Just about the drug Octreotide: instructions for patients

Many would give a lot of money to become higher, especially for men. But only the growth hormone after reaching a certain age is no longer able to influence it, instead it increases in the size of a limb - this condition is called acromegaly. There is such a phenomenon quite rare. However, those who still suffer from the disease, the incidence rates are not important, it is important for them - is it possible to resist the disease? Yes, it is possible, in these cases, the Octreotide is prescribed.

The instruction, besides acromegaly, mentions also other diseases as indications. For example, a tumor of the pancreas and stomach. The fact is that the peptide that is part of Octreotide suppresses the action of not only growth hormone. Also, the synthesis of glucagon and insulin is strongly inhibited. In general, this effect has a natural hormone somatostatin, but a much greater effect is provided by Octreotide. The instruction says that these two substances are very similar in chemical structure, but the medicine works much more strongly due to certain features of the chemical structure. Its action is also much longer than the effects of somatostatin. Octreotide also suppresses the synthesis of hormone-like substances in the digestive system. With cancer, the gastrointestinal tract is a positive effect, but if the patient is treated for acromegaly, then it becomes a side effect, not always desirable.

Acromegaly is not only an increase in the limbs. It is also swelling, headache, difficulty moving due to deterioration of the joints. All these symptoms are successfully removed by using the drug Octreotide Long. Benign tumors decrease in size as a result of using this medication. Malignant tumors in size do not become smaller, but the severity of the symptoms of the disease decreases. That is, with adenomas treatment improves the general condition, but with carcinomas it acquires a character only symptomatic.

If the patient has been increased synthesis of hormone-like substances of the gastrointestinal tract, Octreotide successfully fights with severe diarrhea, characteristic of the disease, when the regulation of digestion is disrupted due to abnormally high production of "internal" regulators.

Octreotide also helps in 30% of all cases of severe diarrhea, typical of many AIDS patients. However, this percentage is not so great as to consider this medicine as a reliable tool.

When else do they prescribe Octreotide? The instruction also mentions postoperative conditions after manipulations with the pancreas. This drug can significantly reduce the likelihood of complications, for example, sepsis and fistula formation, abscess and possible postoperative inflammation - pancreatitis.

With acromegaly, the drug is injected under the skin in small doses (not more than 0.1 mg) every day. The effect of therapy should appear in 3 months. If it does not, the drug is withdrawn and other methods are being sought to work on the problem. But insensitivity to "Octreotide" with acromegaly is extremely rare.

If benign tumors are treated, the dose may be twice as great as for the treatment of acromegaly. Just the medicine is administered twice a day, also under the skin.

However, if you use the drug Octreotide-Depot, the injections are done differently, in the gluteus muscle, they are done every 28 days and the drug is injected very deeply. This method has advantages, although the procedure is very painful.

Are there any side effects of Octreotide? The instruction mentions disturbances of digestion, cholelithiasis, violations of sugar metabolism.

An experienced doctor will decide whether to prescribe Octreotide in your case.