Tirzepatide dosing charts on TikTok: what they get right and wrong

What did @nexapep actually say?

Here's the awkward truth: the transcript and the video content don't match at all. The caption presents a tirzepatide dosing chart, with conversions like "0.25mL = 2.5mg" up to "1mL = 10mg," implying a 10mg/mL concentration. But the actual spoken words in the video are someone celebrating a birthday. There is no dosing explanation delivered verbally. So what we're fact-checking is the on-screen claim in the caption, not anything the creator explained or contextualized out loud.

That matters. A dosing chart posted without verbal explanation, clinical nuance, or any acknowledgment that concentration varies by pharmacy or prescription is a stripped-down claim with real-world consequences. The disclaimer "Always check your exact dose" is there, but it's doing a lot of heavy lifting for a post with nearly 50,000 views.

Does the science back this up?

Partially, but the framing is dangerously incomplete. The chart assumes a single standard concentration of 10mg/mL. That concentration does exist, particularly in some compounded tirzepatide formulations, but it is not universal. Brand-name Zepbound and Mounjaro use pre-filled single-dose pens, not vials with mL measurements at all. Compounded tirzepatide, which is where mL-based dosing actually applies, can be prepared at multiple concentrations depending on the compounding pharmacy.

A 2024 analysis published by the FDA noted significant variability in compounded GLP-1 preparations, including concentration differences that could lead to dosing errors if patients assume a standard ratio. Tirzepatide's approved dose range runs from 2.5mg up to 15mg weekly, per the prescribing information from Eli Lilly. At a 10mg/mL concentration, the math in the chart checks out. At other concentrations, say 5mg/mL or 15mg/mL, the same syringe markings would deliver completely different doses. The chart never mentions this.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

The math is internally consistent for a 10mg/mL solution. That's the one thing they got right. If your compounded tirzepatide is prepared at exactly 10mg/mL, then yes, 0.5mL delivers 5mg. Credit where it's due.

What's missing is consequential. There is no mention that compounded tirzepatide concentrations vary by pharmacy. There is no instruction to confirm concentration with your prescriber or dispensing pharmacy before using any conversion chart. There is no clarification that brand-name Zepbound and Mounjaro do not use mL-based dosing at all, so this chart is irrelevant for those products. A patient on compounded tirzepatide at 5mg/mL who follows this chart and draws 1mL expecting 10mg would actually inject 5mg. Conversely, someone on a 15mg/mL preparation drawing 0.5mL expecting 5mg would get 7.5mg. These are not trivial errors. Tirzepatide has a narrow therapeutic window in terms of side effect tolerance, and dose errors can accelerate GI adverse events or underdose patients significantly.

What should you actually know?

Tirzepatide dosing in mL only makes sense if you know your exact concentration. That number comes from your pharmacy's dispensing label, not a TikTok chart. Before converting any mL measurement to mg, confirm the concentration printed on your vial. Then do the math: mg/mL times mL equals total mg per dose. Every time, with every new vial, because compounding pharmacies can and do adjust concentrations between batches.

The FDA has flagged compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide products for quality and dosing concerns repeatedly since 2023. A joint communication from the FDA and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists in 2024 emphasized that patients using compounded GLP-1 injectables should receive explicit written instructions on concentration and dose volume from their provider. A chart that assumes 10mg/mL applies universally is not that instruction. If you're prescribed compounded tirzepatide through a telehealth platform, your provider should be giving you a dosing document specific to the concentration you were dispensed, not a social media post.

Bottom line

The chart is mathematically correct for one specific scenario. It is presented as if it applies broadly, and at 49,500 views, that's a problem. The disclaimer is there, but disclaimers don't undo confusion once a viewer screenshots the chart and doses accordingly. If you're managing tirzepatide injections, the only number that matters is the one on your pharmacy label.