Indications
Octreotide Injection is used in acromegaly to lower the blood levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1; somatomedin C). It is meant for patients who have not responded well enough to surgical resection, pituitary irradiation, and bromocriptine mesylate at maximally tolerated doses, or who cannot be treated with them. In carcinoid tumors, Octreotide Injection is used to treat the severe diarrhea and flushing episodes that come with metastatic carcinoid tumors. It is also used for the profuse watery diarrhea associated with vasoactive intestinal peptide tumors (VIPomas), which are tumors that secrete vasoactive intestinal peptide.
⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.
Pharmacology
Octreotide Acetate Injection acts much like somatostatin, the natural hormone. It blocks GH, glucagon and insulin even more strongly than somatostatin does. Like somatostatin, it also suppresses the luteinizing hormone (LH) response to gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), reduces splanchnic blood flow, and stops the release of serotonin, gastrin, VIP, secretin, motilin and pancreatic polypeptide.
Because of these actions, octreotide has been used to treat the symptoms of metastatic carcinoid tumors (flushing and diarrhea) and of VIP secreting adenomas (watery diarrhea). It substantially lowers GH and/or IGF-1 (somatomedin C) levels in patients with acromegaly. Single doses of octreotide have been shown to reduce gallbladder contractility and decrease bile secretion in normal volunteers. Controlled clinical trials found that gallstones or biliary sludge formed markedly more often.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
There are only limited data on Octreotide Acetate Injection in pregnant women, and they aren't enough to show whether the medicine carries a risk of major birth defects or miscarriage. In animal studies, octreotide was given by IV to pregnant rats and rabbits during organogenesis, at doses 7 times (rats) and 13 times (rabbits) the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) of 1.5 mg/day, based on body surface area (BSA). No adverse developmental effects were seen. In a pre- and post-natal study in rats, IV doses of octreotide below the MRHD based on BSA caused transient growth retardation in the offspring, but postnatal development was not affected.
Nothing is known about whether Octreotide Acetate Injection passes into human milk, what it does to a breastfed infant, or how it affects milk production. Studies show that octreotide given subcutaneously passes into the milk of lactating rats. Lactation physiology differs between species, though, so animal data may not reliably predict drug levels in human milk. The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be weighed together with the mother's clinical need for the medicine, and with any possible adverse effects on the breastfed child, whether from the injection or from the mother's underlying condition.
⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Dosage Reference
⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.
Side Effects & Interactions
Side Effects
No side-effect data recorded yet.