Drug Class Description
Progestogens.
Generic Name
Medroxyprogesterone acetate
Drug Description
Each ml of suspension contains 150 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate Ph. Eur.
Presentation
Sterile suspension for injection.
Indications
Progestogen: for contraception.Depo-Provera is a long-term contraceptive agent suitable for use in women who have been appropriately counselled concerning the likelihood of menstrual disturbance and the potential for a delay in return to full fertility.Depo-Provera may also be used for short-term contraception in the following circumstances:(i) For partners of men undergoing vasectomy, for protection until the vasectomy becomes effective.(ii) In women who are being immunised against rubella, to prevent pregnancy during the period of activity of the virus.(iii) In women awaiting sterilisation.Since loss of bone mineral density (BMD) may occur in females of all ages who use Depo-Provera injection long-term, a risk/benefit assessment, which also takes into consideration the decrease in BMD that occurs during pregnancy and/or lactation, should be considered.Use in adolescents (12-18 years)In adolescents, Depo-Provera may be used, but only after other methods of contraception have been discussed with the patient and considered unsuitable or unacceptable.It is of the greatest importance that adequate explanations of the long-term nature of the product, of its possible side-effects and of the impossibility of immediately reversing the effects of each injection are given to potential users and that every effort is made to ensure that each patient receives such counselling as to enable her to fully understand these explanations. Patient information leaflets are supplied by the manufacturer. It is recommended that the doctor uses these leaflets to aid counselling of the patient.Consistent with good clinical practice a general medical as well as gynaecological examination should be undertaken before administration of Depo-Provera and at appropriate intervals thereafter.
Adult Dosage
The sterile aqueous suspension of Depo-Provera should be vigorously shaken just before use to ensure that the dose being given represents a uniform suspension of Depo-Provera.Doses should be given by deep intramuscular injection. Care should be taken to ensure that the depot injection is given into the muscle tissue, preferably the gluteus maximus, but other muscle issue such as the deltoid may be used.The site of injection should be cleansed using standard methods prior to administration of the injection.First injection: To provide contraceptive cover in the first cycle of use, an injection of 150 mg i.m. should be given during the first five days of a normal menstrual cycle. If the injection is carried out according to these instructions, no additional contraceptive cover is required.Post Partum: To increase assurance that the patient is not pregnant at the time of first administration, this injection should be given within 5 days post partum if not breast-feeding.There is evidence that women prescribed Depo-Provera in the immediate puerperium can experience prolonged and heavy bleeding. Because of this, the drug should be used with caution in the puerperium. Women who are considering use of the product immediately following delivery or termination should be advised that the risk of heavy or prolonged bleeding may be increased. Doctors are reminded that in the non breast-feeding, post partum patient, ovulation may occur as early as week 4.If the puerperal woman will be breast-feeding, the initial injection should be given no sooner than six weeks post partum, when the infant's enzyme system is more fully developed. Further injections should be given at 12 week intervals.Further doses: These should be given at 12 week intervals, however, as long as the injection is given no later than five days after this time, no additional contraceptive measures (e.g. barrier) are required. (N.B. For partners of men undergoing vasectomy a second injection of 150 mg i.m. 12 weeks after the first may be necessary in a small proportion of patients where the partner's sperm count has not fallen to zero.) If the interval from the preceding injection is greater than 89 days (12 weeks and five days) for any reason, then pregnancy should be excluded before the next injection is given and the patient should use additional contraceptive measures (e.g. barrier) for fourteen days after this subsequent injection
Child Dosage
Depo-Provera is not indicated before menarcheData in adolescent females (12-18 years) is available. Other than concerns about loss of BMD, the safety and effectiveness of Depo-Provera is expected to be the same for adolescents after menarche and adult females
Elderly Dosage
Not appropriate.
Contra Indications
Depo-Provera is contra-indicated in patients with a known sensitivity to medroxyprogesterone acetate or any ingredient of the vehicle.Depo-Provera should not be used during pregnancy, either for diagnosis or therapy.Depo-Provera is contra-indicated as a contraceptive at the above dosage in known or suspected hormone-dependent malignancy of breast or genital organs.Whether administered alone or in combination with oestrogen, Depo-Provera should not be employed in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding until a definite diagnosis has been established and the possibility of genital tract malignancy eliminated.
