Systemic effects have been reported rarely following administration of 100 mcg of Factrel.

CNS:   headache, light-headedness.

GI:   nausea, abdominal discomfort.

Dermatologic:   local swelling, occasionally with pain and pruritis, at the injection site may occur following subcutaneous administration; local and generalized skin rash have been noted after chronic subcutaneous administration.

Cardiovascular:   flushing.

Rare instances of hypersensitivity reaction (bronchospasm, tachycardia, flushing, urticaria, induration at injection site) and anaphylactic reactions have been reported following multiple-dose administration.

There has been a report of pituitary apoplexy and sudden blindness following gonadotropin-releasing hormone administration to a patient with a gonadotropin-secreting adenoma.

The Factrel test should be conducted in the absence of other drugs which directly affect the pituitary secretion of the gonadotropins. These would include a variety of preparations which contain androgens, estrogens, progestins, or glucocorticoids. The gonadotropin levels may be transiently elevated by spironolactone, minimally elevated by levodopa, and suppressed by oral contraceptives and digoxin. The response to Factrel may be blunted by phenothiazines and dopamine antagonists which cause a rise in prolactin.

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