Octreotide Is Effective in Acromegaly But Often Results in Cholelithiasis

Excerpt

In this issue, Ho and colleagues (1) summarize their considerable experience in treating acromegaly with the long-acting somatostatin analog, octreotide. This agent has a much longer biologic half-life than somatostatin and its effects persist from 4 to 8 hours. Ho and colleagues found that when octreotide was administered twice a day, little additional benefit was gained by increasing each dose from 100 to 500 μg. Serum growth hormone (GH) was lowered more successfully with three doses a day but little benefit was added by increasing the amount of each dose from 100 to 500 μg. Some patients are resistant to