Doxazosin, sold under the brand names Cardura among others, is a

medication A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

used to treat symptoms of

benign prostatic hyperplasia Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called prostate enlargement, is a noncancerous increase in size of the prostate gland. Symptoms may include frequent urination, trouble starting to urinate, weak stream, inability to urinate, or loss o ...

(enlarged prostate) and

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

(high blood pressure). For high blood pressure, it is a less preferred option. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include dizziness, sleepiness, swelling, nausea, shortness of breath, and abdominal pain. Severe side effects may include low blood pressure with standing, an irregular heart beat, and

priapism Priapism is a condition in which a penis remains erect for hours in the absence of stimulation or after stimulation has ended. There are three types: ischemic (low-flow), nonischemic (high-flow), and recurrent ischemic (intermittent). Most cases ...

. It is a α₁-selective adrenergic blocker in the

quinazoline Quinazoline is an organic compound with the formula C8H6N2. It is an aromatic heterocycle with a bicyclic structure consisting of two fused six-membered aromatic rings, a benzene ring and a pyrimidine ring. It is a light yellow crystalline solid ...

class of compounds. Doxazosin was patented in 1977 and came into medical use in 1988. It is available as a

generic medication A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by chemical patents. Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire. Because the active ch ...

. In 2020, it was the 209th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 2million prescriptions.

Medical uses

High blood pressure

Doxazosin is usually added to other antihypertensive therapy such as calcium channel antagonists,

diuretics A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...

, beta-adrenoreceptor antagonists,

angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) are a class of medication used primarily for the treatment of high blood pressure and heart failure. They work by causing relaxation of blood vessels as well as a decrease in blood volume ...

and angiotensin-2 receptor blockers. Doxazosin is generally considered to be safe, well tolerated and effective as an add-on antihypertensive drug. Like other alpha-1 receptor antagonists, it has a role in the peri-operative management of

pheochromocytoma Pheochromocytoma (PHEO or PCC) is a rare tumor of the adrenal medulla composed of chromaffin cells, also known as pheochromocytes. When a tumor composed of the same cells as a pheochromocytoma develops outside the adrenal gland, it is referred t ...

Benign prostatic hyperplasia

Doxazosin is considered to be effective in reducing urinary symptom scores and improving peak urinary flow in men with benign prostatic hypertrophy.

History

The

Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial The Antihypertensive and Lipid Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial, also known as ALLHAT, was a randomized, double-blind, active-controlled study comparing at the same time, four different classes of antihypertensive drugs with the ...

(ALLHAT) study stopped its arm of the trial looking at alpha blockers, because doxazosin was less effective than a simple

diuretic A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics in ...

, and because patients on doxazosin had a 25% higher rate of

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

and twice the rate of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

as patients on diuretics. Pfizer, aware of the results before publication, launched a marketing campaign in early 2000, and sales were largely unaffected, despite the dangers highlighted by the study.

References

External links

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