Women Home > Leuprolide Acetate Depot
A wide range of conditions, including uterine fibroids, prostate cancer, and precocious puberty, can be treated with leuprolide acetate depot. This medicine comes in the form of a powder that is mixed into a liquid and then injected intramuscularly. It works by slowing down or blocking the release of sex hormones in the body. Common side effects include injection site reactions and hot flashes.
What Is Leuprolide Acetate Depot?
Leuprolide acetate depot (Lupron Depot®) is a long-acting prescription medication that contains a synthetic form of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). GnRH is a naturally occurring hormone that helps control the production of sex hormones in the body.Leuprolide acetate depot is available in a variety of strengths and forms, including one-month, three-month, four-month, and pediatric forms. The different products are approved to:
- Reduce symptoms of advanced prostate cancer
- Manage symptoms of endometriosis (a condition in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus)
- Improve anemia before surgery for uterine fibroids (when used in combination with iron)
- Treat precocious (early) puberty in children.
Leuprolide acetate depot contains the same active ingredient as Lupron® (leuprolide acetate). However, Lupron is given once a day as a subcutaneous injection, into the layer of tissue just beneath the skin. Leuprolide acetate depot is given every one to four months as an injection into the muscle (intramuscular or IM injection).
(Click What Is Leuprolide Acetate Depot Used For? for more information on this topic, including possible off-label uses.)