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

Before Using This Medicine

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

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to leuprolide, buserelin, gonadorelin, histrelin, nafarelin, or to benzyl alcohol, a preservative present in some of the leuprolide products.

Pregnancy - Tell your doctor if you intend to have children.

• For men: Leuprolide may cause sterility which probably is only temporary. Be sure that you have discussed this with your doctor before receiving this medicine.
• For women: There is a chance that leuprolide may cause birth defects if it is taken after you become pregnant. It could also cause a miscarriage if taken during pregnancy. Stop using this medicine and tell your doctor immediately if you think you have become pregnant while receiving this medicine.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether leuprolide passes into breast milk. However, use of leuprolide is not recommended during breast-feeding because it may cause unwanted effects in nursing babies.

Children - Leuprolide will stop having an effect on a child treated for central precocious puberty soon after the child stops using it, and puberty will advance normally. It is not known if using leuprolide around the time of puberty causes changes in boys" and girls" future abilities to have babies. Their chances of having children later are thought to be normal. It is especially important that you discuss with the child's doctor the good that this medicine may do as well as the risks of using it.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of leuprolide in the elderly to use in other age groups, it is not expected 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 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. Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

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

• Changes in vaginal bleeding from an unknown cause (for use for endometriosis or anemia due to tumors of the uterus) - Leuprolide may delay diagnosis or worsen condition. The reason for the bleeding should be determined before leuprolide is used

• Conditions that increase the chances of developing thinning bones or
• Osteoporosis (brittle bones), history of, or family history of - It is important that your doctor know if you already have an increased risk of osteoporosis. Some things that can increase your risk for having osteoporosis include cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, and a family history of osteoporosis or easily broken bones. Some medicines, such as corticosteroids (cortisone-like medicines) or anticonvulsants (seizure medicine), can also cause thinning of the bones when used for a long time

• Nerve problems caused by bone lesions in spine (for use for cancer of the prostate) and
• Problems in passing urine (for use for cancer of the prostate) - Conditions may get worse for a short time after leuprolide treatment is started