Document: leaflet MAH BRAND_PL 00101-0213 change

• leaflet MAH BRAND_PL 00101-0213
• leaflet MAH GENERIC_PL 00101-0213

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A SANDOZ

Package leaflet: Information for the patient

SANDOSTATIN® 50 microgram/1 mL, solution for injection/infusion SANDOSTATIN® 100 microgram/1 mL, solution for injection/infusion

SANDOSTATIN® 500 microgram/1 mL, solution for injection/infusion

SANDOSTATIN® 1000 microgram/5 mL, solution for injection/infusion

octreotide

Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start using this medicine because it contains important information for you.

-    Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.

-    If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.

-    This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.

-    If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

What is in this leaflet

1. What Sandostatin is and what it is used for

2. What you need to know before you use Sandostatin

3. How to use Sandostatin

4.    Possible side effects

5.    How to store Sandostatin

6. Contents of the pack and other information

l.What Sandostatin is and what it is used for

Sandostatin is a synthetic compound derived from somatostatin, a substance normally found in the human body which inhibits the effects of certain hormones such as growth hormone. The advantages of Sandostatin over somatostatin are that it is stronger and its effects last longer.

Sandostatin is used

•    in acromegaly, a condition where the body produces too much growth hormone. Normally, growth hormone controls growth of tissues, organs, and bones. Too much growth hormone leads to an increase in the size of bones and tissues, especially in the hands and feet.

Sandostatin markedly reduces the symptoms of acromegaly, which include headache, excessive perspiration, numbness of the hands and feet, tiredness, and joint pain.

•    to relieve symptoms associated with some tumours of the gastrointestinal tract (e.g. carcinoid tumours, VIPomas, glucagonomas, gastrinomas, insulinomas). In these conditions, there is overproduction of some specific hormones and other related substances by the stomach, bowels, or pancreas. This overproduction upsets the natural hormonal balance of the body and results in a variety of symptoms, such as flushing, diarrhoea, low blood pressure, rash, and weight loss. Treatment with Sandostatin helps to control these symptoms.

•    to prevent complications following surgery of the pancreas gland. Treatment with Sandostatin helps to lower the risk of complications (e.g. abscess in the abdomen, inflammation of the pancreas gland) after the surgery.

•    to stop bleeding and to protect from re-bleeding from ruptured gastro-oesophageal varices in patients suffering from cirrhosis (chronic liver disease). Treatment with Sandostatin helps to control bleeding and reduce transfusion requirements.

•    to treat pituitary tumours that produce too much thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Too much thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) leads to hyperthyroidism.

Sandostatin is used to treat people with pituitary tumours

that produce too much thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH):

-    when other types of treatment (surgery or radiotherapy) are not suitable or have not worked;

-    after radiotherapy, to cover the interim period until the radiotherapy becomes fully effective.

2.What you need to know before you use Sandostatin

Do not use Sandostatin:

-    if you are allergic to octreotide or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor before using Sandostatin:

-    if you know that you have gallstones now, or have had them in the past; tell your doctor, as prolonged use of

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Sandostatin may result in gallstone formation. Your doctor may wish to check your gallbladder periodically.

-    if you have problems with your blood sugar levels, either too high (diabetes) or too low (hypoglycaemia). When Sandostatin is used to treat bleeding from gastro-oesophageal varices; monitoring of blood sugar level is mandatory.

-    if you have a history of vitamin B12 deprivation your doctor may wish to check your vitamin B12 level periodically.

Test and checks

If you receive treatment with Sandostatin over a long period of time, your doctor may wish to check your thyroid function periodically.

Your doctor will check your liver function.

Children

There is little experience with the use of Sandostatin in children.

Other medicines and Sandostatin

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.

You can generally continue taking other medicines while on Sandostatin. However, certain medicines, such as cimetidine, ciclosporin, bromocriptine, quinidineand terfenadine have been reported to be affected by Sandostatin.

If you are taking a medicine to control your blood pressure (e.g. a beta blocker or a calcium channel blocker) or an agent to control your fluid and electrolyte balance, your doctor may need to adjust the dosage.

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If you are diabetic, your doctor may need to adjust your insulin dosage.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine.

Sandostatin should only be used during pregnancy if clearly needed.

Women of child-bearing age should use an effective contraceptive method during treatment.

Do not breast-feed while using Sandostatin. It is not known whether Sandostatin passes into breast milk.

Driving and using machines

Sandostatin has no or negligible effects on the ability to drive and use machines. However, some of the side effects you may experience while using Sandostatin, such as headache and tiredness, may reduce your ability to drive and use machines safely.

Sandostatin contains sodium

Sandostatin contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per dose, which means it is essentially “sodium-free”.

3.How to use Sandostatin

Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

Depending on the condition being treated, Sandostatin is given by:

• subcutaneous (under the skin) injection or

•    intravenous (into a vein) infusion.

If you have liver cirrhosis (chronic liver disease), your doctor may need to adjust your maintenance dose.

Your doctor or nurse will explain to you how to inject Sandostatin under the skin, but infusion into a vein must always be performed by a health care professional.

•    Subcutaneous injection

The upper arms, thighs, and abdomen are good areas for subcutaneous injection.

Choose a new site for each subcutaneous injection so that you do not irritate a particular area. Patients who will be injecting themselves must receive precise instructions from the doctor or nurse.

If you store the medicine in the refrigerator, it is recommended that you allow it to reach room temperature before using it. This will reduce the risk of pain at the site of injection. You can warm it up in your hand but do not heat it.

A few people experience pain at the site of the subcutaneous injection. This pain usually only lasts a short time. If this happens to you, you can relieve this by gently rubbing the site of injection for a few seconds afterwards. Before using a Sandostatin ampoule, check the solution for particles or a change of colour. Do not use it if you see anything unusual.

To prevent contamination the cap of the multidose vials should be punctured not more than 10 times.

If you use more Sandostatin than you should

No life-threatening reactions have been reported after overdose of Sandostatin.

The symptoms of overdose are: irregular heart beat, low blood pressure, cardiac arrest, reduced supply of oxygen to the brain, severe upper stomach pain, yellow skin and eyes, nausea, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, weakness, tiredness, lack of energy, weight loss, abdominal swelling, discomfort and high level of lactic acid in the blood.

If you think that an overdose has happened and you experience such symptoms, tell your doctor straight away.

If you forget to use Sandostatin

Administer one dose as soon as you remember, and then continue as usual. It will not do any harm if you miss a dose, but you could get some temporary re-appearance of symptoms until you get back on schedule.

Do not inject a double dose of Sandostatin to make up for forgotten individual doses.

If you stop using Sandostatin

If you interrupt your treatment with Sandostatin your symptoms may come back. Therefore, do not stop using Sandostatin unless your doctor tells you to.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

4. Possible side effects

Like all medicines this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

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