Foundayo dose steps UK: 0.8 mg to 17.2 mg explained

Last reviewed: 23 August 2026

Why the ladder exists at all

Every GLP-1 medicine is escalated slowly, and the reason is tolerability rather than caution for its own sake. Gut side effects cluster at initiation and at each dose increase, then generally settle as the body adapts. Climbing gradually gives that adaptation time to happen, which is precisely why the schedule holds you at each strength for at least a month.¹

Rushing does not produce faster weight loss. It produces nausea, and nausea is the single biggest reason people abandon treatment: in ATTAIN-1, between 5.3% and 10.3% of participants discontinued because of adverse events, against 2.7% on placebo.²

What each step is doing

0.8 mg: the introduction

Not a treatment dose in any meaningful sense. Its job is to introduce the medicine to your system at a level most people barely notice, so that everything above it lands more gently. Weight change in this month is often minimal and that is entirely normal, not a sign the medicine is failing.

2.5 mg: still building

The second acclimatisation step. Appetite suppression usually becomes noticeable somewhere around here, and food noise begins to quieten. Gut side effects, if you are going to get them, commonly show up in the days after this increase.

5.5 mg: the first therapeutic dose

This is where the trials start reporting real numbers. In ATTAIN-1, 5.5 mg produced 7.4% average weight loss over 72 weeks, against 2.1% on placebo.² Some people find this dose does everything they need and settle here permanently, which is a legitimate outcome rather than stopping short.

9 mg: the middle ground

ATTAIN-1 recorded 8.3% average weight loss at 9 mg.² A very common maintenance dose, balancing effect against side effects for a lot of people.

14.5 mg: the penultimate step

An escalation step towards the top dose. Because trials reported outcomes mainly at 5.5 mg, 9 mg and 17.2 mg, there is less published headline data specific to this strength; treat it as part of the climb rather than a separate destination.

17.2 mg: the maximum

The highest authorised dose, and the one behind the headline figure: 11.1% average weight loss in ATTAIN-1, and 9.6% in ATTAIN-2 for adults with type 2 diabetes.² Higher effect on average, and generally more side effects too. Not everyone gets here and not everyone needs to.

You do not have to reach the top

This is the point most people miss. The goal is the lowest dose that gives you the result you need with side effects you can live with, not the biggest number on the box. If you are losing weight steadily and feeling well at 9 mg, there is no prize for climbing further. That is a conversation to have openly with your prescriber rather than a decision to make alone.

Rules that keep escalation safe

• Never escalate on your own initiative. Dose changes are prescriber decisions.
• Never take two tablets in a day to catch up, compensate for a missed dose or accelerate results. See our missed dose guide.
• Never combine Foundayo with another GLP-1 medicine.¹
• Struggling at a new step? Your prescriber can hold you there longer or step you back down. That is a normal adjustment, not a failure.
• Coming from an injection? You will normally rejoin the ladder rather than jumping to an equivalent dose. See switching to Foundayo.

Cost climbs with the ladder

With Mounjaro and Wegovy, higher maintenance doses generally cost more than starter doses, and Foundayo pricing is expected to follow the same pattern. Budget for the dose you are likely to settle at rather than the cheap first month. Our retail price list is built dose by dose for exactly this reason.