Leuprolide
Aliases: Lupron · Eligard
Last verified: 2026-09-23
The short version
A highly potent GnRH agonist (depot) — paradoxical desensitization shuts down LH/FSH: chemical castration for prostate cancer/endometriosis/precocious puberty.
Identity & type
- Molecular type
- analog
- Origin
- A highly potent GnRH agonist (depot) — paradoxical desensitization shuts down LH/FSH: chemical castration for prostate cancer/endometriosis/precocious puberty.
Mechanism of action
Continuous GnRHR agonism → pituitary desensitization → gonadal-steroid suppression.
Dosing & routes
Official / clinical context
Approved drug — indications, dosing and warnings are defined by the official label. Depot IM/SC 3.75–45 mg (1–6 months).
Regulator-approved labeling and published study designs — never a recommendation.
Community-reported practice
Depot IM/SC 3.75–45 mg (1–6 months). Lupron: testosterone/estrogen suppression in prostate cancer/endometriosis — effective, but with hot flashes, bone loss and fatigue; quality of life is a patient topic.
Unverified self-reports. Not medical advice. Not endorsement.
Expected effects (community)
Lupron: testosterone/estrogen suppression in prostate cancer/endometriosis — effective, but with hot flashes, bone loss and fatigue; quality of life is a patient topic.
Protocol — official vs community
Official / label
Lupron Depot and generics, depot IM/SC injection every 1–6 months depending on formulation and indication: advanced prostate cancer — 7.5 mg monthly, 22.5 mg q3-month, 30 mg q4-month or 45 mg q6-month; endometriosis / uterine fibroids — 3.75 mg monthly or 11.25 mg q3-month; central precocious puberty — pediatric weight-based depot dosing.
- 01Formulation selection is the titration: monthly → multi-month depots once suppression is established
- 02Puberty blockade: dose escalated with weight/BMI in children
Duration: Months to years, indication-dependent: defined treatment length for endometriosis, continuous for metastatic prostate cancer, years for precocious puberty.
Superactive GnRH agonism desensitizes the pituitary: an initial LH/FSH flare (with a testosterone spike and, in prostate cancer, a clinical flare risk) precedes suppression at ≈2–4 weeks — anti-androgen cover is standard in high-risk metastatic disease for the first weeks. Bone loss, hot flashes and libido loss are the chronic price.
Community (anecdotal)
Outside oncology, depot leuprolide is used in supervised gender-affirming care as puberty suppression / androgen-deprivation backbone — on-label or off-label by jurisdiction, but physician-managed.
- Cycle:
- Set by the depot interval (1–6 months), not by the user.
- Break:
- None — stopping reverses suppression within weeks to months.
There is no gray-market self-injection practice of note: depot formulations require reconstitution, deep-depot technique, and monitoring. Community relevance is discussion-level (side-effect management), not protocol-level.
Human evidence
Decades-long standard; newer oral antagonists (relugolix) compete.
Preclinical evidence
The preclinical phase was completed and submitted to regulators as part of registration; pharmacology and toxicology details are part of the official label.
Known risks
- Initial flare, libido loss, osteoporosis, hot flashes.characterized
Teal: characterized in clinical/labeling contexts. Amber: theoretical or reported outside controlled settings.
Unknowns & evidence gaps
- Real-world data outside controlled trials