When you begin treatment with 28-day Sandostatin® LAR Depot (octreotide acetate for injectable suspension), your treatment plan will progress in 1 of 2 ways.
If your doctor has prescribed Sandostatin® LAR Depot for the first time:
You will probably start treatment on the daily injection form of the drug. For the first 2 weeks, you will give yourself daily injections of immediate release Sandostatin® (octreotide acetate) Injection. These subcutaneous (under the skin) injections are repeated 2 to 4 times a day.
There are 2 reasons why it is important to begin your therapy with daily injections:
- Your doctor can observe how well immediate release Sandostatin® Injection is working at the starting dose
- It helps to determine if you are experiencing any side effects
Once your doctor has seen how you are responding to and tolerating immediate release Sandostatin® Injection, you will most likely be switched to 28-day Sandostatin® LAR Depot.
If you are currently receiving daily injections of immediate release Sandostatin® Injection:
Your doctor may switch you directly to 28-day Sandostatin® LAR Depot. As with patients prescribed Sandostatin® LAR Depot for the first time, you will be given a starting dose for 3 months. At that point, your dose may be continued at the same level, or changed based on your progress.
Learn about maintaining therapy with Sandostatin® LAR Depot
Sandostatin® LAR Depot (octreotide acetate for injectable suspension) is indicated for long-term maintenance therapy in acromegalic patients who have had an inadequate response to surgery and/or radiotherapy, or for whom surgery and/or radiotherapy is not an option. The goal of treatment in acromegaly is to reduce GH and IGF-1 levels to normal.
Important Safety Information:
As with immediate release Sandostatin® Injection, the most frequently reported drug-related adverse events were biliary disorders (52%), gastrointestinal disorders (7% to 36%), and injection-site pain (2% to 11%). Hypoglycemia (2%), hyperglycemia (15%), and hypothyroidism (2%) have been reported. While not measured in acromegalic patients receiving Sandostatin® LAR Depot, ECG changes have been reported in patients receiving immediate release Sandostatin® Injection; the degree to which these abnormalities are related to octreotide acetate is not clear, as many acromegalics have cardiovascular disease. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
