Octreotide Reference

Plain English

What it is

Octreotide (brand names Sandostatin and Sandostatin LAR) is an FDA-approved prescription medicine given by a doctor. It is a man-made copy of a natural body hormone called somatostatin.

What people use it for

Doctors prescribe it for acromegaly, a condition where the body makes too much growth hormone. It is also used to ease severe diarrhea and flushing caused by certain rare hormone-producing tumors known as carcinoid tumors and VIPomas.

What the science shows

This is a label-verified medicine with decades of approved use in hormone and tumor-related care. The supporting evidence comes from its official FDA prescribing information.

The catch

Long-term use can lead to gallbladder problems such as gallstones, and it can change blood sugar levels and slow the heart rate. It is a prescription medicine that needs a doctor's oversight, not something to use on your own.

Reference summary

Octreotide is a label-verified somatostatin analog with decades of approved-label endocrine-oncology evidence. pepSmart surfaces label-reference content only.

Regulatory and posture

Categories

Hormonal

Aliases

Sandostatin, Sandostatin LAR, Somatostatin analog

Evidence posture

human

Regulatory status

FDA-approved prescription medication. Labeled uses include acromegaly, carcinoid-syndrome symptoms, and VIPoma-related watery diarrhea. Immediate-release (Sandostatin) and long-acting depot (Sandostatin LAR) are separate label products.

Content review status

label verified

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