Description
Doxazosin belongs to the group known as vasodilators. These substances cause the blood vessel to widen, which reduces the blood pressure. Doxazosin can also reduce tension in the muscle
tissues of the prostate and the urinary tract.
Doxazosin is used to treat:
• high blood pressure;
• symptoms of an enlarged prostate.
Uses / Instructions
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
- The recommended dose of Doxazosin is one tablet taken once a day.
- If you are taking Doxazosin for the first time the normal dose is 1mg daily. Your doctor may increase this after a couple of weeks to the usual dose of 2mg or 4mg daily. In some circumstances this may be increased to a maximum of 8mg daily if you are being treated for prostate enlargement, or to a maximum of 16mg if you are being treated for high blood pressure.
- Doxazosin may be taken in the morning or the evening.
- It is best to take your tablets at about the same time each day with a drink of water.
- Doxazosin can be taken with or without food.
- Take your tablet as your doctor told you or by following the days and arrows on the blister foil.
- It is important to keep taking your tablets. They help to control your blood pressure.
- Do not change the dose or stop taking the tablets without first checking with your doctor.
- Do not wait until your tablets are finished before seeing your doctor.
Warnings
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Doxazosin if:
- you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant
- you have liver disease
- you are also taking other medicines
- you have heart disease
Precautions:
- If you are undergoing eye surgery because of cataract (cloudiness of the lens) please inform your eye specialist before the operation that you are using or have previously used Doxazosin.
- This is because Doxazosin may cause complications during the surgery which can be managed if your specialist is prepared in advance.
- Before starting treatment with Doxazosin your doctor may perform tests to rule out other conditions such as prostate cancer that may cause the same symptoms as benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement of the prostate gland).
- Persistent painful erections may occur very rarely. If this happens you should contact a doctor immediately.
- When you start to take Doxazosin you may experience faintness or dizziness caused by low blood pressure, when getting up from sitting or lying down. If you feel faint or dizzy, you should sit or lie down until you feel better and avoid situations where you might fall or hurt yourself.
- Your doctor may want to measure your blood pressure regularly at the start of therapy to reduce the possibility of these effects happening.
Side Effects
STOP taking Doxazosin and call an ambulance immediately if you experience any of the following:
- Heart attack
- Weakness of arms, legs or problems speaking which may be symptoms of a stroke
- Swelling of the face, tongue or throat which may be the result of an allergic reaction to this medicine
- Tell your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms after taking Doxazosin:
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing (common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- Increased or decreased heartbeat (common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- Feeling your heartbeat (palpitations) (common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- Chest pain, angina (uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
• Irregular heartbeat (very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
• Yellowing of the skin or the eyes (jaundice) (very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
• Low numbers of white blood cells or blood platelets, which may result in bruising or easy bleeding (very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
• Persistent painful erection of the penis. Seek urgent medical advice (very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
Ingredients
The active ingredient is Doxazosin for a list of other ingredients please see the patient information leaflet of the pack you receive as different generic brands have different other ingredients.
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