Dosing: Adult Prostate cancer, advanced: Note: Treatment is usually continued after development of metastatic (castration-resistant) disease. IM: Lupron Depot 7.5 mg (monthly): 7.5 mg every month or Lupron Depot 22.5 mg (3 month): 22.5 mg every 12 weeks or Lupron Depot 30 mg (4 month): 30 mg every 16 weeks or Lupron Depot 45 mg (6 month): 45 mg every 24 weeks SubQ: Eligard: 7.5 mg monthly or 22.5 mg every 3 months or 30 mg every 4 months or 45 mg every 6 months Leuprolide acetate 5 mg/mL solution: 1 mg daily Endometriosis: IM: Initial therapy may be with leuprolide alone or in combination with norethindrone; if re-treatment for an additional 6 months is necessary, concomitant norethindrone should be used. Re-treatment is not recommended for longer than one additional 6-month course. Lupron Depot: 3.75 mg every month for up to 6 months or Lupron Depot-3 month: 11.25 mg every 3 months for up to 2 doses (6 months total duration of treatment) Uterine leiomyomata (fibroids): IM (in combination with iron): Lupron Depot: 3.75 mg every month for up to 3 months or Lupron Depot-3 month: 11.25 mg as a single injection Breast cancer, premenopausal ovarian supression (off-label use): IM: Lupron Depot: 3.75 mg every 28 days for up to 24 months (Boccardo 1999) or Lupron Depot-3 month: 11.25 mg every 3 months for up to 24 months (Boccardo 1999; Schmid 2007) Treatment of paraphilia/hypersexuality (off-label use; Guay 2009; Reilly 2000): Males: IM: Note: May cause an initial increase in androgen concentrations which may be treated with an antiandrogen (eg, flutamide, cyproterone) for 1 to 2 months (Guay 2009). Avoid use in patients with osteoporosis or active pituitary pathology. SubQ: Test dose: 1 mg (observe for hypersensitivity) Depot IM: 3.75 to 7.5 mg monthly Dosing: Geriatric Refer to adult dosing. Dosing: Pediatric Precocious puberty (consider discontinuing by age 11 for females and by age 12 for males): IM: Lupron Depot-Ped (monthly): ≤25 kg: 7.5 mg every month >25 to 37.5 kg: 11.25 mg every month >37.5 kg: 15 mg every month Titrate dose upward in increments of 3.75 mg every 4 weeks if down-regulation is not achieved. Lupron Depot-Ped (3 month): 11.25 mg or 30 mg every 12 weeks SubQ (leuprolide acetate 5 mg/mL solution): Initial: 50 mcg/kg/day; titrate dose upward by 10 mcg/kg/day if down-regulation is not achieved. Note: Higher mg/kg doses may be required in younger children.

In primary cell cultures from human prostate carcinoma leuprolide (from 5-20 ng/mL) showed a significant reduction in cell growth rate and an increase in DNA-fragmented cell number.