Unfortunately, malignant tumors are quite serious and common pathologies that are found in both elderly and young people. Often, their untimely detection can lead to the death of the patient, however, scientists annually produce many drugs that can effectively fight cancer. In this article, we will talk about such an antitumor drug as a suspension of Depo-Provera. The instructions, price, side effects and contraindications, as well as reviews of doctors and patients, we will consider in this article below.
The form of release of the drug and its composition
Drugs designed to destroy malignant tumors, as a rule, cause serious damage to the entire body. To increase efficiency, they are released in the form of suspensions, with which doctors make intramuscular injections. The Depo-Provera drug was not an exception, the price of which allows it to be used for treatment even for insolvent patients. The medicine is produced in the form of white suspensions. In turn, it is packed in a glass bottle or syringe, which is placed in a cardboard box. You can buy this medication only by prescription. It should also be used only in a hospital under the strict supervision of a specialist. Shelf life of the drug is 5 years. It is recommended to store it in a cool and dry place.
The active substance of the drug is medroxyprogesterone acetate. Its amount depends on the volume of the vial. In pharmacies you can see packages with a capacity of 3.3 and 6.7 ml. Accordingly, they contain 500 mg and 1 g of active substance. The suspension also includes auxiliary components, including distilled water, polyethylene glycol 3350, sodium chloride, methyl paraben and others.
The package contains only one bottle. The price of Depo-Provera, as a rule, will depend not only on the amount of active substance in suspension, but also on the region and the pharmacy selling the medicine. The minimum cost starts at about 110 rubles per 3.3 ml bottle. Accordingly, a package with a capacity of 6.7 ml will cost patients about 220 rubles.
Pharmacological action of the suspension
Depot-Provera is injected intramuscularly. Once in the human body, the active substance begins to exert an antitumor effect, especially with hormone-sensitive types of malignant tumors. With the introduction of appropriate doses, it is also able to suppress the secretion of pituitary gonadrogin. Because of this effect, follicular maturation is impaired and there is no ovulation in women who have not yet reached menopause. In men, the drug is able to suppress the endogenous formation of testosterone. In high doses, injections can have a pyrogenic effect, that is, cause fever in the patient.
After it enters the patient’s body, the drug is absorbed slowly, so specialists can detect its active substance in the maximum amount in blood plasma even 4-20 days after the injection. The drug is metabolized in the liver. Most of the active substance is excreted from the body along with feces and urine.
What diseases is the medicine used for?
As noted above, the use of Depo-Provera is indicated for malignant tumors, however, of course, it cannot be used to treat all types of cancer. The drug has a fairly small list of indications, but this does not affect its effectiveness. Of course, he can be treated only under the strict supervision of a qualified specialist. As a rule, it is used for the treatment of malignant tumors in women. We list the main pathologies for which its purpose is recommended:
- endometrial cancer - malignant tumors that grow from the cells of the uterus, the drug is used for the recurrent and metastatic forms of this disease;
- breast cancer in women diagnosed during menopause, while the medicine can only cope with a relapsing hormone-dependent type of this pathology;
- malignant tumors of the kidneys, including metastatic and recurrent.
In this case, they use the medicine as part of the complex therapy of these oncological diseases, and for palliative treatment, that is, for general relief of the patient's condition, when he has practically no chance of recovery.
Does the medicine have contraindications?
Although the drug is considered a serious medication that affects all body systems, it has practically no contraindications. So, the instruction of "Depo-Provera" indicates that suspensions should not be taken by pregnant women, as well as mothers who breastfeed newborns. With caution, it is also used in the postpartum period, since at this time the risk of developing uterine bleeding increases. You can not take medicine if the patient has an increased sensitivity to one or more of the components that make up the substance.
For people with liver problems, injections are also prescribed with caution. When the first signs of jaundice appear, it is recommended to completely stop treatment with this drug.
What side effects may appear after starting treatment?
This medication has a serious effect on the patient's body, so often after the start of therapy, people begin to notice the appearance of some unpleasant symptoms. So, the instructions for the use of "Depo-Provera" indicate that the drug may cause the following side effects:
- increased nervous irritability, headaches and dizziness, depression, and increased fatigue, drowsiness, or insomnia;
- dermatological reactions, for example, itching, rash and redness on the skin, urticaria, acne, hair loss and subsequent baldness;
- discomfort in the abdomen, including pain, bloating, nausea is also possible;
- joint pain, spasms of the calf muscles;
- change in body weight, the appearance of a moon-shaped face;
- blood clots in the vessels;
- uterine bleeding, pain in the lower abdomen, the appearance of bloody discharge from the vagina is possible, a general decrease in libido and other pathologies from the reproductive system are also diagnosed.
