Nutropin Side Effects
Nutropin, marketed by Genentech, has several potential, but rare, serious side effects. Patients receiving injections of the bioengineered, or recombinant, version of the human growth hormone somatropin to make up a deficiency of natural growth hormone or to correct short stature often have negative reactions to the injections. Also, patients receiving Nutropin can develop tumors, swelling and bone disorders. Anyone with active diabetes or cancer cannot receive Nutropin injections.
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Injection Reactions
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Nutropin gets injected daily, and many patients receive the medication for years. Patients have reported pain, itching, redness and tissue breakdown at the site where they inject Nutropin.
Mild Potential Side Effects
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The most common side effects from Nutropin are decreased touch sensation, blurred vision, "pins and needles," ear infections, dizziness, severe headache and irregular heartbeat. Patients may also experience chest pain, limping, back pain, chills, hair loss, sleeping problems, diarrhea, nausea, loss of voice, weight gain, carpal tunnel syndrome and joint pain.
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Serious Potential Side Effects
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Of more than 8,000 patients who used Nutropin following its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 16 developed scoliosis, 12 developed swollen breasts, 12 developed benign tumors and five developed diabetes. Other rare problems reported for Nutropin-treated patients included cancer, hypertension around the brain and broken bones.
Warnings
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Patients receiving Nutropin should have their thyroid function monitored regularly because it can be impaired by the medication. Similarly, any patient with tumors or intracranial lesions should have the status of those growths assessed frequently because Nutropin can worsen the tumors and lesions.
Contraindications
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Several conditions and diseases make people ineligible for receiving Nutropin injections. Children whose bones have completely stopped growing in length should not receive Nutropin, nor should most children with the developmental disorder Prader-Willi syndrome. Also, no one with active cancer, diabetes, respiratory failure or complications from surgery or injury should receive Nutropin. Giving Nutropin to children whose growth has ceased increases risks for tumors. The members of other contraindicated groups have an increased risk of death after receiving Nutropin.
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