Special Precautions
Warnings:Loss of Bone Mineral Density: Use of Depo-Provera injection reduces serum oestrogen levels and is associated with significant loss of BMD due to the known effect of oestrogen deficiency on the bone remodelling system. Bone loss is greater with increasing duration of use and appears to be at least partially reversible after Depo-Provera injection is discontinued and ovarian oestrogen production increases.This loss of BMD is of particular concern during adolescence and early adulthood, a critical period of bone accretion. It is unknown if use of Depo-Provera injection by younger women will reduce peak bone mass and increase the risk for osteoporotic fracture in later life.A study to assess the reversibility of loss of BMD in adolescent females is ongoing. In adolescents, Depo-Provera may be used, but only after other methods of contraception have been discussed with the patients and considered to be unsuitable or unacceptable. In women of all ages, careful re-eva luation of the risks and benefits of treatment should be carried out in those who wish to continue use for more than 2 years. In women with significant lifestyle and/or medical risk factors for osteoporosis, other methods of contraception should be considered prior to Depo-Provera. Menstrual Irregularity: The administration of Depo-Provera usually causes disruption of the normal menstrual cycle. Bleeding patterns include amenorrhoea (present in up to 30% of women during the first 3 months and increasing to 55% by month 12 and 68% by month 24); irregular bleeding and spotting; prolonged (>10 days) episodes of bleeding (up to 33% of women in the first 3 months of use decreasing to 12% by month 12). Rarely, heavy prolonged bleeding may occur. Evidence suggests that prolonged or heavy bleeding requiring treatment may occur in 0.5-4 occasions per 100 women years of use. If abnormal bleeding persists or is severe, appropriate investigation should take place to rule out the possibility of organic pathology and appropriate treatment should be instituted when necessary. Excessive or prolonged bleeding can be controlled by the co-administration of oestrogen. This may be delivered either in the form of a low dose (30 micrograms oestrogen) combined oral contraceptive pill or in the form of oestrogen replacement therapy such as conjugated equine oestrogen (0.625-1.25 mg daily). Oestrogen therapy may need to be repeated for 1-2 cycles. Long-term co-administration of oestrogen is not recommended.Return to Fertility: There is no evidence that Depo-Provera causes permanent infertility. Pregnancies have occurred as early as 14 weeks after a preceding injection, however, in clinical trials, the mean time to return of ovulation was 5.3 months following the preceding injection. Women should be counselled that there is a potential for delay in return to full fertility following use of the method, regardless of the duration of use, however, 83% of women may be expected to conceive within 12 months of the first "missed" injection (i.e. 15 months after the last injection administered). The median time to conception was 10 months (range 4-31) after the last injection.Cancer Risks: Long-term case-controlled surveillance of Depo-Provera users found no overall increased risk of ovarian, liver, or cervical cancer and a prolonged, protective effect of reducing the risk of endometrial cancer in the population of users. A meta-analysis in 1996 from 54 epidemiological studies1 reported that there is a slight increased relative risk of having breast cancer diagnosed in women who are currently using hormonal contraceptives. The observed pattern of increased risk may be due to an earlier diagnosis of breast cancer in hormonal contraceptive users, biological effects or a combination of both. The additional breast cancers diagnosed in current users of hormonal contraceptives or in women who have used them in the last ten years are more likely to be localised to the breast than those in women who never used hormonal contraceptives.Breast cancer is rare among women under 40 years of age whether or not they use hormonal contraceptives. In the meta-analysis the results for injectable progestogens (1.5% of the data) and progestogen only pills (0.8% of the data) did not reach significance although there was no evidence that they differed from other hormonal contraceptives. Whilst the background risk of breast cancer increases with age, the excess number of breast cancer diagnoses in current and recent injectable progestogen (IP) users is small in relation to the overall risk of breast cancer, possibly of similar magnitude to that associated with combined oral contraceptives. However, for IPs, the evidence is based on much smaller populations of users (less than 1.5% of the data) and is less conclusive than for combined oral contraceptives. It is not possible to infer from these data whether it is due to an earlier diagnosis of breast cancer in ever-users, the biological effects of hormonal contraceptives, or a combination of reasons.The most important risk factor for breast cancer in IP users is the age women discontinue the IP; the older the age at stopping, the more breast cancers are diagnosed. Duration of use is less important and the excess risk gradually disappears during the course of the 10 years after stopping IP use, such that by 10 years there appears to be no excess.The evidence suggests that compared with never-users, among 10,000 women who use IPs for up to 5 years but stop by age 20, there would be much less than 1 extra case of breast cancer diagnosed up to 10 years afterwards. For those stopping by age 30 after 5 years use of the IP, there would be an estimated 2-3 extra cases (additional to the 44 cases of breast cancer per 10,000 women in this age group never exposed to oral contraceptives). For those stopping by age 40 after 5 years use, there would be an estimated 10 extra cases diagnosed up to 10 years afterwards (additional to the 160 cases of breast cancer per 10,000 never-exposed women in this age group).It