Details

Doxazosin is an alpha-adrenergic blocker. It relaxes your veins and arteries so that blood can more easily pass through them. It also relaxes the muscles in the prostate and bladder neck, making it easier to urinate. Doxazosin is used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), or to improve urination in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate). To make sure doxazosin is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have a blockage in your digestive tract (stomach or intestines) severe constipation liver disease or low blood pressure. Doxazosin can affect your pupils during cataract surgery. Tell your eye surgeon ahead of time that you are using this medication. Do not stop using this medicine before surgery unless your surgeon tells you to.

Typical Uses

Doxazosin is used alone or with other drugs to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering high blood pressure helps prevent strokes, heart attacks, and kidney problems. This medication works by relaxing blood vessels so blood can flow more easily. Doxazosin is also used in men to treat the symptoms of an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia-BPH). It does not shrink the prostate, but it works by relaxing the muscles in the prostate and part of the bladder. This helps to relieve symptoms of BPH such as difficulty in beginning the flow of urine, weak stream, and the need to urinate frequently or urgently (including during the middle of the night). Doxazosin may also be used to help your body "pass," or get rid of, kidney stones through urination. It has also been used to help treat bladder problems in women.

Side Effects

Some of the side effects of doxazosin include a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out severe ongoing stomach pain or bloating new or worsening chest pain trouble breathing or a penis erection that is painful or lasts 4 hours or longer.

Drug Interactions

• Doxazosin+boceprevir- Using doxazosin together with boceprevir is not recommended. Combining these medications may significantly increase the blood levels and effects of doxazosin. This may cause blood pressure to fall excessively and heart rate to increase, especially when you rise from a sitting or lying position. The risk of other side effects such as dizziness, light-headedness, fainting, headache, flushing, nasal congestion, heart palpitation, and priapism (prolonged and painful erection unrelated to sexual activity) may also increase.

• Doxazosin+tizanidine- Tizanidine and doxazosin may have additive effects in lowering your blood pressure. You may experience headache, dizziness, light-headedness, fainting, and/or changes in pulse or heart rate. These side effects are most likely to be seen at the beginning of treatment, following a dose increase, or when treatment is restarted after an interruption.

• Doxazosin+sodium oxybate- Using sodium oxybate together with doxazosin may increase side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, light-headedness, confusion, depression, low blood pressure, slow or shallow breathing, and impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. Occasionally, severe reactions may result in coma and even death. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.

Mechanism of action

Doxazosin belongs to class of medications called alpha-blockers. Doxazosin causes relaxation of the smooth muscle tone in the prostate and bladder neck hence the urine is passed easily in patients with enlarged prostate. Further, doxazosin relaxes the blood vessels, thereby lowering the high blood pressure.

Pregnancy Category : C