Leuprolide (Systemic)
Brand Names : Lupron, Lupron Depot, Lupron Depot-Ped, Lupron Depot-3 Month 11.25 mg, Lupron Depot-3 Month 22.5 mg, Lupron Depot-4 Month 30 mg, Viadur, Lupron-3 Month SR Depot 22.5 mg, leuprorelin
Category- Antiendometriotic agent
- Antineoplastic
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone
analog
- Gonadotropin inhibitor
DescriptionLeuprolide (loo-PROE-lide) may be used for a number
of different medical problems. These include treatment of:
-
anemia caused by bleeding of uterine leiomyomas (tumors in the uterus);
-
cancer of the prostate gland in men;
-
central precocious puberty (CPP), a condition that causes early puberty
in boys (before 9 years of age) and in girls (before 8 years of age);
-
pain due to endometriosis in women.
Leuprolide is similar to a hormone normally released from the hypothalamus
gland.
When given regularly to men and boys, leuprolide decreases testosterone
levels. Reducing the amount of testosterone in the body is one way of treating
cancer of the prostate.
When given regularly to women and girls, leuprolide decreases estrogen
levels. Reducing the amount of estrogen in the body is one way of treating
endometriosis. By shrinking tumors in the uterus, leuprolide helps stop anemia
by decreasing the vaginal bleeding from these tumors. Iron supplements should
be used to help treat the anemia.
When given to boys and girls experiencing early puberty, leuprolide slows
down the development of the genital areas in both sexes and breast development
in girls. This medicine delays puberty in a child only as long as the child
continues to receive it.
Suppressing estrogen can cause thinning of the bones or slowing of their
growth. This is a problem for adult women whose bones are no longer growing
like the bones of children. Slowing the growth of bones is a positive effect
in girls and boys whose bones grow too fast when puberty begins too early.
Boys and girls may benefit by adding inches to their adult height when leuprolide
helps their bones grow at the proper and expected rate for children.
Leuprolide is available only with your doctor's prescription, in the following
dosage form:
Parenteral
-
Injection (U.S. and Canada)
-
Implant (U.S.)
Brand NamesSome commonly used brand names are:
In the U.S. -
- Lupron
- Lupron Depot
- Lupron Depot-Ped
- Lupron Depot-3 Month 11.25 mg
- Lupron Depot-3 Month 22.5 mg
- Lupron Depot-4 Month 30 mg
- Viadur
In Canada -
- Lupron
- Lupron Depot
- Lupron-3 Month SR Depot 22.5 mg
Another commonly used name is leuprorelin
.
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