is important to inform patients that users of all hormonal contraceptives appear to have a small increase in the risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer, compared with non-users of hormonal contraceptives, but that this has to be weighed against the known benefits.Weight Gain: There is a tendency for women to gain weight while on Depo-Provera therapy. Studies indicate that over the first 1-2 years of use, average weight gain was 5-8 lbs. Women completing 4-6 years of therapy gained an average of 14-16.5 lbs. There is evidence that weight is gained as a result of increased fat and is not secondary to an anabolic effect or fluid retention.Anaphylaxis: Very few reports of anaphylactoid reactions have been received.Thrombo-embolic Disorders: Should the patient experience pulmonary embolism, cerebrovascular disease or retinal thrombosis while receiving Depo-Provera, the drug should not be readministered.Psychiatric Disorders: Patients with a history of endogenous depression should be carefully monitored. Some patients may complain of premenstrual-type depression while on Depo-Provera therapy.Abscess formation: As with any intramuscular injection, especially if not administered correctly, there is a risk of abscess formation at the site of injection, which may require medical and/or surgical intervention.Precautions:History or emergence of the following conditions require careful consideration and appropriate investigation: migraine or unusually severe headaches, acute visual disturbances of any kind, pathological changes in liver function and hormone levels. Patients with thromboembolic or coronary vascular disease should be carefully eva luated before using Depo-Provera.A decrease in glucose tolerance has been observed in some patients treated with progestogens. The mechanism for this decrease is obscure. For this reason, diabetic patients should be carefully monitored while receiving progestogen therapy.Rare cases of thrombo-embolism have been reported with use of Depo-Provera, but causality has not been established.The effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate on lipid metabolism have been studied with no clear impact demonstrated. Both increases and decreases in total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol have been observed in studies. The use of Depo-Provera appears to be associated with a 15-20% reduction in serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels which may protect women from cardiovascular disease. The clinical consequences of this observation are unknown. The potential for an increased risk of coronary disease should be considered prior to use.Doctors should carefully consider the use of Depo-Provera in patients with recent trophoblastic disease before levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin have returned to normal.Physicians should be aware that pathologists should be informed of the patient's use of Depo-Provera if endometrial or endocervical tissue is submitted for examination.The results of certain laboratory tests may be affected by the use of Depo-Provera. These include gonadotrophin levels (decreased), plasma progesterone levels (decreased), urinary pregnanediol levels (decreased), plasma oestrogen levels (decreased), plasma cortisol levels (decreased), glucose tolerance test, metyrapone test, liver function tests (may increase), thyroid function tests (protein bound iodine levels may increase and T3 uptake levels may decrease). Coagulation test values for prothrombin (Factor II), and Factors VII, VIII, IX and X may increase.
Interactions
Aminoglutethimide administered concurrently with Depo-Provera may significantly depress the bioavailability of Depo-Provera.Interactions with other medicinal treatments (including oral anticoagulants) have rarely been reported, but causality has not been determined. The possibility of interaction should be borne in mind in patients receiving concurrent treatment with other drugs.The clearance of medroxyprogesterone acetate is approximately equal to the rate of hepatic blood flow. Because of this fact, it is unlikely that drugs which induce hepatic enzymes will significantly affect the kinetics of medroxyprogesterone acetate. Therefore, no dose adjustment is recommended in patients receiving drugs known to affect hepatic metabolising enzymes.
Adverse Reactions
In a large clinical trial of over 3900 women, who were treated with Depo-Provera for up to 7 years, the following adverse events were reported.The following adverse events were commonly (by more than 5% of subjects) reported: menstrual irregularities (bleeding and/or amenorrhoea), weight changes, headache, nervousness, abdominal pain or discomfort, dizziness, asthenia (weakness or fatigue).Adverse events reported by 1% to 5% of subjects using Depo-Provera were: decreased libido or anorgasmia, backache, leg cramps, depression, nausea, insomnia, leucorrhoea, acne, vaginitis, pelvic pain, breast pain, no hair growth or alopecia, bloating, rash, oedema, hot flushes.Other events were reported infrequently (by fewer than 1 % of subjects), and included: galactorrhoea, melasma, chloasma, convulsions, changes in appetite, gastrointestinal disturbances, jaundice, genitourinary infections, vaginal cysts, dyspareunia, paraesthesia, chest pain, pulmonary embolus, allergic reactions, anaemia, syncope, dyspnoea, thirst, hoarseness, somnolence, decreased glucose tolerance, hirsutism, pruritus, arthralgia, pyrexia, pain at injection site, injection site abscess, blood dyscrasia, rectal bleeding, changes in breast size, breast lumps or nipple bleeding, axillary swelling, prevention of lactation, sensation of pregnancy, lack of return to fertility, paralysis, facial palsy, scleroderma, osteoporosis, uterine hyperplasia, varicose veins, dysmenorrhoea, thrombophlebitis, deep vein thrombosis.In postmarketing experience, there have been rare cases of osteoporosis including osteoporotic fractures reported in patients taking Depo-Provera.
Manufacturer
Pharmacia
Drug Availability
(POM)
Updated
25 June 2009
