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Generic Name: Terazosin
Brand Name(s):
Information updated: April 1, 2000
Overview
Hytrin is a blood pressure medicine that relaxes the muscles lining the
blood vessels. This reduces their resistance to blood flow.
This same
action, of smooth muscle relaxation, is often helpful in managing the urinary
difficulties that may result from an enlarged prostate gland (benign prostatic
hypertrophy).
Side Effects and Interactions
The most common side effects of Hytrin are
lightheadedness or dizziness when standing up from sitting or lying down.
Even after you have been taking Hytrin for some time, this effect is
more likely within the first few hours after swallowing the pill.
Palpitations and occasionally fainting may also occur.
Other
side effects include a feeling of tiredness or weakness, headaches, nausea,
fluid build-up in arms and legs, weight gain, drowsiness, nasal stuffiness, and
blurred vision. Tell your doctor about any symptoms you experience.
Few
interactions have been reported between Hytrin and other drugs.
If other
blood pressure drugs must be added, keep in mind that the first-dose effect may
crop up and exercise precautions against fainting and falling.
Special Precautions
Hytrin can cause a potentially dangerous "first-dose effect" soon after you begin taking it.
A person may feel faint or dizzy, especially when they stand up from sitting or lying down. This is apparently due to excessive lowering of the blood pressure at first.
Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of Hytrin and gradually increase it to reduce this problem.
Remember that if you miss a few doses, starting again could produce this first-dose effect.
Avoid driving and other dangerous activities for at least 12 hours after your first pill or after resuming medication.
Don't stand up suddenly without holding on to something.
Taking the Medicine
Hytrin is started as a 1 mg pill given at bedtime.
The dose will be increased gradually
until the response is satisfactory.
Your doctor will tell you if you should take it once
or twice a day.
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Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. Their syndicated radio show can be heard on public radio.
© 2000
Reader Comments
My wife and I have both taken Hytrin for years (2mg for her and 1MG for me) with very good results. Now the local pharmacies tell us that Hytrin is no longer made, and they switched us to the generic Terazosin. After a month of taking the generic, both of our blood pressures were high when we had our check-ups. Our doctor now has put us on another blood pressure pill. I have to keep taking the generic Terazosin for my prostate. Does Abbott still manufacture Hytrin to be sold in the USA, or did the law suit they were involved with stop their sale in this country?
Posted by: DLH | January 14, 2008 2:02 PM
I posted this under the generic drug comments, but I will post i here also.
I take Hytrin/Terazosin for prostate symptoms.
I changed to the generic a while back, made by Apotex. It didn't work at all. I could barely urinate.
I then changed to a different generic, made by Geneva. It works well, as good or almost as good as branded Hytrin.
You can buy Geneva terazosin at Costco. Very inexpensive.
Good luck!
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY ANSWER:
This is not the first time we have heard from visitors to this Web site that generic Hytrin was not always working as well as the brand name. This post suggests that there is difference between generics as well. We doubt that this could be "all in someone's head." Getting up frequently to pee at night is a quantitative measure of a generic drug's failure.
Posted by: BillK | April 22, 2008 3:17 PM