Octreotide (Systemic)

Brand Names : Sandostatin, Sandostatin LAR Depot

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of using the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For octreotide, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to octreotide. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Studies have not been done in humans. However, studies in rats and rabbits have not shown that octreotide causes birth defects or other problems, even when given in doses much larger than the human dose.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether octreotide passes into breast milk. Although most medicines pass into breast milk in small amounts, many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding. Mothers who are taking this medicine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor.

Children - The short-acting form of this medicine has been tested in a limited number of children as young as 1 month of age and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.

Studies on the long-acting form of this medicine have been done only in adult patients, and there is no specific information comparing its use in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults - This medicine has been used in persons up to 83 years of age and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking octreotide, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Antidiabetic agents, sulfonylurea (diabetes medicine you take by mouth) or
• Diazoxide (e.g., Proglycem) or
• Glucagon or
• Insulin - Octreotide may cause high or low blood sugar; your doctor may need to change the dose of your diabetes medicine

• Growth hormone - Octreotide may cause high or low blood sugar; your doctor may need to change the dose of this medicine

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of octreotide. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes) - Octreotide may cause high or low blood sugar; your doctor may need to change the dose of your diabetes medicine

• Gallbladder disease or gallstones (or history of) - This medicine may increase the chance of having gallstones

• Kidney disease (severe) - If you have this condition, octreotide may remain in the body longer than normal; your doctor may need to change the dose of your medicine