Sandostatin

Generic Name: Octreotide
Product Name: Sandostatin

Indication

Sandostatin is a medicine used to treat patients with acromegaly (a condition where the peripheral parts of the body, such as the head, face, hands and feet are enlarged). It can be used to treat the symptoms of some tumours, such as carcinoid tumours and vasoactive intestinal peptide secreting tumours (VIPomas). Sandostatin can also be given to patients following pancreatic surgery to reduce the incidence of complications.

Action

Sandostatin has a similar action of one of the naturally occurring hormones of the body, somatostatin. Somatostatin inhibits the secretion of growth hormone (a chemical produced by the body that causes growth), and of serotonin and the gastroenteropancreatic peptides (therefore alleviating the symptoms produced by these tumours).

Dose advice

Sandostatin must be given by subcutaneous injection only.

Acromegaly:

The recommended initial dose is 0.05 to 0.1mg every 8 to 12 hours. The average daily dose in most patients is 0.2 to 0.3mg, and should not exceed the maximum dose of 1.5mg per day.

Gastro-Entero-Pancreatic Endocrine Tumours:

The recommended initial dose is 0.05mg once or twice daily. Dosage can be then be increased to 0.2mg three times daily according to levels of circulating tumour products and tolerability.

Reduction of Complications following surgery:

The recommended dose is 0.1mg three times a day for a period of seven consecutive days, starting on the day of surgery, at least one hour before.

Schedule

Common side effects

All medicines have side effects, which affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects associated with this medicine.