Dosage and Administration of Leuprolide Acetate

 The leuprolide acetate injection is chemically identical to GnRH or LH-RH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), a hormone that arises naturally in the body. Normally, our body releases slight amounts of LH-RH and this leads to events that basically stimulate the construction of sex hormones. However, when you inject leuprolide acetate injection, the normal events that lead to sex hormone construction are interrupted and testosterone is no longer developed by the testes. This medicinal product must be injected because, like insulin which is injected by diabetics, leuprolide is inactive when taken orally. In case you were to discontinue the medication for any reason, your body would start making testosterone again.

 

Dosage & Administration: The proposed dosing regimen is 1 mg (0.2 mL or 20-unit mark) administered as a single daily subcutaneous injection. As with other medicines administered chronically by subcutaneous injection, the injection site needs to be varied periodically. Each 0.2 mL mainly contains 1 mg of leuprolide, sodium chloride for tonicity adjustment, 1.8 mg of benzyl alcohol as a preservative, and water for injection. The pH level may have been regulated with acetic acid and/or sodium hydroxide.

NOTE: As with all parenteral products, kindly inspect the solution for discoloration and particulate matter prior to each use.

 

How Supplied: Leuprolide injection is a sterile solution supplied as a 2.8 mL multiple-dose vial. The leuprolide vial is packaged as a 14-Day Patient Administration Kit with 14 disposable syringes and 28 alcohol swabs. Store this medicinal product below 77°F (25°C). Do not freeze. Protect from the light; store vial in carton until use.

 

Some Special Advice:

●       You may have hot flashes when using leuprolide injection. During the initial weeks of treatment, you may have increased difficulty in urinating, increased bone pain, and less common but most importantly, you may have the onset or aggravation of nerve symptoms. In case of any of these events, discuss the symptoms with your health specialist. Like other treatment options, leuprolide may cause impotence. Notify your health specialist in case you develop new or worsened symptoms after starting leuprolide treatment.

●       You may have some irritation at the injection site, such as itching, burning, or swelling. These are usually mild and go away. In case they do not, tell your health specialist.

●       In case you have an allergic reaction to other medicines like leuprolide acetate, you should not use this medicine.

●       It is not advisable to stop taking your injections because you feel better. You require an injection each day to make sure leuprolide keeps working for you.

●       In case you need to use an alternative to the syringe supplied with leuprolide injection, reduced-dose insulin syringes need to be utilized.

●       When the medication level gets low, take special care in order to hold the bottle straight up and down and to keep the needle tip in liquid while pulling back on the plunger.

●       Avoid trying to get every last drop out of the bottle. This will enhance the probability of drawing air into the syringe and getting an incomplete dose. Some extra medicine has been offered so that you can withdraw the prescribed number of doses.

●       Inform your health specialist when you will need a leuprolide injection so it will be at the pharmacy when you require it.