Alfuzosin (Uroxatral)
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Alfuzosin (Uroxatral)
Used for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), or “Enlarged Prostate”
Alfuzosin is taken daily for relief of obstructive and irritative voiding symptoms. Obstructive symptoms include slow / weak stream, start/stop stream, or incomplete emptying. Irritative symptoms include frequency, urgency, and waking up at night to urinate (nocturia). Compared to other BPH medications that may cause ejaculatory dysfunction, Alfuzosin has actually been shown to increase the force and volume of ejaculation for some men.
How Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) works:
Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) is an alpha-1 blocker. It selectively blocks a smooth muscle receptor found in the tissue of the prostate and bladder opening. By blocking these receptors, the medication encourages relaxation of the smooth muscle cells in your prostate and bladder opening, which relieves symptoms of BPH by making it easier to urinate.
Typical dosing for Alfuzosin (Uroxatral)
- The dose is 10 mg daily after the same meal (same time)
Common Side Effects
- Dizziness (6%)
- Upper respiratory tract infection (3%)
- Headache (3%)
- Fatigue (3%)
Less common side effects can include: Upset stomach or stomach pain, constipation, inflamed lungs, erectile dysfunction, sore throat. Priapism (a painful erection lasting more than 4 hours) is extremely rare, but has been associated with taking Alfuzosin.
mensRxplus Recommendations:
- Take Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) at about the same time every day to have the most consistent results. It is recommended to take after a meal.
Drug Interactions
Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) interaction with other drugs:
Take care when taking medications that could lower blood pressure as there is an increased risk of dizziness. Your doctor may need to lower the dose of one of your blood pressure medications if you start taking Alfuzosin (Uroxatral). Do not take with other alpha-blocker medications used for blood pressure and / or BPH (Terazosin, Prazosin, Tamsulosin) as they could have compounding side effects.
It is commonly not recommended to take Alfuzosin with medications used for ED, such as (Sildenafil) Viagra or Tadalafil (Cialis). However in reality there are many men who have both BPH and ED. Discuss with your doctor, or consider taking daily Cialis if you have both BPH and ED.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
- Atazanavir
- Bepridil
- Boceprevir
- Cisapride
- Clarithromycin
- Cobicistat
- Conivaptan
- Darunavir
- Dronedarone
- Fluconazole
- Fosamprenavir
- Idelalisib
- Indinavir
- Itraconazole
- Ketoconazole
- Lopinavir
- Mesoridazine
- Nelfinavir
- Pimozide
- Piperaquine
- Posaconazole
- Ritonavir
- Saquinavir
- Sparfloxacin
- Telaprevir
- Telithromycin
- Terfenadine
- Thioridazine
- Tipranavir
- Ziprasidone
See detailed warnings section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Silodosin (Rapaflo) starts working after a few days. Your symptoms may continue to improve and maximal benefit can take about a month to realize. This medication will remain in your system for about 2 days after you stop taking it.
Alfuzosin does not cause diminished ejaculation like other alpha blockers (Flomax, Rapaflo). Some men actually report stronger ejaculation with greater volume when taking Alfuzosin.
One benefit of Alfuzosin over Tamsulosin is that Alfuzosin has not been associated with retrograde ejaculation, compared to about 15% of those taking Tamsulosin (and 28% of those taking Silodosin). In fact, one study demonstrated an improvement in ejaculatory function (increased ejaculatory force and volume) for men under age 70 when placed on this medication over a 6 month period. Tamsulosin (Flomax) has been around longer than Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) so many medical providers are used to always prescribing Tamsulosin first. Also, Tamsulosin tends to be slightly cheaper than Alfuzosin, so it is often the preferred drug from insurance companies. Alfusozin has similar efficacy to tamsulosin, meaning it works just as well, and generally is more well tolerated by men. Alfuzosin tends to be slightly more expensive, including as a generic mensRxplus.com. Finally, each medication has a different list of medications that it might interact with, which can be discussed with your provider.
Warnings
Caution for people with heart problems
If you have chest pain or heart rhythm problems (long QT), let your provider know. They’ll likely stop alfuzosin ER (Uroxatral) for you if you have chest pain or if your chest pain worsens.
Caution for people with liver problems
Alfuzosin ER (Uroxatral) is broken down by your liver so it can be cleared from your body. Don’t take alfuzosin ER (Uroxatral) if you have moderate to severe liver problems.
Eye problems
This issue is a concern for patients who have a planned eye surgery for cataract or glaucoma. Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) can cause an eye problem called floppy iris syndrome (FIS), which can raise your risk of having eye problems during and after eye surgery. If you have planned eye surgery talk to your eye provider before starting Alfuzosin (Uroxatral), or if you are already taking make sure to inform them, as they may need to adjust their surgical technique.
Painful erection (Priapism)
In some very rare cases, Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) can cause a painful erection (also known as priapism) that continues for more than 4 hours. If this happens to you, contact your provider right away to avoid the risk of permanent erectile dysfunction.
Low Blood Pressure:
Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) can lower your blood pressure. This is more likely if you already have low blood pressure, take blood pressure lowering medications, or are taking PDE-5 inhibitory drugs such as Viagra or Cialis.
When you first start to take Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) or if your dose is increased, you can experience a sudden drop in blood pressure when you get up from a sitting or lying down position. This is called postural, or orthostatic hypotension, and symptoms include feeling light headed or dizzy, blurry vision, fainting, nausea, and confusion. Always make sure to move slowly from a lying down position to a sitting position, and then stand up slowly to allow your body to adjust to possible changes in blood pressure. Your body should adjust to the medication after the first few days, but if you continue to have these symptoms tell your healthcare provider. If you fall and hit your head, get medical help right away. This risk of dizziness and falls is more concerning for men on blood thinners, particularly with a fall resulting in head trauma.
Risk factors: Moving too quickly from sitting down to standing up | Not enough fluid in your body (dehydration) | Taking other medications that lower blood pressure | Heart failure | Drinking alcohol, Taking PDE-5 inhibitor medication such as Viagra or Cialis
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