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Overview: Lanreotide is used to treat certain conditions or tumors involving abnormal hormone levels. Keep all appointments to have your blood checked. Common side effects include diarrhea, stomach pain, and nausea. Serious side effects include gallstones and heart rate or blood pressure problems. Call your health care provider right away if your blood pressure goes up, you feel lightheaded or like you could faint, you get a fever, or you have severe stomach pain. 

Uses

What is lanreotide used for?

Lanreotide is commonly used to treat certain people with the following conditions.

Lanreotide may also be used for other conditions as determined by your health care provider.

How does lanreotide work (mechanism of action)?

Lanreotide acts like a natural hormone in your body called somatostatin, which helps regulate other hormones. By doing this, lanreotide helps control processes like growth, digestion, and the behavior of certain tumor cells.

How is lanreotide supplied (dosage forms)?

Brands and other names

  • Somatuline Depot

Dosage forms and strengths

Lanreotide is available in an injectable form that is given by a health care provider.

How should I store lanreotide?

Lanreotide is usually given by a health care provider in a hospital or clinic. You will not store it at home.

Side Effects

What are the most common side effects of lanreotide?

The most common side effects of lanreotide are listed below. These side effects may vary, depending on the condition that is being treated. Tell your health care provider if you have any of these side effects that bother you.

  • Diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, or vomiting
  • Gallbladder problems (see below) 
  • Pain, itching, swelling, or redness near the injection site (where the needle went in)
  • Muscle pain, joint pain, or muscle spasms
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • High blood sugar (see below)
  • Increased blood pressure (see below)

There may be other side effects of lanreotide that are not listed here. Contact your health care provider if you think you are having a side effect of a medicine. In the U.S., you can report side effects to the FDA at www.fda.gov/medwatch or by calling 800-FDA-1088 (800-332-1088). In Canada, you can report side effects to Health Canada at www.health.gc.ca/medeffect or by calling 866-234-2345.

What are the serious side effects of lanreotide?

While less common, the most serious side effects of lanreotide are described below, along with what to do if they happen.

Severe Allergic Reactions. Lanreotide may cause allergic reactions, which can be serious. Stop using lanreotide and get help right away if you have any of the following symptoms of a serious allergic reaction.

  • Breathing problems or wheezing
  • Racing heart
  • Fever or general ill feeling
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat
  • Trouble swallowing or throat tightness
  • Itching or skin rash
  • Bumps on the skin called hives that can be red, pink, white, or brown, depending on your skin tone
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Dizziness, feeling lightheaded, or fainting
  • Stomach cramps
  • Joint pain

Gallbladder Problems. Taking lanreotide can cause gallbladder problems, including cholecystitis and cholelithiasis (also known as gallstones). Call your health care provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms.

  • Your skin or the whites of your eyes turning yellowish in color (also called jaundice)
  • Fever
  • Pain in your upper stomach area or near your shoulder blades
  • Stool (poop) that is clay-colored

Inflammation of the Pancreas (Pancreatitis). Lanreotide may cause inflammation of the pancreas, which is called pancreatitis. Stop using lanreotide and call your health care provider right away if you have symptoms of pancreatitis, including vomiting or severe pain in the upper part of your belly that travels to your back.

High Blood Sugar. Lanreotide may increase your blood sugar levels. Talk to your health care provider about how to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Keep all appointments with your health care provider to check your bloodwork. Call your health care provider if you have the following symptoms of high blood sugar.

  • Thirsty more than usual
  • Peeing more than usual
  • Increase in hunger
  • Feeling weak or tired
  • Feeling sick to your stomach
  • Confusion
  • Your breath smelling fruity

Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia). Lanreotide can cause low blood sugar, which can be serious and may lead to death. You may need to check your blood sugar more often if you have changes to your diet, exercise plan, or medicines for diabetes. Do not use lanreotide and call your health care provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms of hypoglycemia.

  • Headache
  • Crankiness or anxiety
  • Hunger
  • Dizziness or confusion
  • Blurry vision
  • Slurred speech
  • Sweating
  • Feeling jittery or shakiness
  • Fast heartbeat
  • Seizures

Heart Rate Changes. Lanreotide can make your heart beat slower than normal (bradycardia). Call your health care provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms of bradycardia. 

  • Fainting, dizziness, or feeling lightheaded
  • Confusion
  • Feeling weak or easily tired 
  • Slow heartbeat or feeling of skipped heartbeats 
  • Chest pain
  • Shortness of breath

Increased Blood Pressure (Hypertension). Lanreotide may increase your blood pressure or make it worse if you have a history of high blood pressure. Call your health care provider if your blood pressure increases while taking this medicine.

