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Lupron Depot-Ped description. Leuprolide (loo-PROE-lide) may be used for a number of different medical problems. These include treatment of: anemia caused by bleeding of uterine leiomyomas (tumors in the uterus); cancer of the prostate gland in men; central precocious puberty (CPP), a condition that causes early puberty in boys (before 9 years of age) and in girls (before 8 years of age); pain due to endometriosis in women. Leuprolide is similar to a hormone normally released from the hypothalamus gland. When given regularly to men and boys, leuprolide decreases testosterone levels. Reducing the amount of testosterone in the body is one way of treating cancer of the prostate. When given regularly to women and girls, leuprolide decreases estrogen levels. Reducing the amount of estrogen in the body is one way of treating endometriosis. By shrinking tumors in the uterus, leuprolide helps stop anemia by decreasing the vaginal bleeding from these tumors. Iron supplements should be used to help treat the anemia. When given to boys and girls experiencing early puberty, leuprolide slows down the development of the genital areas in both sexes and breast development in girls. Lupron Depot-Ped delays puberty in a child only as long as the child continues to receive it. Suppressing estrogen can cause thinning of the bones or slowing of their growth. This is a problem for adult women whose bones are no longer growing like the bones of children. Slowing the growth of bones is a positive effect in girls and boys whose bones grow too fast when puberty begins too early. Boys and girls may benefit by adding inches to their adult height when leuprolide helps their bones grow at the proper and expected rate for children. Leuprolide is available only with your doctor's prescription, in the following dosage form: Parenteral Injection (U.S. and Canada) Implant (U.S.) Lupron Depot-Ped treatment. Your doctor has ordered the drug leuprolide to help treat your illness. The drug can be injected into a muscle or under the skin once a month or every 3 months. It also can be injected daily under the skin. The long-acting form of leuprolide (given once a month or every 3 months) is slowly released into the bloodstream during that period. Lupron Depot-Ped is used to treat: prostate cancer in men endometriosis in women early onset of puberty in children uterine fibroids in women Lupron Depot-Ped is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Leuprolide is in a class of drugs known as gonadotropin-releasing (LH-RH) hormone analogs. It stops the production of testosterone in men and estrogen in females. Blocking the production of these hormones is desirable because they stimulate the growth of the diseased cells involved in prostate cancer and endometriosis. When the medication is stopped, these hormone levels return to normal. Brand names: - Lupron Depot-3 Month 11.25 mg - Lupron Depot-3 Month 22.5 mg - Lupron Depot-4 Month 30 mg - Lupron Depot-Ped - Lupron-3 Month SR Depot 22.5 mg - Viadur |