TIPS FOR DOCTOR VISIT
Get ready to visit your child’s doctor and learn what to expect before, during, and after treatment
Help your child relax on the way to the doctor by playing a game or making up a song.
In the waiting room, having cards, a book, or something that can help distract your child can help ease some of the anxiety.
In the exam room, the nurse or medical assistant will prep your child for the injection.
The nurse may do an activity to help your child relax their muscles.
The injection site can vary between the upper arm, buttocks, or thigh to make the experience easier for your child.
After the injection, some pain and irritation at the site are expected. However, if more severe symptoms occur or if any new, unusual, or worsened symptoms develop, contact your child's doctor right away.
Helpful ways to distract your child if they are feeling anxious.
WHAT TO KNOW WHEN STARTING TREATMENT
After starting therapy, your child may first show more signs of puberty. Don’t worry! This is normal.
After the first few weeks, your child will stop producing the hormones causing their Central Precocious Puberty (CPP) and you should begin to see the signs of puberty slow down and then eventually stop.
Your healthcare team will assess your child for any side effects of treatment with LUPRON DEPOT-PED
Month 1: After starting therapy, your child may first show increased signs and symptoms of CPP—this is normal.
It is a common initial effect of the drug to see an increase in the signs or symptoms of puberty during the first weeks of treatment. These symptoms should go away.
After month 1: After the first month, the hormones causing your child's CPP should be suppressed and you should begin to see the signs of puberty slow down and then eventually stop. During the first 2 to 4 weeks of treatment, LUPRON DEPOT-PED can cause an increase in some hormones. During this time you may notice more signs of puberty in your child, including vaginal bleeding. Call your doctor if these signs continue after the second month of treatment with LUPRON DEPOT-PED.
Call your child’s doctor right away if:
- Your daughter has menstrual bleeding that keeps going after the second month of treatment
- Your child develops new or worsening mental (psychiatric) symptoms or problems
- Some people taking gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists like LUPRON DEPOT-PED have had new or worsened mental (psychiatric) problems, such as:
- Crying
- Irritability
- Restlessness (impatience)
- Anger
- Acting aggressive
- Some people taking gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists like LUPRON DEPOT-PED have had new or worsened mental (psychiatric) problems, such as:
- Your child has a seizure
- The risk of seizures may be higher in people who have a history of seizures, epilepsy, brain or brain vessel (cerebrovascular) problems or tumors, or in people who are taking a medicine that has been connected to seizures, such as bupropion or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
- Seizures have also happened in people who have not had any of these problems
- Your child has skin rash or acne, dry skin, itching, blisters on their skin, redness or swelling of their face, hands, or soles of their feet, blisters or sores in their mouth, peeling of their skin, fever, muscle or joint aches, or swollen glands
- Your child has any of the following symptoms during treatment: headache, eye problems (including blurred vision, double vision, and decreased eyesight), eye pain, ringing in the ears, dizziness, or nausea
- These symptoms may be a sign of increased pressure in the fluid around the brain, which can happen in children taking GnRH agonist medicines, including LUPRON DEPOT-PED
STAYING ON TRACK
See tips to help your child start and stay on track with treatment
Make appointments for the year in advance. This helps you plan events around the appointments with plenty of notice.
Talk to your child's doctor about scheduling options. If it’s hard to get to appointments during regular office hours, tell your doctor. Some offices can work with your schedule.
Make visits a special time with your child. Plan a little something extra for the day or an adventure to go on to make it an event you and your child can look forward to.
You can help monitor your child's treatment progress along with your child’s doctor
The doctor checks:
- Height
- Hormone levels
- Weight
- Bone age levels
But you know your child best. If you see changes in your child, let your child's doctor know. It’s important to be aware of the possible side effects of LUPRON DEPOT-PED so you know what to look out for. The changes may be in your child’s body or their behavior. Keeping appointments gives you a good way to talk to your child's doctor about how your child is responding to treatment.
When is the right time to stop treatment?
Each child is different. Your child's pediatric endocrinologist will monitor your child’s progress during therapy. Talk to your child’s doctor about the best time for them to finish treatment.
When your child reaches the age when puberty should occur, the doctor will stop their treatment to allow their puberty to start back up again.
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