Leuprolide

What is leuprolide?

Leuprolide is a medicine called a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog. Leuprolide is similar to a hormone normally released by the body. When given regularly, leuprolide decreases estrogen levels in females, and testosterone levels in males.

Leuprolide may be used for a number of different medical problems in adults. For children, it is most commonly used to delay puberty in a condition known as precocious puberty and to stop the menstrual periods in girls receiving cancer treatment or undergoing bone marrow transplant.

You may hear leuprolide called by its brand names, Lupron or Eligard. Leuprolide comes in an injection (needle) form, which may be given once a day, once a month, or once every three months. The monthly and every three month injections are called depot injections.

Before giving leuprolide to your child

Tell your doctor if your child has ever reacted badly to any medications, foods, preservatives, or colouring agents.

Talk with your child's doctor or pharmacist if your child has any of the following conditions. Precautions may need to be taken with this medicine if your child:

• has weak or brittle bones
• is using medications such as corticosteroids
• has abnormal or irregular vaginal or uterine bleeding

How should you give your child leuprolide?

Leuprolide is an injection usually given once a month or once every three months. A nurse or doctor will inject it into a muscle. This drug is sometimes given as a daily subcutaneous, just under the skin, injection. If your child is to receive daily injections, you may be taught how to do this at home.

What should you do if your child misses a dose of leuprolide?

Leuprolide will usually be given in the hospital by a doctor or a nurse. Check with your doctor or nurse if you think your child is due for a dose of leuprolide. If you are doing daily injections at home and forget to give a dose, give the dose as soon as you remember if it is the same day. Do not give more than one injection a day.

What are the possible side effects of leuprolide?

Your child may have some of these side effects while she takes leuprolide. Check with your doctor if your child continues to have any of these side effects, if they do not go away, or they bother your child:

• pain, redness, or tenderness at the site of injection
• sudden feelings of warmth or sweating, also known as hot flashes
• swelling or increased tenderness of the breasts
• mild weight gain or fluid retention
• mild body pain
• acne or other changes in skin
• mild headache
• drowsiness

Call your doctor during office hours if your child has any of these side effects:

For both girls and boys:

• nausea (upset stomach) or vomiting (throwing up)
• skin rash or hives
• fainting
• numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
• mood changes such as feeling depressed or anxious

For girls:

• breakthrough menstrual bleeding, which usually happens two weeks after a depot injection

Most of the following side effects are not common, but they may be a sign of a serious problem. Call your doctor right away or take your child to Emergency if your child has any of these side effects:

• fast or irregular heartbeat
• shortness of breath
• fast or irregular breathing
• puffiness or swelling around the eyes or of the eyelids
• tightness in chest
• wheezing
• pain or tenderness over a vein, especially in the calf
• sudden onset of cough or chest pain
• sudden, severe headache or change in vision
• slurred speech, loss of balance or coordination, or loss of feeling or weakness in one side of the body

What safety measures should you take when your child is using leuprolide?

Keep all appointments at the clinic or doctor's office. This is important'so that the doctor can check your child's response to leuprolide, such as any unwanted effects, and to make sure it is working properly. The doctor may need to adjust your child's dose from time to time during treatment with leuprolide.

Leuprolide may cause weakening of bones. Your doctor may suggest giving your child extra calcium and vitamin D during treatment with leuprolide.

Check with your child's doctor or pharmacist before giving your child any other medicines?(prescription, non-prescription, herbal, or natural products).

For girls:

While on leuprolide, your child is not likely to have a menstrual cycle (period). Call the doctor if she continues to have periods after starting leuprolide. Periods may resume after she stops leuprolide treatment, depending on her condition and what other treatments have been given.

Although leuprolide should stop menstrual periods, it should not be used as a form of birth control. If your child is sexually active, speak to the doctor about birth control methods. Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) are not recommended while using leuprolide.

There is a chance that leuprolide may cause birth defects if it is taken at the time of conception or if it is taken during pregnancy. Leuprolide could also cause a miscarriage if taken during pregnancy. Tell the doctor right away if you think your child may be pregnant.

For precocious puberty:

Leuprolide will stop having an effect on a child treated for precocious puberty soon after the child stops using it. Puberty will continue normally. It is not known if using leuprolide around the time of puberty will affect their future ability to have children. Your child's chances of having children later are thought to be normal. You may wish to talk about the risks and benefits of leuprolide with your child's doctor.

What other important information should you know about leuprolide?

• Keep a list of all medications your child is on and show the list to the doctor or pharmacist.
• Do not share your child's medicine with others and do not give anyone else's medicine to your child.
• If you are giving your child leuprolide at home, make sure you always have enough leuprolide to last through weekends, holidays, and vacations. Call your pharmacy at least two days before your child runs out of medicine so you can order refills.
• Different forms of leuprolide are stored in different ways. Check with your pharmacist how to properly store your child's leuprolide if it is being kept at home.
• Do not keep any medicines that are out of date. Check with your pharmacist about the best way to throw away outdated or leftover medicines.
  

Keep leuprolide out of your child’s sight and reach and locked up in a safe place. If your child takes too much leuprolide, call your local Poison Information Centre at one of these numbers. These calls are free. 

• Call 1-844 POISON-X, or 1-844-764-7669, from anywhere in Canada except Quebec.
• Call 1-800-463-5060 if you live in Quebec.