If you measure your blood pressure and the top number (systolic) is 180 mm Hg or higher or the bottom number (diastolic) is 120 mm Hg or higher, get medical attention right away. Increases in blood pressure may not be noticeable, so look out for the following symptoms of severely high blood pressure and tell your health care provider right away if you have any of them.

  • Sudden severe headache
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness or confusion
  • Trouble breathing
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Blurry vision or other changes to vision
  • Anxiety
  • Buzzing in the ears
  • Nosebleed
  • Feeling of skipped heartbeats

Low Thyroid Hormones (Hypothyroidism). Lanreotide can cause the function of your thyroid gland to change, which can lead to low thyroid levels. Keep all appointments to have your blood checked. Tell your health care provider if you have any of the following signs of low thyroid hormones. 

  • Weight gain or your face seems puffy
  • Feeling cold 
  • Tiredness that does not go away or continues to worsen
  • Constipation
  • Skin dryness
  • Dry or thinning hair
  • Feeling depressed

Fatty Poop. Lanreotide may make it harder for your body to absorb fats from food. This can cause you to have too much fat in your stool (poop), also called fatty stool. Tell your health care provider right away if you start to have any of the following symptoms, or if your symptoms get worse.

  • Changes in the color or consistency of your poop, such as loose or greasy poop
  • Stomach bloating
  • Unexplained weight loss

Warnings & Precautions

Who should not use lanreotide?

Allergies to Ingredients. People who are allergic to any of the following should not use lanreotide.

  • Lanreotide
  • Somatuline Depot
  • Any of the ingredients in the specific product dispensed

Your pharmacist can tell you all of the ingredients in the specific lanreotide products they stock.

What should I know about lanreotide before using it?

Lanreotide is usually given by a health care provider in a hospital or clinic.

Your health care provider will likely check your labs before and during your treatment. This is to monitor your treatment and watch for side effects. Keep all appointments to have your blood checked.

Lanreotide can cause dizziness or affect your alertness or coordination. Do not drive or do other activities that require alertness or coordination until you know how lanreotide affects you.

Lanreotide may make it hard for you to get pregnant. If you have concerns, talk to your health care provider.

What should I tell my health care provider before using lanreotide?

Tell your health care provider about all of your health conditions and any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other supplements you are using. This will help them know if lanreotide is right for you.

In particular, make sure that you discuss any of the following.

Current and Past Health Conditions. Tell your health care provider if you have any of the following.

  • Gallbladder problems or gallstones (cholelithiasis)
  • Diabetes
  • Heart problems
  • Thyroid problems
  • Kidney or liver problems

Other Medicines and Supplements. Lanreotide may interact with other medicines and supplements. Before using lanreotide, tell your health care provider about any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other supplements you are using. See the Interactions section for more details.

Pregnancy. It is not known if or how lanreotide could affect a pregnancy or harm an unborn baby. Tell your health care provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

Breastfeeding. Do not use lanreotide while you are breastfeeding and for six months after you stop breastfeeding. It is not known if lanreotide passes into breast milk. Tell your health care provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Interactions

Does lanreotide interact with foods or drinks?

There are no known interactions between lanreotide and foods or drinks.

It is unknown if drinking alcohol will affect lanreotide. The risk of dizziness may be increased if you drink alcohol while using lanreotide.

Does lanreotide interact with other medicines (drug interactions)?

Always tell your health care provider about any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other supplements you are using.

In particular, make sure that you discuss if you are using any of the following before using lanreotide.

  • A medicine for diabetes
  • Cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune, and others), which is a medicine that suppresses your immune system
  • A beta-blocker, such as atenolol (Tenormin), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL, and others), or propranolol (Inderal LA, Innopran XL), which is a medicine that may be used for certain heart conditions or to lower blood pressure
  • Bromocriptine (Cycloset, Parlodel), which is a medicine commonly used to treat symptoms of high prolactin hormone levels
  • Quinidine, which is a medicine used to treat malaria or control your heart rate or rhythm
  • Diltiazem (Cardizem CD and others), which is a medicine used for high blood pressure and other conditions
  • Verapamil (Verelan, Verelan PM), which is a medicine used for high blood pressure or chest pain

Lanreotide may alter the blood levels of some other medicines. Tell your health care provider about all medicines that you take or have recently taken.

This may not be a complete list of medicines that can interact with lanreotide. Always check with your health care provider.

Does interact with other drugs you are taking?

Enter your medication into the WebMD interaction checker

Overdose/Missed Dose

What should I do if I accidentally use too much lanreotide?

If you or someone else has used too much lanreotide, get medical help right away, call 911, or contact a Poison Control center at 800-222-1222.

What should I do if I miss a dose of lanreotide?

Lanreotide is usually given by a health care provider in a hospital. Your health care provider will make sure you are receiving lanreotide as scheduled.

If you miss an appointment to get your lanreotide dose, call to make another appointment as soon as possible.