GLP-1 Pen Click Calculator
If you are using a brand-name GLP-1 pen and want to take a fractional dose, use this calculator to find your click count. Select your pen strength, enter your target dose, and get the exact number of clicks to count. Covers all six Zepbound®/Mounjaro® KwikPen strengths and all three Semaglutide-MDP pen strengths.
This calculator is for brand-name pens only. If you are using a compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide vial (the Rivas model), no click counting is needed — your provider draws your exact dose directly. Learn about vial-based precision dosing at Rivas →
Get the printable reference card
All click counts for every pen strength — semaglutide and tirzepatide — on one page. Print it, keep it with your medication.
Quick click count reference
Prefer a static table? Find your pen and dose below. Bookmark this page for easy access.
| Dose | Clicks |
|---|---|
| 0.06 mg | 9 |
| 0.13 mg | 18 |
| 0.25 mg | 36 |
| 0.29 mg | 42 |
| 0.33 mg | 48 |
| 0.38 mg | 54 |
| 0.42 mg | 60 |
| 0.46 mg | 66 |
| 0.50 mg | 72 |
| Dose | Clicks |
|---|---|
| 0.13 mg | 9 |
| 0.25 mg | 18 |
| 0.50 mg | 36 |
| 0.58 mg | 42 |
| 0.67 mg | 48 |
| 0.75 mg | 54 |
| 0.83 mg | 60 |
| 0.92 mg | 66 |
| 1.00 mg | 72 |
| Dose | Clicks |
|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | 9 |
| 0.50 mg | 18 |
| 1.00 mg | 36 |
| 1.17 mg | 42 |
| 1.33 mg | 48 |
| 1.50 mg | 54 |
| 1.67 mg | 60 |
| 1.83 mg | 66 |
| 2.00 mg | 72 |
Source: Komé AM, et al. Diabetes Care. 2025;48(3):e25–e27. American Diabetes Association. Each pen delivers 72 clicks per full dose.
| Pen strength ↓ / Desired dose → | 2.5 mg | 5 mg | 7.5 mg | 10 mg | 12.5 mg | 15 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg pen | 60 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 mg pen | 30 | 60 | — | — | — | — |
| 7.5 mg pen | 20 | 40 | 60 | — | — | — |
| 10 mg pen | 15 | 30 | 45 | 60 | — | — |
| 12.5 mg pen | 12 | 24 | 36 | 48 | 60 | — |
| 15 mg pen | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 |
Bold values = full labeled dose (60 clicks). — = dose exceeds pen capacity. Formula: clicks = round(desired dose ÷ (pen dose ÷ 60)). Concentrations: FDA prescribing information, Mounjaro®/Zepbound®.
Why click counts vary by pen strength
GLP-1 pens are fixed-dose devices — the medication is pre-loaded at a specific concentration, and the pen mechanism delivers one full dose with a full turn of the dial. The clicking sound you hear is the ratchet mechanism advancing the plunger. Each pen strength has a fixed number of clicks per full dose: 72 clicks per full dose on semaglutide multidose pens, and 60 clicks per full dose on tirzepatide KwikPens of any strength.
Because the total mg per full dose differs across pen strengths — 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, and so on — each individual click delivers a different amount of medication depending on which pen you have. A single click on a 15 mg tirzepatide pen delivers 0.25 mg. A single click on a 2.5 mg tirzepatide pen delivers only 0.042 mg. Same mechanism, completely different mg per click.
This is why you must know your pen strength before using this calculator. Using the wrong pen row will give you a dangerously incorrect click count. Always verify the dose strength printed on your pen label before counting clicks.
Why Rivas uses vials instead of pens: The clinical literature describing pen microdosing (Komé et al., Diabetes Care 2025) identified the counting complexity as a limitation of pen-based precision dosing. At Rivas, compounded GLP-1 medications are drawn from vials with a syringe — your provider draws any precise dose increment and administers it in-office, with no counting required. Read the full clinical explanation →
Other tools from Rivas
These calculators were built by the Rivas clinical team for our own patients — and shared freely because the GLP-1 community needed better resources.
Want a provider to handle the dosing for you?
Rivas has 15 clinic locations across Maryland and Virginia. At every visit, your provider draws your exact dose from a vial and administers it in-office — no counting, no guesswork.
Ready to stop counting clicks?
Book your first visit at any Rivas location. Your provider evaluates whether GLP-1 therapy is right for you, determines your starting dose, draws it from a vial, and administers it in-office — all at that first visit. Every visit after that works the same way. You show up, we handle the rest.
Book Your First Visit →From $115/week · Medication included · HSA & FSA accepted · See pricing →
Medical Disclaimer: This tool is for educational reference only. Off-label dosing of GLP-1 medications by counting pen clicks is not recommended by manufacturers and is not supported by clinical guidelines. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. All dosing decisions should be made with a licensed healthcare provider. Individual results vary. Semaglutide click data: Komé AM, et al. Diabetes Care. 2025;48(3):e25–e27. Tirzepatide concentration data: FDA prescribing information for Mounjaro®/Zepbound® (accessdata.fda.gov; DailyMed, NIH). The 60-click-per-dose figure for tirzepatide is empirically documented by patient communities and has not been validated in peer-reviewed literature or official manufacturer guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click Calculator FAQ
For a full labeled dose: attach a needle, prime the pen, dial to the dose window, inject subcutaneously, and hold the button until the dose window shows zero. For a fractional dose using click counting: instead of turning fully, count the number of clicks that correspond to your desired dose using the calculator above. Each click advances the plunger by a fixed amount — 60 clicks delivers the full labeled dose on any KwikPen strength. Manufacturers do not recommend fractional dosing. If you want your dose drawn and administered precisely without any counting, that is exactly what Rivas providers do at every visit. Learn more about in-office vial-based dosing at Rivas →
20 clicks. On the 15 mg KwikPen, each click delivers 0.25 mg (15 mg ÷ 60 clicks). To reach 5 mg: 5 ÷ 0.25 = 20 clicks. This is confirmed by the cross-reference table above.
15 clicks. On the 10 mg KwikPen, each click delivers 0.167 mg (10 mg ÷ 60 clicks). To reach 2.5 mg: round(2.5 ÷ 0.167) = 15 clicks.
It depends on your pen strength. On the 0.25/0.5 mg red pen: 36 clicks. On the 1 mg blue pen: 18 clicks. On the 2 mg gold pen: 9 clicks. Always confirm your pen strength before counting. These values come directly from the published clinical reference table (Komé et al., Diabetes Care 2025).
It is a workable approach, but it carries real risk of counting error — particularly at higher click counts (up to 72 for semaglutide). Pen manufacturers do not recommend this method, and it is not in clinical guidelines. If you want truly precise dose control without counting, the alternative is a compounded vial-based program where a provider draws and administers your exact dose in-office. Learn how Rivas approaches precision dosing →
The tirzepatide 60-click-per-dose figure is based on empirical patient community data and is not stated in official Lilly manufacturer guidance. Lilly's Instructions for Use only say to turn the dose knob fully until it stops. If you are uncertain whether your pen's click count matches the expected values, count to the full dose on a new pen before using it for fractional dosing, as suggested by the Diabetes Care authors. The semaglutide values are from a published ADA clinical reference.
Wegovy and Ozempic are single-dose pens — each pen delivers one fixed dose and cannot be dialed to a different amount. This calculator applies to semaglutide multidose pens (MDP), which are available in 0.25/0.5 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg strengths and contain multiple doses that can be individually measured. If you have a Wegovy or Ozempic single-dose autoinjector, click counting does not apply.