You inject Zepbound 1 time each week, on the same day each week, at any time of the day, with or without food. Below are the steps from Lilly’s instructions for use for the single-dose vial. Always follow the instructions for use that came with your medication.
Talk to your clinician about how to inject Zepbound the right way, and inject exactly as they’ve shown you. Note: Self-injection is not recommended for people who are visually impaired.
Understand the measurements on your prescription
You’ll see 2 types of measures on your prescription and your vial label:
Milligrams (mg): your dose strength. It tells you how much Zepbound you’re taking.
Milliliters (mL): the volume, marked on your syringe. You use it to measure your dose.
Every strength of the Zepbound single-dose vial holds its full dose in 0.5 mL: the label reads, for example, 2.5 mg/0.5 mL or 5 mg/0.5 mL. So whatever your prescribed dose in mg, you always draw up and inject 0.5 mL, as long as you’re using the vial that matches your prescription.
Use Zepbound exactly as your clinician tells you to. If anything about your prescription or the syringe markings is unclear, message your clinician through the chat on your Dashboard before you inject.
Step 1: Get ready
Gather your supplies.
(a) 1 single-dose Zepbound vial
(b) 1 syringe and 1 needle, supplied separately (for example, a 1 mL syringe and needle, as recommended by your clinician)
(c) 1 alcohol swab
(d) gauze
(e) 1 sharps container for throwing away used needles and syringes
Note: The needle and syringe recommended by your clinician may look different from the ones pictured in the instructions for use.
Remove the vial from the refrigerator.
Check the vial label. Make sure you have the right medicine and dose, and that it hasn’t expired. For example, if your dose is 2.5 mg a week, your vial label reads 2.5 mg/0.5 mL. If your dose is 5 mg a week, it reads 5 mg/0.5 mL.
Check the medicine. Make sure it:
(a) is not frozen;
(b) is colorless to slightly yellow;
(c) is not cloudy;
(d) does not have particles.
Don’t use Zepbound if it has been frozen, or if you see particles or discoloration.
Use a new syringe and needle. Always use a new syringe and needle for each injection, to prevent infections and blocked needles. Don’t reuse or share your syringes or needles with other people. You may give other people a serious infection or get a serious infection from them.
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Step 2: Prepare the vial and syringe
Pull off the plastic protective cap. Don’t remove the rubber stopper.
Wipe the rubber stopper with an alcohol swab.
Remove the outer wrapping from the syringe.
Remove the outer wrapping from the needle. The syringe your clinician recommended may have a pre-attached needle. If the needle is attached, skip to item 6 below.
Place the needle on top of the syringe and turn it until it’s tight and firmly attached.
Remove the needle shield by pulling it straight off.
Step 3: Fill the syringe
Draw 0.5 mL of air into the syringe. Hold the syringe in one hand with the needle pointing up. With the other hand, pull down on the plunger until the plunger tip reaches the line on the syringe that shows 0.5 mL of air has been drawn in. Note: Find the line that marks 0.5 mL on your syringe. That is the line you measure your dose to.
Push the needle through the rubber stopper of the vial.
Push the plunger all the way in. This puts air into the vial and makes it easier to pull the medicine out of the vial.
Turn the vial and syringe upside down. Make sure the tip of the needle is in the liquid, then slowly pull the plunger down until the plunger tip is past the 0.5 mL line.
Remove any air bubbles. If there are air bubbles, tap the syringe gently a few times to let them rise to the top.
Slowly push the plunger up until the plunger tip reaches the 0.5 mL line.
Pull the syringe out of the rubber stopper of the vial.
The syringe holds only a small amount of liquid. 0.5 mL is your full dose at every strength, so when the plunger tip is at the 0.5 mL line you have your full prescribed dose.
Step 4: Inject your dose
Your clinician should tell you whether to pinch the skin before injecting.
Choose your injection site.
(a) You can inject Zepbound under the skin (subcutaneously) of your stomach area (abdomen) or thighs. Someone else can inject in your stomach area, thighs or the back of the upper arms. Do not inject Zepbound into a muscle or a vein.
(b) Change (rotate) your injection site within the area you choose for each dose. This reduces your risk of lipodystrophy (pits in the skin or thickened skin) and localized cutaneous amyloidosis (skin with lumps) at the injection sites.
(c) Do not inject where the skin has pits, is thickened or has lumps. Do not inject where the skin is tender, bruised, scaly or hard, or into scars or damaged skin.
(d) Don’t inject Zepbound in the same injection site you use for other medicines, and don’t mix Zepbound with any other medicine.
Insert the needle into your skin.
Push down on the plunger to inject your dose. The needle should stay in your skin for at least 5 seconds to make sure you have injected all of your dose.
Pull the needle out of your skin.
(a) If you see blood after you take the needle out, press the injection site with a piece of gauze. Don’t rub the area.
(b) Do not recap the needle. Recapping the needle can lead to a needle stick injury.
Step 5: Throw away the needle, syringe and vial
Put the used needle and syringe in your sharps disposal container right away. Do not throw loose needles and syringes in your household trash.
If you don’t have an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container, you can use a household container that is:
(a) made of a heavy-duty plastic;
(b) able to close with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid, without sharps being able to come out;
(c) upright and stable during use;
(d) leak-resistant;
(e) properly labeled to warn of hazardous waste inside the container.
When your sharps container is about three-quarters full, follow your community guidelines for the right way to dispose of it. There may be state or local laws about how to throw away used needles and syringes. Do not put a used sharps disposal container in your household trash unless your community guidelines permit this, and do not recycle it. See “How do I safely dispose of needles?” in this help center for your options.
Throw away the opened vial after use, even if there is medicine left in it. Each vial holds one dose.
Keep Zepbound vials, syringes, needles, and all medicines out of the reach of children, and keep all sharps and containers out of reach of children and pets.
Storing your vials
Don’t freeze Zepbound, and don’t use it if it has been frozen.
Protect Zepbound from heat and light.
Store the vial in the original carton to protect it from light.
Store all unopened vials in the refrigerator at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C).
If you need to, you can keep an unopened vial at room temperature, up to 86°F (30°C), for up to a total of 21 days. Throw the vial away after a total of 21 days at room temperature.
Once a vial has been kept at room temperature, don’t put it back in the refrigerator. Throw it away if you haven’t used it within 21 days of taking it out of the refrigerator.
Who to contact
For anything about your dose, how to inject, how you feel on your medication, or a missed dose, message your clinician through the chat on your Dashboard. Reply to the most recent message about your prescription.
For a damaged vial, missing syringes or other supplies, or a replacement, contact your pharmacy.
In an emergency, call 911. If you’re having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988.
Sources
This article follows the manufacturer’s instructions for the Zepbound single-dose vial. If you’d like to read them yourself:
Zepbound single-dose vial Instructions for Use, Eli Lilly and Company, revised April 2026
Zepbound Medication Guide, Eli Lilly and Company, revised August 2026
Getting started with the Zepbound single-dose vial, Lilly USA, updated September 2026
Zepbound Prescribing Information, Eli Lilly and Company, revised August 2026
FDA: DOs and DON’Ts of Proper Sharps Disposal, FDA, updated April 2021
GenMeds checked this article against these documents on October 27, 2026. Your pharmacy’s package insert is always the final word for the medication you were dispensed.