Leuprolide acetate (Lupron) is an injectible gonadtropin releasing hormone (GnRH) analog, which means it works against the affects of GnRH. Since GnRH stimulates the release of the hormones LH (luteinizing hormone) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), Lupron decreases LH and FSH levels. This makes it an effective drug for treating conditions that are made worse by hormone exposure, such as prostate and breast cancer, precocious puberty and endometriosis. Lupron is also used to quiet ovaries before in vitro fertilization.
Common Side Effects
Lupron decreases testosterone levels in both men and women. In men, impotence and decrease in testicular size may be seen. In women, the most common symptoms of Lupron are hot flashes, bone mass loss and other menopausal symptoms. Testosterone in women is converted to estrogen, so estrogen levels drop, mimicking menopause.
Joint pain, headaches, high blood pressure and ECG changes are also reported in more than 5 percent of patients, according to a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1984 comparing Lupron with DES, an estrogen, for prostate treatment. Because Lupron is injected subcutaneously, there's a potential for infection or abscess to develop at the injection site.
Serious Side Effects
Lupron has several serious side effects that cause concern. One is the clinical or biochemical flare, which occurs a few days after the start of Lupron administration. Lupron causes a temporary flare in levels of luteinizing hormone (LH). During this time, which lasts only a few days, symptoms intensify, but more concerning is that cancers being treated could be stimulated by the hormone burst, according to the Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI), in a 1999 article.
Another serious concern is the degree of bone loss reported after even short treatment with Lupron. While TAP, the manufacturer of Lupron, claims the bone loss from Lupron, 3.2 percent on average, is temporary, some anecdotal reports claim permanent bone loss after Lupron treatment. Studies do not confirm this. Synthetic estrogen is given with Lupron along with calcium supplements if doing so doesn't cause adverse effects.
Potential Side Effects
Lupron is used in children with precocious puberty. According to the Mayo Clinic, once the drug is stopped, the side effects will stop and the child will enter puberty at the normal time. Because precocious puberty is a fairly new use for the drug, no studies have been done on the effects of Lupron on the children's future childbearing ability, which currently is thought to be unaffected.
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