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Prazosin
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Description
Prazosin is a medicine used in the treatment of high blood pressure. It may also be used for the treatment of heart failure (a condition in which the heart is not able to pump a sufficient amount of blood), Raynaud’s Disease (a condition that causes decreased blood flow to the fingers and/or the toes due to low temperature or stress), and benign prostatic hyperplasia in men (enlargement of the prostate gland, a small gland in men that secretes fluid to nourish and transport the sperm).
Prazosin relaxes your blood vessels so that the blood can circulate easily throughout your body. It also relaxes the muscles in your bladder and prostate gland and improves urine flow. This medicine is available in oral form as tablets and extended-release tablets.
Prazosin shows side effects like headache, drowsiness, weakness, nausea, dry mouth, etc. This medicine may also make you feel dizzy, especially if you have just started taking it. Contact your doctor if these side effects persist or become severe.
Prazosin may be taken with or without food. The dose and duration of treatment will be determined by your doctor based on your clinical condition. Avoid the discontinuation of this medicine without consulting your doctor as it may worsen your condition.
Prazosin is not recommended for use if you are allergic to it. Inform your doctor if you are taking other medicines, or if you have any medical condition like heart or liver problems.
Prazosin is not recommended for use in children less than 12 years of age. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant, or are breastfeeding before taking this medicine.
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Side effects
Major & minor side effects for Prazosin
Headache
Drowsiness
Weakness
Lack of energy
Stomach pain
Slow heart rate
Low blood pressure
Dry mouth
Dizziness
Uses of Prazosin
What is it prescribed for?
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the force exerted by the circulating blood on the walls of the blood vessel is high. Prazosin relaxes and widens your blood vessels, making it easier for your heart to circulate blood throughout your body. Thus, it helps in controlling high blood pressure.
Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive Heart Failure is a condition in which your heart does not pump blood efficiently. The symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, rapid or irregular heartbeat, etc.Prazosin is used alone or in combination with other medicines for the treatment of heart failure. It relaxes the heart muscles and allows your heart to pump blood more easily.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a condition that occurs in men and causes an enlargement of the prostate gland (a small gland in men that secretes fluid to nourish and transport the sperm). It may lead to urinary problems like frequent urination, difficulty in urination, weak urine stream, etc. Prazosin relaxes the muscles around the bladder (the organ in which urine is stored) and prostate gland, allowing urine to flow more easily.
Raynaud's disease
Raynaud’s disease is a condition in which the blood vessels in your fingers and toes respond to cold or stress, limiting blood flow to the affected areas. It may cause cold and painful fingers and toes, discolouration of your fingers and toes, etc. Prazosin relaxes the blood vessels in your hands and feet and allows the blood to flow more easily. This helps to prevent cold and stiffness.
Concerns
Commonly asked questions
Onset of action
Prazosin may show its effect in 30-90 minutes after intake.Duration of effect
The amount of time for which Prazosin remains active in your body is 10-24 hours.Safe with alcohol?
Consumption of alcohol is not recommended during treatment with Prazosin as it can lower your blood pressure. It may increase the risk of side effects such as difficulty concentrating and dizziness.Is it habit forming?
No habit-forming tendency has been reported for Prazosin.Usage in pregnancy?
Prazosin is not recommended for use during pregnancy unless necessary. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor before taking this medicine.Usage while breast-feeding?
Prazosin can be excreted in breastmilk in small amounts. If you are breastfeeding, consult your doctor before taking this medicine.
Allergy
Avoid taking Prazosin if you are allergic to it. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice symptoms such as skin rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, breathing difficulty, etc.
Warnings for special population
Pregnancy
Prazosin is not recommended for use during pregnancy unless necessary. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor before taking this medicine.
Breast-feeding
Prazosin can be excreted in breastmilk in small amounts. If you are breastfeeding, consult your doctor before taking this medicine.
General warnings
Driving or operating machines
Prazosin may cause dizziness or weakness and affect your driving ability. Hence, avoid performing activities that require high mental alertness such as driving vehicles or operating machines until you know how this medicine affects you.
Eye surgery
Cataract surgery is an eye surgery performed to replace the lens in your eyes with an artificial lens to correct the blurring of vision. Prazosin may lead to complications during cataract surgery. Hence, if you are taking this medicine, inform your doctor before undergoing surgery.
Other medicines
Inform your doctor about all your current medications, as some medicines can affect the way Prazosin works or cause undesired effects.
Use in children
Prazosin is not recommended for use in children below 12 years of age as the safety and efficacy data are not clinically established.
Missed Dose
If you forget to take the dose of Prazosin at a given time, take it as soon as you remember. If it is time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not double your dose to make up for the missed dose.
Overdose
Never take more than the prescribed dose of Prazosin. If you suspect that you might have taken an overdose of this medicine, go to the emergency department of your local hospital.
All drugs interact differently for person to person. You should check all the possible interactions with your doctor before starting any medicine.
Interaction with Alcohol
Description
N/A
Instructions
Consumption of alcohol is not recommended during treatment with Prazosin as it can lower your blood pressure. It may increase the risk of side effects such as difficulty concentrating and dizziness.
Interaction with Medicine
Aspirin
Chlorpromazine
Phenobarbital
Diazepam
Alprazolam
Disease interactions
Hypotension
Hypotension refers to a decrease in blood pressure. Prazosin may cause hypotension, especially at the beginning of the treatment. Your doctor may start the treatment with a low dose of Prazosin and gradually increase the dose. Check your blood pressure regularly during treatment with this medicine.
Liver Disease
Prazosin is broken down in your liver and impaired liver function may lead to its accumulation in your body. Hence, this medicine should be used with caution if you have liver problems.
Food interactions
Information not available.
Lab interactions
Information not available.
Take Prazosin as advised by your doctor. Avoid taking more or less than the prescribed dose.
Consult your doctor if you experience any undesired effects that remain for a long time or worsen.
Prazosin may cause dizziness in the first few days, so get up carefully from sitting or lying down position.
If you are scheduled for cataract surgery, inform your doctor that you are taking Prazosin.
Miscelleneous
How it works
Prazosin works by relaxing the blood vessels so that blood can flow more easily. It also relaxes the muscles in the bladder and prostate gland (a small gland in men that secretes fluid to nourish and transport the sperm) and improves urine flow.
Legal Status
Classification
Category
Antiadrenergic agents, peripherally acting
Schedule
Schedule H
Dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. 2021. DailyMed - PRAZOSIN HYDROCHLORIDE capsule. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 18 August 2021].
Pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2021. Prazosin. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 17 August 2021].
Medicines.org.uk. 2021. Hypovase 1mg tablets - Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) - (emc). [online] Available at: < [Accessed 17 August 2021].
Drugs, H., 2021. Prazosin: MedlinePlus Drug Information. [online] Medlineplus.gov. Available at: < [Accessed 17 August 2021].
Information on this page was last updated on 17 Nov 2021
Disclaimer
We’ve made all possible efforts to ensure that the information provided here is accurate, up-to-date and complete, however, it should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Practo only provides reference source for common information on medicines and does not guarantee its accuracy or exhaustiveness. The absence of a warning for any drug or combination thereof, should not be assumed to indicate that the drug or combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Practo does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information provided above. If you have any doubts about your medication then we strongly recommend that you consult with your doctor, nurse or healthcare provider. See detailed T&C here.