Doctors' Answers to "Frequently Asked Questions" - Cardura

These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.

Cardura and Ibuprofen [posted 1/7/99]
Question: Does anyone know if Ibuprofen diminishes the effectiveness of Cardura 2 mg? I take about 3 Ibuprofen a day (200 mg each).

Answer: Not aware of any problem.

Cardura & Incontinence [posted 12/01/98]
Question: I am a 70 year old male who is physically active in exercise activities. Can Carura 4MG daily cause incontenance. Have problem after urination. I am taking Cardura for an enlarged prostate. I also had elevated PSA after taking Cardura for six months. Biopsies were taken and were all negative. Looking forward to your reply.

Answer: Possibly, but it would go away within one to two days if you stop the cardura. I'd suspect your prostate problem before the cardura. It would have nothing to do with elevating your PSA.

Cardura Info [posted 11/18/98]
Question: I am looking to find the lastest information on two drugs: Cardura, and Proscar. I'm looking for side effects, usuage, indications, and general effects on the body. Where can I find this info online?

Answer:  Best place is with the manufactures scientific dept. Cardura is Pfizer 800-723-7529,Proscar is Merck 800-672-6372.

Can Cardura Effect Blood Sugar [posted 11/17/98]
Question: I have a mild case of Type 2 Diabetes for which I take one Glucophage tablet, 500mg every morning. About 2 weeks ago I started taking one Cardura, 1mg tablet every night to improve urine outflow. Since then my blood sugar readings before breakfast and dinner have consistently gone down by about 10 to 15 points. Question: Can Cardura be given credit for this positive turn of events?
Answer: Possibly, but, I wouldn't know why.

Cardura for Urinary Tract Infections [posted 10/19/98]
Question: I am being treated by a urologist for frequent urinary tract infections, so far my x-ray for kidneys and a cystoscopy are good. He asked if i get up and go to the bathroom at night and I replied, yes--once or twice. He thought that was unusual and prescribed cardura. Looking up cardura through your website, I am now beginning to wonder why I would be prescribed medication for high blood pressure and prostrate problems. So far, there are no side effects. I'm supposed to work up to 4mg for the last two of six weeks. Thanks for any information you can give me.

Answer: This drug was initially used for blood pressure control;but, was found to help urinary outlet problems (hytrin is another example). For some reason, in men with prostate problems it usually doesn't have as major a blood pressure lowering effect. Indeed, men with normal blood pressure often see no change in their blood pressure on this medication.

Cardura for Prostrate [posted 8/7/98]
Question: I am 39 and have been prescribed cardura for what was described as a tight prostrate. I am concerned about the possible side effects of this medication. I am a triathelete and am unable to empty my bladder completely and have been suffering from recurrent bladder infections and frequent urination problems.

Answer: It tends to lower blood pressure and can cause vertigo as a consequence. Generally, patients taking it for prostate problems have less of this effect than patients taking it for hypertension. Other side effects include nausea, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, headache.

Cardura and Alcohol [posted 7/22/98]
Question: When on this medication would any alcohol consumption interfere with its effectiveness?

Answer: No, but avoid excess. Cardura started as a blood pressure pills and occasional patients will lower their blood pressure-this can be exacerbated with alcohol.

Drug Interaction
Question: I am currently prescribed Cardura tablets, and am concerned about its interaction with other prescription drugs. Should I be concerned about taking Cardura with Prilosec or any other drugs?

Answer: Cardura will lower blood pressure as well as help your prostate gland. However, combining with other blood pressure medications can cause excessive BP lowering and vertigo. It doesn't appear to have many other interactions, but it has been noted to have levels raised when used with cimetidine(Tagamet). However, this does not appear to be of any clinical significance.

Cardura 4mg
Question: I am 75 and in reasonably good health, though a bit overweight. I have some high blood pressure which was formerly treated with Vasotec but for the past year with "Cardizem". I also had an enlarged prostate which I believe is common with men my age. After being examined about 9 months ago he prescribed Cardura 4mg and the nocturnal problems have practically disappeared I take one tablet as prescribed before retiring, and though there may be a few side effects I do not seem to be bothered much by them. Dr. suggests that I take this medication for 1 year before my next visit.

Answer: Sounds like you have a smart Doc. Cardura is a drug which can help both blood pressure and benign prostatic hypertrophy. A good combination in men over 65 or with BPH symptoms.

Cardura
Question: My dad has an enlarged prostate and was prescribed Cardura. Since he has been on this, he has not felt like himself, has developed many colds and feelings of fatigue, etc. He does not want to continue to take it and wants to know about natural remedies. His doctors insist he must take it, so he does for a day or two (once for a month) and then he stops. I support his desire not to take medication that has diminished the quality of his life

Answer: I have had several patients try Saw Palmetto and swear by its effect. I have not seen controlled studies, but there appears to be little down sides to this herbal treatment. I'd try it and see what happens. Also, some patients get major relief from daily zinc oxide. This seems to be about 10-20%, which is not as high as saw palmetto, but a second choice if the first gets little results.

Cardura Side effects
Question: I suffer from an enlarged prostate and I was prescribed Cardura (1 mg, two times a day). After starting the medication my PSA shot up to a concerned level. Biopsies were taken today so I will not now what the results will be. Could the pill create my PSA level to increase?

Answer: I have about 50-100 patients on this drug and haven't seen this as a problem. An enlarged prostate can cause a rising PSA, but I haven't seen this effect with this drug.

Cardura & Vision
Question: My husband takes 4mg of Cardura per day for hypertension and an enlarged prostate. I recently read that one of the side effects is vision problems. I am interested in knowing what kind of vision problems. Since my husband recently had approximatley 1/2 of his retina burned away due to hypertensive retinopathy. Since he has lost part of his vision, I certainly don't want him to take a medication that might risk further loss of vision(especially when there are many different medications available).

Answer:Cardura(doxazosin mesylate) belongs to a class of drugs called alpha-l inhibitor. This class of drugs was initially used in treating blood pressure problems due to its ability to block alpha-l receptors in the brain. It was found that patients had significant relief-in some cases from prostatic enlargement due to its side effect of affecting the sphincter muscle in the bladder. Commonly, this medicine is now used more for this problem than for blood pressure problems. It also can treat two separate problems which is nice. The most common problem taking this drug is postural hypotension;that is, ones blood pressure drops abruptly upon standing. Vision problems occure about 1-2 % of the time probably due to its central alpha blocker effect. I really haven't seen this clinically and it should he reversible on stopping the drug.



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