the enforcement-discretion wind-down dates that followed.- US Food and Drug Administrationregulatory
- 4.FDA Press Announcement - FDA Proposes to Exclude Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, and Liraglutide on 503B Bulks List (proposed April 30, 2026; comment period closed; no final determination published as of this writing).- US Food and Drug Administrationregulatory
- 5.Empower Pharmacy - Tirzepatide/Niacinamide Injection product page, stating the concentrations and vial sizes it compounds.- Empower Pharmacyother
- 6.Red Rock Pharmacy - Tirzepatide product page, stating the concentrations and vial sizes it compounds.- Red Rock Pharmacyother