Alfuzosin, Prazosin and Terazosin belong to a group of medicines used to treat high blood pressure and benign prostatic hyperplasia known as Alpha1-Adrenergic Blocker.
What Is This Medication Used For
These medicines lower blood pressure by relaxing and widening blood vessels.
These medicines are also used in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia in men, where the prostate gland grows in size and causes difficulty in urination.
Dosage and How to Use
- Do not stop taking your medicines without checking with your doctors.
- If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, take only the usual dose. Do not double your dose or use extra medicine to make up for the missed dose.
Side Effects, Precautions, Contraindication
What Are The Possible Side Effects of The Medicines?
This medicine can bring down your blood pressure quite a bit when you change positions from a lying to sitting position or from a sitting to standing position. You will feel giddy or light headed if this happens. However, the symptoms are usually not serious and last only for a short while. You can prevent this by getting up from a sitting or lying position slowly.
Other side effects are headaches and irregular heartbeat. In some cases, taking these medicines can cause urinary incontinence (leaking of urine due to loss of control of the bladder)
How do I know if I am allergic to these medicines?
The symptoms of a drug allergy include one or more of the following:
- Swollen face/eyes/lips
- Difficulty in breathing
- Itchy skin rashes over your whole body
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should stop your medicine immediately and see your doctor.
What precautions should I follow when taking the medicines?
You should avoid sudden changes in your posture to prevent the side effect of giddiness or feeling faint. This is especially important if you are taking the medicine for the first time.
Handling and Storage
- Keep your medicines in the original container or packaging, tightly closed or sealed in a cool and dry place, away from direct sunlight.
- Keep the medicine out of reach of children.
- Throw away all expired medicines
This article answers some common questions about this medicine. It does not contain all the available information. It also does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.