Hormones are chemicals produced by the body that can have many effects on multiple tissues throughout the body. As a result, many medications have been designed that mimic the effects of these naturally produced hormones. One example, octreotide, can be used to treat chronic diarrhea as well as a hormonal condition known as acromegaly, in which the body produces too much of a growth hormone compound.
Octreotide and Somatostatin
Octreotide is a peptide similar in structure to a human hormone called somatostatin, according to the ChemoCare website. Somatostatin has a number of effects, including the suppression of growth hormone production and blockage of several hormones involved in digestion. The body responds to this artificial hormone as if it were the naturally produced version; as a result, octreotide is able to mimic the effects of somatostatin in the body. Octreotide is also more stable than somatostatin, which means that it lasts longer and can produce a more extended effect than the somatostatin naturally produced by the body.
For Diarrhea
One of the main uses of octreotide is in the treatment of diarrhea. As the Cancer Care Ontario website explains, octreotide is able to block the production of a number of hormones involved in digestion, including vasoactive intestinal peptide, gastrin, motilin and secretin. These are all hormones that cause the intestines to move food along. Consequently, when octreotide lowers their levels, food spends more time in the intestines and the feces become more compact. Octreotide can be used to treat cases of severe diarrhea and is also useful for treating carcinoid syndrome, which is a condition caused by cancer cells secreting hormones, such as vasoactive intestinal peptide.
For Acromegaly
Another use for octreotide is in the treatment of acromegaly, according to Massachusetts General Hospital. Acromegaly is a condition in which the pituitary makes too much growth hormone, which stimulates muscle and bone growth. Somatostatin (and, consequently, octreotide) inhibits the production of growth hormone by the pituitary, which helps block the progression of acromegaly.
Administration
Octreotide is usually administered subcutaneously, meaning that it is injected under the skin. The Rx List website explains that patients should avoid receiving multiple injections at the same part of the skin over a short period of time. Octreotide comes in two different forms--a short-acting form and a long-acting form. Both work the same way, but they have different dosing schedules.
Pharmacology
Once octreotide is injected under the skin, it is absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream. The Rx List website notes that it attains its peak concentration in the blood 24 minutes after it is injected. In patients with acromegaly, however, it takes slightly longer for the medication to be absorbed (peak levels are attained after 42 minutes). After injection, the medication is processed by the liver and excreted in the urine.
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