Stelara Dosages: Your GoodRx Guide

Stelara (ustekinumab) blocks two specific interleukins (proteins) in your body from causing inflammation. So it’s prescribed to help treat autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These conditions all cause excess inflammation in the body, which Stelara helps reduce.

Stelara is approved for adults and children ages 6 and up. Below, we’ll review recommended Stelara dosages. Keep in mind that your healthcare provider may instruct you to take Stelara differently than what’s listed below. It’s best to follow their instructions and reach out with any questions you have about your Stelara dosage.

What’s the typical Stelara dosage for adults?

The recommended Stelara dosage for adults is based on your body weight and the condition you’re treating. Your first dose or two of Stelara are known as loading doses. They help raise Stelara levels in your body faster so it can start working. After your loading dose(s), you’ll switch to what’s called a maintenance dose. This will be your regular Stelara dosage moving forward.

Stelara is given as an injection under the skin (subcutaneously) in most cases. For inflammatory bowel disease, your loading dose will be given as an infusion into a vein (IV). But after that, you’ll be able to inject Stelara under the skin for your maintenance doses.

Psoriasis

For psoriasis, you’ll start with two loading doses of Stelara, given 4 weeks (1 month) apart. After that, you’ll give yourself a dose of Stelara every 12 weeks (3 months). 

The recommended Stelara dosage is 45 mg for adults with a body weight of 100 kg (220 lbs) or less and 90 mg for adults with a body weight of more than 100 kg. You’ll receive the same dose for both loading and maintenance doses.

Psoriatic arthritis

For many people with psoriatic arthritis, the recommended Stelara dosage is 45 mg given as two doses 4 weeks apart, then every 12 weeks thereafter.

A higher dose of Stelara is recommended for adults with a body weight of more than 100 kg and both psoriatic arthritis and plaque psoriasis. The recommended Stelara dosage is 90 mg given as two doses 4 weeks apart, then every 12 weeks thereafter.

Inflammatory bowel disease

Stelara is approved to treat the two types of IBD: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. 

The recommended Stelara dosage for IBD starts with a one-time loading dose that’s given by IV infusion. The recommended loading doses are:

• 260 mg for people with a body weight of 55 kg (121 lbs) or less

• 390 mg for a body weight of more than 55 kg to 85 kg (187 lbs)

• 520 mg for a body weight of more than 85 kg

You’ll need to go to an infusion clinic or your healthcare provider’s office to receive your Stelara infusion. The infusion itself takes about an hour, but you’ll likely need to plan for the appointment to take a bit longer from start to finish.

After your IV loading dose, the recommended maintenance dosage of Stelara for IBD is 90 mg injected under the skin every 8 weeks.

What’s the typical Stelara dosage for children?

Stelara is also approved to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in children ages 6 and older. Stelara dosages for children are also based on body weight.

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

Children with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis will start with two loading doses of Stelara, given 4 weeks apart. After that, the maintenance dose is injected every 12 weeks. The Stelara dosage is the same for both loading and maintenance doses in children. 

For children with a body weight of less than 60 kg (132 lbs), the recommended Stelara dosage is 0.75 mg per kg of body weight. Your child’s provider will calculate their dose and let you know how to measure and inject it. The recommended Stelara dosage for children with a body weight of 60 kg to 100 kg (220 lbs) is 45 mg, and for children with a body weight of more than 100 kg it’s 90 mg. 

What dosage forms does Stelara come in?

Stelara comes in three different dosage forms, as shown in the table below.

Each form of Stelara comes as a single dose, so you’ll dispose of it after you inject it. Your healthcare provider will make sure you know how to give an injection before they let you do it yourself. Keep in mind that you’ll also need alcohol swabs and a sharps container to give a Stelara injection safely.

All forms of Stelara should be stored in the refrigerator at 36°F to 46°F. But the prefilled syringes can be kept at room temperature for up to 30 days if needed. Once a syringe is stored at room temperature, it shouldn’t go back in the fridge. You’ll need to discard it if you haven’t used it within 30 days.

What happens if you miss a dose of Stelara?

One advantage of Stelara is that after you complete your loading doses, you’ll only inject it 4 to 6 times a year. But having so much time between injections can make it easy to forget your dose.

If you’ve missed your Stelara dose, inject it as soon as you remember if it’s still the day your injection is due. Otherwise, it’s best to reach out to your provider so they can help you get back on schedule.

It’s best to avoid missing doses in order for Stelara to work at its best. You may want to use a medication reminder app or calendar alarm to help prevent missed doses.

What should you do if you take too much Stelara?

Since Stelara only comes in single doses, it’s not likely you’ll inject more than you should. But if you inject an extra dose by mistake or measure it incorrectly, it’s not likely to be a problem.

In studies, some participants were given a Stelara dose much higher than any of the currently recommended doses, but it didn’t lead to any serious issues. You may have more side effects than usual, such as fatigue or dizziness. But these should go away on their own with time.

If you’ve given more Stelara than prescribed to yourself or your child, it’s still best to let your healthcare provider know out of caution. You can also call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for guidance. If any symptoms appear that feel severe or life-threatening, seek emergency care.

Good to know: If you aren’t injecting a full vial of Stelara and you’re not sure if you’ve injected the right dose, there’s an easy way to find out. Just use a new syringe to draw up the remaining liquid. Subtract this from the total volume of the vial, and you’ll know how much you’ve injected.

How to save on Stelara

There are ways to save on Stelara, which is only available as a brand-name medication. GoodRx can help you navigate between patient assistance programs and copay savings cards to save money on your prescription.

• Save with a copay savings card. If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $5 per dose for Stelara using a savings card from the manufacturer.

• Save with patient assistance programs. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Stelara’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of cost.

• Save with biosimilars. Biosimilars are products that have similar safety and efficacy as their reference (“brand-name”) biologic. And they’re often available at a lower cost. Wezlana (ustekinumab-auub) is a newly FDA-approved biosimilar that’s interchangeable with Stelara. It’s expected to be commercially available no later than January 2025.

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Written by:

Emilie White, PharmD

Emilie White is a clinical pharmacist with over a decade of hospital pharmacy experience. Her professional areas of interest include critical care as well as infectious and autoimmune diseases.

Edited by:

Stacia Woodcock, PharmD

Stacia Woodcock, PharmD, is a pharmacy editor for GoodRx. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Kentucky and is licensed in New York and Massachusetts.

Reviewed by:

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS, is a licensed pharmacist in Arizona, Colorado, and Rhode Island. He has worked in the pharmacy industry for more than 10 years and currently serves as a pharmacy editor for GoodRx.

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