The drug "Depo-Provera": instructions for use
As already noted, this medicine is available in the form of suspensions for intramuscular injection. Only the attending physician should do them. The dosage is also prescribed by a specialist who is well acquainted with the medical history and general condition of the patient. As a rule, with endometrial cancer and malignant tumors of the kidneys, 400 to 1000 mg of the active substance per week are injected into the patient. Moreover, such therapy is carried out for several weeks. If during this time the patient's condition has improved or stabilized, then in the future he is prescribed another 400 mg of the drug per month to consolidate the result.
For the treatment of the hormonal form of breast cancer, doctors recommend doing intramuscular injections once a day for 28 days. Dosage - 500 mg of the active substance. After that, the appointment of maintenance treatment is recommended. To do this, inject twice a week. The dosage remains the same - 500 mg.
Before the introduction of the drug, the vial must be shaken thoroughly until its contents turn into a homogeneous suspension.
More on overdose of the drug
Thus, Depot-Provera injections are given intramuscularly under the strict supervision of a physician who is unlikely to tolerate an overdose. However, the instructions indicate the symptoms by which it can be determined. As a rule, it manifests itself in the form of an increase in the patient’s body weight and the appearance of edema. This is due to fluid retention in the body. The patient may also suffer from increased fatigue.
Specific treatment, as a rule, with an overdose of the drug is not required, but its reception should still be discontinued.
Special instructions that you should know before starting
Before starting treatment with Depo-Provera, the patient is advised to conduct a thorough examination of the entire body. So, when detecting signs of blood clots in a person, it is recommended to stop taking the medicine. If during treatment a person begins to gain weight and suffer from fluid retention in the body and edema, then the initial dosage should be reduced. With particular care, doctors monitor the condition of patients who are prone to depression, since the introduction of injections can provoke their appearance.
If during treatment with this medication the patient develops jaundice, then it is necessary to stop its use. The same applies to cases where patients partially or completely lose their vision. The reason for stopping treatment is also considered frequent migraines. The use of the drug may affect the results of some analyzes and laboratory tests, so the patient should be informed of the prescribed therapy by the doctor before they are carried out.
Drug Interactions with Other Medicines
The drug "Depo-Provera" for the treatment of malignant tumors is often prescribed as part of complex therapy. However, its drug interaction by specialists is not described. It is only known that its simultaneous administration with aminoglutethimide can greatly reduce the bioavailability of the active substance Depot-Provera. Therefore, doctors do not recommend using them at the same time, so as not to reduce the effectiveness of therapy.
Does the drug have analogues?
Due to contraindications and a large number of side effects, Depo-Provera may sometimes not be suitable for the treatment of malignant tumors. Therefore, patients become interested in the presence of analogues of the drug. As a rule, they are considered those drugs that contain a similar active substance - medroxyprogesterone. It is worth noting that the medication does not have so many. There is a drug called Provera, which has a similar composition, but is available in tablet form. Among the suspensions should pay attention to the drug "Medroxyprogesterone-LENS." Also considered analogues are the Veraplex and Cyclotal preparations. It is worth remembering that the decision to replace one medicine with another should be made only by the attending specialist.
Positive feedback on "Depo-Provera"
Patients and specialists leave both good and bad reviews about the drug. Doctors say that the medicine is considered an effective tool not only for the treatment of malignant tumors, but also for contraception. However, injection in this case is necessary only in small doses. Some patients believe that the medicine is well tolerated. They did not notice the appearance of serious side effects. They also like the low cost of the drug and its availability, as it can easily be found in pharmacies. Some women noticed that during the reception they were able to lose weight.
Negative drug reviews
However, patients and doctors leave a lot of negative reviews about the Depo-Provera. The price at the same time, in their opinion, does not justify all the shortcomings of the drug. Many women say that after starting treatment, they felt worse. Swelling, fatigue, nervousness appear. Those patients who are recommended a strong dose of the active substance noticed that they began to gain weight significantly. The injection procedure itself is also not very pleasant. At the same time, some people in the reviews indicate that the drug did not help them in the treatment of malignant tumors, and after therapy they did not notice an improvement.
Draw conclusions
In this article, we examined in detail the drug "Depo-Provera", instructions for use, price and reviews about this tool. It is worth noting that only a qualified specialist should decide on the start of treatment with this medication. Defeating a malignant tumor is not so simple, but if you follow all the instructions of the doctors, you can use your injections to increase your chances of recovery. Despite the presence of a large number of side effects, suspension treatment is well tolerated. Their advantage can also be called the presence of a small number of contraindications. In this case, the drug can be used not only as part of a complex, but also for palliative therapy. But it is not worth using it for contraception. In pharmacies, you can now buy much safer drugs.