Saxenda Dosage Chart (2026): The Liraglutide Daily Titration Schedule

Saxenda (liraglutide) is titrated slowly, on a fixed weekly schedule, but injected once every day — and that daily cadence is what most sets it apart from the once-weekly GLP-1 medications. Per the FDA label, Saxenda starts at 0.6 mg once daily and increases by 0.6 mg at weekly intervals — 0.6 → 1.2 → 1.8 → 2.4 → 3.0 mg maintenance — so the earliest you reach the full 3.0 mg dose is the start of week 5.^[1] The 0.6 mg starting dose is explicitly not a treatment dose; it exists only to reduce gastrointestinal side effects while your body adjusts. This guide reproduces the full daily titration ladder, explains why Saxenda is a daily (not weekly) injection, why the escalation is paced one step per week, what happens at the 3.0 mg maintenance dose, how to handle missed doses and gaps, and how Saxenda dosing compares to Victoza — the same molecule with a different maximum. All dosing here is illustrative of the FDA label; your prescriber sets your actual schedule. See our medications overview and the related semaglutide dosage chart for the once-weekly comparison.

The Saxenda dose ladder (0.6 → 3.0 mg, +0.6 mg weekly)

Here is the complete once-daily subcutaneous titration for Saxenda. The defining rule: you increase the daily dose by 0.6 mg at weekly intervals, holding each new dose for a week before stepping up again, until you reach the 3.0 mg maintenance dose. You start at a deliberately sub-therapeutic 0.6 mg dose whose only job is to let your gut adjust to the medication.^[1]

Read it as a five-rung ladder with one move per week: 0.6 → 1.2 → 1.8 → 2.4 → 3.0 mg. Each rung is +0.6 mg above the last, and you spend roughly one week at each before climbing. The label is explicit that if a patient does not tolerate an increased dose during escalation, the prescriber may delay the increase for about one additional week rather than push through.^[1]

Why Saxenda is a DAILY injection (not weekly)

The single most important practical fact about Saxenda dosing: it is injected once every day, not once a week. This is the opposite of the modern once-weekly GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Zepbound/Mounjaro), which are designed to be taken on a single fixed day each week.^[1]

The reason is pharmacological. Saxenda's active ingredient, liraglutide, has a relatively short half-life of roughly 13 hours, so its blood level falls between doses and it must be re-dosed daily to keep working. Semaglutide and tirzepatide were engineered with much longer half-lives (about a week), which is what allows their once-weekly cadence. Same drug class (GLP-1 receptor agonists), very different dosing schedules. The label instructs that Saxenda can be injected at any time of day, without regard to meals, but it should be taken at about the same time each day for consistency.^[1]

For a side-by-side of the once-weekly schedule, see our semaglutide dosage chart. The big takeaway: if you are used to a weekly injection, Saxenda is a different rhythm — 7 injections a week, every week.

Why the slow weekly titration (GI tolerability)

The +0.6 mg-per-week escalation is not arbitrary padding — it is the mechanism that makes Saxenda tolerable. Liraglutide's most common side effects are gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. These are dose-related and most intense right after a dose increases. Starting at a sub-therapeutic 0.6 mg and raising the dose by only 0.6 mg per week lets the gut adapt to each new level before the next step, which is exactly why the label builds the 0.6 mg "tolerability-only" first week into the schedule.^[1]

The label's built-in safety valve is explicit: if a patient cannot tolerate an increased dose during escalation, the prescriber may delay that increase by about one additional week, holding the patient at the lower dose longer rather than forcing the climb.^[1] The practical consequence is the reverse of what some patients expect — the schedule is designed to be slowed down, never sped up. Rushing the ladder or skipping a week predictably worsens nausea and vomiting. Persistent severe GI symptoms also warrant a check for dehydration-related complications such as acute kidney injury, so they should be reported to the prescriber rather than pushed through.

The 3.0 mg maintenance dose

The Saxenda maintenance dose is 3.0 mg once daily, reached at the start of week 5 after the four weekly +0.6 mg steps.^[1] Unlike the once-weekly drugs, which offer alternate maintenance doses, Saxenda has a single target: 3.0 mg/day. The label notes that the daily 0.6, 1.2, 1.8, and 2.4 mg doses are intended only for the dose-escalation phase and are not effective long-term maintenance doses — the point of the ladder is to arrive at 3.0 mg.^[1]

The label also describes an early efficacy checkpoint: if a patient has not tolerated the 3.0 mg dose, or has not achieved a clinically meaningful weight reduction after a defined period at the maintenance dose, the prescriber may reassess and consider discontinuing, since continued treatment is unlikely to add benefit.^[1] Maintenance is not a finish line you graduate from — liraglutide for weight management is a chronic therapy, and weight tends to be regained when it is stopped. Once at 3.0 mg, the cadence is simply your one daily injection at the same dose, with periodic prescriber follow-up. To find a provider, compare the best GLP-1 providers, or read our reviews of Found and Ro.

Missed doses and restarting after a gap

Because Saxenda is once daily, missed-dose handling differs from the once-weekly drugs:^[1]

• If you miss a single daily dose: resume Saxenda with your next scheduled daily dose. Do not take an extra dose and do not increase the dose to make up for the missed one — just continue your normal once-daily schedule.
• If more than 3 days are missed: per the label, the dose-escalation schedule may need to be reinitiated — that is, your prescriber may restart you at 0.6 mg/day and re-titrate back up by 0.6 mg weekly, because tolerance to the GI effects can fade during a gap and restarting at the full dose can bring the nausea back.
• For any prolonged interruption: contact your prescriber before resuming. Whether you re-escalate from 0.6 mg depends on how long the gap was and your tolerability; this is a prescriber decision, not a self-adjustment.

The logic mirrors the rest of the schedule: the slow titration exists for GI tolerability, so after a meaningful break the body may need to climb the ladder again rather than jump straight back to 3.0 mg.^[1]

Saxenda vs Victoza dosing (same molecule, different maximum)

Saxenda and Victoza are the same active molecule — liraglutide — but they are different products with different approved indications and, crucially, different maximum doses. They are not interchangeable.^[1][2]

• Saxenda is FDA-approved for chronic weight management. It titrates 0.6 → 1.2 → 1.8 → 2.4 → 3.0 mg once daily, increasing 0.6 mg at weekly intervals, with 3.0 mg as the maintenance/maximum dose.
• Victoza is FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes (glycemic control). Its dosing is lower: it starts at 0.6 mg/day for at least a week, then increases to 1.2 mg/day, and may go to a maximum of 1.8 mg once daily if additional glycemic control is needed.
• Same starting dose, different ceiling. Both begin at 0.6 mg/day for tolerability, but Saxenda climbs to 3.0 mg for weight loss while Victoza tops out at 1.8 mg for diabetes — Saxenda's maximum is well above Victoza's.

Because they share the same molecule, people sometimes assume the doses are interchangeable; they are not. A Victoza prescription cannot simply be "scaled up" to reach Saxenda's 3.0 mg weight-management dose, and the two are marketed in different pens. Always follow the dosing for the specific product you have been prescribed. For where to get a legitimate GLP-1 prescription, compare the best providers or browse our medications overview.