Somatuline

Description

Generic Name:

Lanreotide

Description:
Somatuline Depot (lanreotide) is a man-made protein similar to a hormone in the body called somatostatin. Lanreotide lowers many substances in the body such as insulin and glucagon (involved in regulating blood sugar), growth hormone, and chemicals that affect digestion.

Somatuline Depo is used in adults to treat:

acromegaly that cannot be treated with surgery or radiation;

carcinoid syndrome; or

a certain type of pancreatic or digestive tract tumor that may spread to other parts of the body.

Indication:
Acromegaly that cannot be treated with surgery or radiation;

carcinoid syndrome; or

a certain type of pancreatic or digestive tract tumor that may spread to other parts of the body

Dosage:
Drugs A to Z
Generic name: lanreotide [ lan-REE-oh-tide ]
Drug class: Somatostatin and somatostatin analogs

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on May 17, 2022.

Uses
Warnings
Before taking
Dosage
Side effects
Interactions
What is Somatuline Depo?
Somatuline Depot (lanreotide) is a man-made protein similar to a hormone in the body called somatostatin. Lanreotide lowers many substances in the body such as insulin and glucagon (involved in regulating blood sugar), growth hormone, and chemicals that affect digestion.

Somatuline Depo is used in adults to treat:

acromegaly that cannot be treated with surgery or radiation;

carcinoid syndrome; or

a certain type of pancreatic or digestive tract tumor that may spread to other parts of the body.

Somatuline Depo is sometimes given after other treatments have failed.

Warnings
Follow all directions on your medicine label and package. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you use.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

insulin or other diabetes medicines

cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, or Sandimmune)

medicines that lower your heart rate such as beta blockers

Before taking this medicine
You should not use Somatuline Depo if you are allergic to lanreotide.

To make sure Somatuline Depot is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:

gallbladder disease;

diabetes (your diabetes medicine may need to be adjusted);

liver or kidney disease;

heart disease; or

a thyroid disorder.

It is not known whether lanreotide will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

Somatuline Depo may affect fertility (your ability to have children) in women.

You should not breast-feed while using Somatuline Depo and for at least 6 months after your last dose.

Somatuline Depot pregnancy and breastfeeding warnings (more detail)
How is Somatuline Depo given?
Somatuline Depo is injected under the skin.

A healthcare provider will give you this injection.

Somatuline Depo is usually given once every 4 weeks. Your doctor may occasionally change how often you receive injections.

Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve, or if they get worse.

Your blood sugar may need to be checked often, and you may need other blood tests at your doctor’s office.

Dosing information
Usual Adult Dose for Acromegaly:

Initial dose: 90 mg, by deep subcutaneous injection, every 4 weeks for 3 months

Comments:
-The goal of treatment is to reduce growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) levels to normal.
-Adjust dose after initial 3 months.
-No dose adjustment is required for elderly patients.

Use: Long-term treatment of acromegalic patients who have had an inadequate response to surgery and/or radiotherapy, or for whom surgery and/or radiotherapy is not an option.

Usual Adult Dose for Neuroendocrine Carcinoma:

120 mg, by deep subcutaneous injection, every 4 weeks

Comments: No dose adjustment is required for elderly patients.

Use: Treatment of patients with unresectable, well or moderately-differentiated, locally advanced, or metastatic gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) to improve progression-free survival.

Usual Adult Dose for Carcinoid Syndrome:

120 mg by deep subcutaneous injection every 4 weeks

Comments: If patients are already being treated for GEP-NETs, do not administer an additional dose for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome.

Use: For the treatment of carcinoid syndrome; when used, it reduces the frequency of short-acting somatostatin analog rescue therapy.

Precaution & Warnings:
Follow all directions on your medicine label and package. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you use.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

insulin or other diabetes medicines

cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, or Sandimmune)

medicines that lower your heart rate such as beta blockers

Prescription Information:
Proper doctor prescription is needed.
*Note: The prescription should not be older than 6 month.

Contraindication:
When you start or stop taking Somatuline Depo, your doctor may need to adjust the doses of any other medicines you take on a regular basis.

Tell your doctor about all your other medicines, especially:

bromocriptine;

cyclosporine;

insulin or oral diabetes medicine; or

beta-blocker heart or blood pressure medicine (such as atenolol, carvedilol, metoprolol, propranolol, sotalol, and others).