Liraglutide Dosage Chart & Schedule
Liraglutide is an FDA-approved GLP-1 receptor agonist marketed as Victoza (type 2 diabetes) and Saxenda (chronic weight management). It is a once-daily injectable analog of human GLP-1 modified with a fatty-acid chain that extends its duration of action relative to native GLP-1.
Liraglutide is a once-daily subcutaneous GLP-1 analog delivered by a prefilled pen (not reconstituted). Labeling titrates the dose upward over weeks - Victoza toward 1.2-1.8 mg/day for diabetes, Saxenda toward 3.0 mg/day for weight management - to ease gastrointestinal side effects.
Figures describe how Liraglutide is reported in the research literature and research-community references — not a recommendation for human use. For laboratory research only.
Dosage protocols
Commonly referenced research tiers. Start conservative; every compound and study context differs.
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Weekly total
- ~4.2 mg/week
- Cycle
- Week 1, then titrate up
Initiation dose; not a target dose.
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Weekly total
- ~12.6 mg/week
- Cycle
- Ongoing after titration
Common maintenance dose; also a Saxenda titration step.
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Weekly total
- ~21 mg/week
- Cycle
- Ongoing after reaching target
Approved weight-management target dose.
Titration is central
- Dosing starts at 0.6 mg/day and steps up about weekly.
- Slow escalation is used to manage nausea and other GI effects.
- Victoza tops out around 1.8 mg/day; Saxenda targets 3.0 mg/day.
Pen, not a vial mix
- Commercial liraglutide is a ready-to-use 6 mg/mL prefilled pen.
- It is dialed in mg on the pen, not reconstituted or measured in units.
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Weekly schedule
A typical week on the standard maintenance protocol (Once daily).
Dosing day Off
Liraglutide reconstitution
Commercial liraglutide is supplied ready-to-use as a prefilled pen (6 mg/mL solution) and is not reconstituted. For reference, if a lyophilized research vial were prepared: 5 mg + 2 mL bacteriostatic water = 2,500 mcg/mL (2.5 mg/mL); 1 unit is approximately 0.025 mg (25 mcg).
From vial to injection in 6 steps
Wipe both vial tops
Swab the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic-water vial with fresh alcohol and let them dry.
Draw the water
Pull the planned amount of bacteriostatic water (2 mL) into the syringe.
Add it slowly
Run the water down the inside wall of the vial — don't blast the powder. Swirl gently; never shake.
Let it dissolve
Wait until the solution is fully clear, then refrigerate the vial.
Draw your dose
Pull the calculated units on a U-100 insulin syringe (~20 units for 600 mcg).
Store between uses
Keep the reconstituted vial refrigerated and use within its stable window.
Handling & storage
- Supplied as a prefilled multi-dose pen - no reconstitution or unit math needed.
- Rotate subcutaneous sites (abdomen, thigh, upper arm) and dose at a consistent time daily.
- Refrigerate unopened pens; an in-use pen is generally kept up to ~30 days per labeling.
- FDA-approved (Victoza 2010; Saxenda 2014); titrate under the product labeling.
Liraglutide dosing FAQ
Why does liraglutide start so low at 0.6 mg?
The low start and weekly step-ups let the gut adjust, reducing nausea and other GI effects before reaching a 1.2-1.8 mg (diabetes) or 3.0 mg (weight) target.
Is liraglutide reconstituted or dosed in units?
Neither. It comes as a ready-to-use 6 mg/mL prefilled pen and is dialed in milligrams, unlike a lyophilized research peptide.
How is it different from once-weekly GLP-1 drugs?
Liraglutide's half-life is about 13 hours, so it is injected once daily, whereas semaglutide and dulaglutide are dosed once weekly.
What is the difference between the Victoza and Saxenda doses?
Same molecule, different targets: Victoza (diabetes) titrates to 1.2-1.8 mg/day, while Saxenda (weight management) titrates to 3.0 mg/day.
Sources
Categories: GLP-1 & Metabolic · Status: Approved (see notes). This page is educational and for laboratory research use only; it is not medical advice.