Prescription medication · Somatostatin Analog
octreotide
Also sold as Sandostatin. Octreotide is used to lower growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 in people with acromegaly who haven't responded to other treatments.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 5,230
- FDA reportsLightly reported
- 14
- InteractionsSeveral interactions
- 4
- Recall records
What the data shows
octreotide (Sandostatin) is a prescription Somatostatin Analog, reported less often than most tracked drugs (5,230 FDA reports), with 14 documented drug interactions.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
octreotide (Sandostatin) is a prescription Somatostatin Analog. Octreotide is used to lower growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 in people with acromegaly who haven't responded to other treatments.
Octreotide is a drug that mimics a natural hormone in your body. It is used to treat certain conditions caused by too much of certain hormones.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$6.54/unit
Generic Available
Yes (15 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Octreotide is used to lower growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 in people with acromegaly who haven't responded to other treatments.
Common side effects
Gallbladder problems, Slow heart rate, Diarrhea
Key warnings
Octreotide can cause heart problems, including a higher risk of certain types of heart block.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from octreotide's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
This medicine works by mimicking somatostatin, a natural hormone in your body. It reduces the amount of certain hormones, like growth hormone, that your body makes. By doing this, it helps control the symptoms caused by having too much of these hormones.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 5,230 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for octreotide, by number of reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
526 reports
- Death
Death
375 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
345 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
305 reports
- Malignant Neoplasm Progression
Malignant Neoplasm Progression
235 reports
- Abdominal Pain
Abdominal Pain
223 reports
- Vomiting 202
Vomiting
202 reports
- Dyspnoea 179
Dyspnoea
179 reports
- Weight Decreased 176
Weight Decreased
176 reports
- Pain 172
Pain
172 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for octreotide each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where octreotide sits
octreotide has more FDA adverse-event reports than 26% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is octreotide; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 5,230 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
5,230
Reports Mentioning Death
870
16.6% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
2,164
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | DIARRHOEA | 526 |
| 4 | DEATH | 375 |
| 5 | NAUSEA | 345 |
| 6 | FATIGUE | 305 |
| 7 | MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION | 235 |
| 8 | ABDOMINAL PAIN | 223 |
| 9 | VOMITING | 202 |
| 10 | DYSPNOEA | 179 |
| 11 | WEIGHT DECREASED | 176 |
| 12 | PAIN | 172 |
| 13 | DRUG INEFFECTIVE FOR UNAPPROVED INDICATION | 171 |
| 15 | ASTHENIA | 161 |
| 16 | DISEASE PROGRESSION | 157 |
| 17 | HYPOGLYCAEMIA | 157 |
| 18 | DECREASED APPETITE | 153 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Octreotide can cause heart problems, including a higher risk of certain types of heart block. Your doctor may monitor your heart if you receive this drug intravenously. It can also cause gallbladder problems, high or low blood sugar, and thyroid issues. Tell your doctor right away if you notice new or worsening symptoms.
Known Drug Interactions
Drugs That May Increase the Risk of Hypoglycemia Drugs: Antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocking agents, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, pentoxifylline, pramlintide, salicylates, somatostatin analog (e.g., octreotide), and sulfonamide antibiotics. • Drugs that may increase the risk of hypoglycemia: antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocking agents, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, pentoxifylline, pramlintide, salicylates, somatostatin analog (e.g., octreotide), and...
Mechanism: Octreotide can change how your body handles sugar and may increase the blood-sugar-lowering effects of insulin.
Drugs That May Increase the Risk of Hypoglycemia Drugs: Antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocking agents, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, pentoxifylline, pramlintide, salicylates, somatostatin analogs (e.g., octreotide), and sulfonamide antibiotics Intervention: Dosage reductions and increased frequency of glucose monitoring may be required when XULTOPHY 100/3.6 is coadministered with these drugs.
Mechanism: This medication can make your body more sensitive to insulin, which increases the risk of having low blood sugar.
Table 6: Clinically Significant Drug Interactions with LEVEMIR Drugs That May Increase the Risk of Hypoglycemia Drugs: Antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocking agents, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, pentoxifylline, pramlintide, salicylates, somatostatin analogs (e.g., octreotide), and sulfonamide antibiotics, GLP-1 receptor agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors, SGLT-2 inhibitors.
Mechanism: Octreotide can lower blood sugar, which adds to the effect of insulin and makes low blood sugar more likely.
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS Table 6 includes clinically significant drug interactions with BASAGLAR Table 6: Clinically Significant Drug Interactions with BASAGLAR Drugs That May Increase the Risk of Hypoglycemia Drugs: Antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocking agents, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, pentoxifylline, pramlintide, salicylates, somatostatin analogs (e.g., octreotide), and sulfonamide antibiotics. Drugs that may increase the risk of hypoglycemia: antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocking agents,...
Mechanism: Octreotide can lower blood sugar levels, which adds to the effect of insulin and increases the risk of a dangerous drop.
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS Table 6: Clinically Significant Drug Interactions with APIDRA Drugs that May Increase the Risk of Hypoglycemia Drugs: Antidiabetic agents, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocking agents, disopyramide, fibrates, fluoxetine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, pentoxifylline, pramlintide, salicylates, somatostatin analog (e.g., octreotide), and sulfonamide antibiotics.
Mechanism: Octreotide can increase the risk of low blood sugar when taken with insulin.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
How is octreotide given?
What should I do if I experience diarrhea?
Can octreotide affect my heart?
Does octreotide cure my condition?
How often will I need to see my doctor?
Can I take other medications with octreotide?
What if I have side effects?
How long will I need to take octreotide?
Can octreotide cause gallbladder problems?
Will octreotide affect my blood sugar?
What are the common side effects of octreotide?
Does octreotide interact with other medications?
What drug class is octreotide?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for octreotide?
Has octreotide been recalled?
Active Recalls
Lack of Assurance of Sterility: Quality system deficiencies identified during a routine U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection at the contract manufacturer.
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc
Lack of Assurance of Sterility: Quality system deficiencies identified during a routine U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection at the contract manufacturer.
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc
Lack of Assurance of Sterility: Quality system deficiencies identified during a routine U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection at the contract manufacturer.
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc
Lack of Assurance of Sterility: Quality system deficiencies identified during a routine U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspection at the contract manufacturer.
Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc
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Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for octreotide: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 5,230.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 16.63%.
- methylprednisolone Δ 0.04 pts · 131,747 reports · Corticosteroid 16.67%death share
- aprepitant Δ 0.05 pts · 17,740 reports · NK1 Receptor Antagonist (Antiemetic) 16.58%death share
- haloperidol Δ 0.05 pts · 23,495 reports · Typical Antipsychotic 16.58%death share
- glucagon Δ 0.05 pts · 3,944 reports · Glucagon (Hypoglycemia Rescue) 16.58%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
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FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for octreotide
The FDA label for octreotide (sold under brand names such as Sandostatin) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Somatostatin Analog class. Octreotide is used to lower growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 in people with acromegaly who haven't responded to other treatments. Official labeling lists 8 commonly reported side effects, including Gallbladder problems, Slow heart rate, Diarrhea.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 5,230 voluntary reports. The database also lists 14 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $6.54.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history (currently 4 recall records on file), and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: January 16, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages