Alfuzosin ER

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Harshi Dhingra, M.D.

Last Reviewed: May 26, 2023

Warnings

Alfuzosin Risks, Warnings, and Complications

Alfuzosin can cause serious health complications in certain people. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other treatment options for your symptoms if you are at an increased risk of complications from alfuzosin use. Some of the risks of taking alfuzosin include:

POSTURAL HYPOTENSION: Alfuzosin (Uroxatral) can cause low blood pressure when you stand up from a sitting or lying position. This can cause a light headed feeling, dizziness, and fainting. It can happen within a few hours of taking a dose of the medicine. The risk of low blood pressure is higher when you first start alfuzosin or if you take Uroxatral and antihypertensive medications or nitrate medications together. Before starting alfuzosin, tell your doctor if you had low blood pressure after taking other medications. Be cautious while standing up from a sitting or lying position. Rest your feet on the ground for a few minutes if you feel dizzy.
HEPATIC IMPAIRMENT: Uroxatral (alfuzosin) is metabolized (broken down) by the liver before it is cleared from the body. Before starting this medicine, tell your doctor if you have liver problems. This medication may not be right for you if you have moderate to severe liver disease.
MASKING SYMPTOMS OF PROSTATE CANCER: Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is a non-cancerous condition. However, the enlarged prostate in BPH can cause similar symptoms as prostate cancer. Taking alfuzosin can therefore mask the symptoms of prostate cancer. Your doctor may order a blood test called prostate-specific antigen before starting you on alfuzosin to rule out cancer.
INTRAOPERATIVE EYE PROBLEMS: Alfuzosin can cause a complication called intraoperative floppy iris syndrome during eye operations for glaucoma or cataract surgery. Eye problems can develop during and after cataract surgery, even if you have stopped taking alfuzosin. Tell your eye surgeon ahead of any surgery if you are on alfuzosin. They may ask you to stop alfuzosin or modify their surgical technique.
PRIAPISM: Rarely, alfuzosin can cause priapism, which is a persistent painful penis erection unrelated to sexual activity which lasts more than 4 hours. This painful erection requires immediate treatment to prevent damage to the penis and permanent erectile dysfunction. Get emergency medical help if this happens.
HEART PROBLEMS: Alfuzosin should be used with caution in people who have heart problems such as QT prolongation or are taking other medications that can cause QT prolongation. Also, your doctor may discontinue this medication if you develop new chest pain or have worsening chest pain after starting alfuzosin.
DRUG INTERACTIONS: Taking medications such as ketoconazole (an antifungal medicine) or protease inhibitors (antiviral medicine for HIV) with alfuzosin can cause dangerous drug interactions. Give your doctor a complete list of all the medicines you are taking, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and herbal products, before starting alfuzosin.

Precautions Before Starting Alfuzosin

Tell your doctor if you have ever had allergic reactions to alfuzosin, any of the active or inactive ingredients in alfuzosin tablets, other alpha blockers, or any other medications. Your pharmacy can give you a list of ingredients.

Give your doctor and pharmacist a complete list of your medications, including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, nutritional supplements, and herbal products. This can help avoid possible drug interactions.

Give your doctor a complete medical history. Alfuzosin may not be right for people with certain medical conditions such as liver disease, kidney disease, prostate cancer, QT prolongation, heart disease, irregular heartbeat, angina (chest pain), low blood pressure, or dizziness and low blood pressure after taking certain medications.

This medication is for adult men only. Women should not take alfuzosin, especially pregnant or breastfeeding women. Call your doctor if you are a woman and you took alfuzosin.

Precautions During Use of Alfuzosin

Keep all your health care appointments during treatment with alfuzosin.

Tell all your healthcare providers that you are on alfuzosin before any surgery, including eye surgery or dental procedures.

Alfuzosin Drug Interactions

Certain other drugs can affect how alfuzosin works. Possible interactions between alfuzosin and other medicines can increase the risk of severe adverse reactions. The following medications can interact with alfuzosin:

Heart medication for arrhythmias such as amiodarone (Cordarone), disopyramide (Norpace), dofetilide (Tikosyn), sotalol (Betapace), quinidine (Quinidex), and procainamide (Procanbid, Pronestyl)
Medications for high blood pressure such as diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor, Tiazac, others) and verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan)
Beta blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin)
Anti-nausea drugs like aprepitant (Emend)
H2 blockers for stomach acidity such as cimetidine (Tagamet)
GERD medications such as cisapride (not available in the U.S.)
Antibiotics such as clarithromycin (Biaxin, in Prevpac), erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin), metronidazole (Flagyl), sparfloxacin (Zagam), troleandomycin (TAO), and moxifloxacin (Avelox)
Antifungal medicine such as fluconazole (Diflucan)
Danazol (Danocrine), a medication prescribed for endometriosis in women
Immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune)
HIV drugs such as delavirdine (Rescriptor), efavirenz (Sustiva), atazanavir (Reyataz), lopinavir (in Kaletra), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), and saquinavir (Fortovase, Invirase)
Antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), nefazodone, and sertraline (Zoloft)
Hormonal contraceptives (birth control pills, patches, and rings)
Medications used to treat TB such as isoniazid (INH, Nydrazid)
Medicines prescribed for high cholesterol, such as lovastatin (Advicor, Altocor, Mevacor)
Medications for erectile dysfunction (ED) such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra)
Other alpha blockers such as tamsulosin (Flomax), prazosin (Minipress), doxazosin (Cardura), and terazosin (Hytrin)
Medications used to control tics such as pimozide (Orap)
Psychiatric medications such as thioridazine (Mellaril)
Asthma medications such as zafirlukast (Accolate)

The above list may not describe all the potential interactions of alfuzosin. Give your doctor or pharmacist a list of all the medicines you are taking, including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies. Also, tell your healthcare professional if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs because some of these substances can cause serious health complications when used with prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Find the best discount on Alfuzosin ER »