Cardura

Drug Name

Cardura (Doxazosin)

Drug Uses

Cardura is used for the control of elevated blood pressure (hypertension) and for benign prostatic hyperplasia (noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland).

How Taken

Cardura should be taken at doses, specifically directed by your physician. This medication can be taken with or without food. Cardura should be taken at the same time each day to maintain proper blood levels. Do not take Cardura within two hours of taking an antacid. If stopped, you must taper the dose.

Drug Class and Mechanism

Cardura is an inhibitor of alpha 1 adrenergic nervous system. It is in a class of drugs, referred to as alpha blockers that includes alfusosin (Uroxatral), terazosin (Hytrin), tamsulosin (Flomax), and prazosin (Minipress). Elevated blood pressure (hypertension) is lowered as the action of these nerves, which promote constriction of blood vessels, is blocked.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. If you are taking 1 dose daily and do not remember until the next day, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.

Storage

Store in a dry place at 30 degrees C (86 F).

Warnings/Precautions

Do not take this medicine if you have had an allergic reaction to it, or are allergic to any ingredient in this product, or to any similar medicine. Before you hve any medical or dental treatments, energency care, or sergery (especially cataract surgery), tell the doctor or dentist that you are using this medicine.

This medicine may cause drowsiness, dizziness, or lightheadedness. Take the first dose at bedtime. If you get up during the night, sit up and stand up slowly. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how you react to this medicine. Using this medicine alone with other medicines, or with alcohol may lessen your ability to drive or to perform other potentially dangerous tasks.

This medicine can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting. Alcohol, hot weather, exercise, and fever can increase these effects. To prevent them, sit up or stand slowly, especially in the morning. Also, sit or lie down at the first sign of dizziness, lightheadedness, or weakness.

For women: if you plan on becoming pregnant, discuss with your doctor the benefits and risks of using this medicine during pregnancy. It is unknown if this medicine is excreted in breast milk. If you are or will be breast-feeding while you are using this medicine, check with your doctor or pharmacist to discuss the risks to your baby.

Possible Side Effects

Side effects that may occur while taking this medicine include

• dizziness,
• headache,
• nausea,
• drowsiness,
• lack of energy,
• dry mouth, or nasal congestion.

If they continue or are bothersome, check with your doctor. Check with your doctor as soon as possible if you experience pounding heartbeat, puffiness in hands or feet, blurred vision, bloody urine, or if you are unable to control your urination.

Contact your doctor immediately if you experience difficulty breathing; tightness of chest; swelling of eyelids, face or lips; or if you develop a rash or hives, tell your doctor immediately.

If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.

More Information

Do not share the medicine with others for whom it was not prescribed. Do not use this medicine for other health conditions. Keep this medicine out of the reach of children. If using this medicine for an extendedperiod of time, obtain refills before your supply runs out.

What is the shelf life of the pills?

• The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.

Other Useful Information:

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy waves often used in medicine. 2. The use of energy waves to diagnose or treat disease.

Replantation: 1. Literally, the act of planting again. 2. In surgery, the restoration of any part of the body to its original site. Also known as reimplantation.

The Chinese surgeon Zhong Wei Chen (1929-2004) was the "father of replantation." Dr. Chen was the first to reattach a severed hand with success which he did in 1963. Dr. Chen also developed many microsurgical procedures including techniques for preserving severed extremities, reattaching amputated fingers and thumbs, reconstructing muscles and repairing nerves and blood vessels.

Rheumatism: Rheumatism is an older term, used to describe any of a number of painful conditions of muscles, tendons, joints, and bones.

Rheumatism conditions have been classified as either localized, regional, or generalized. Localized rheumatism conditions include bursitis and tendinitis. Regional rheumatism conditions include chest wall pain, temporomandibular joint pain, and myofascial pain syndromes. Generalized rheumatism conditions include fibromyalgia.

Another category of rheumatism is psychogenic rheumatism. With this term it is understood that the patient is reporting inconsistent pains of muscles and joints that do not correspond to true anatomy and physiology. The patient is felt to have underlying psychological causes for the symptoms.

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the non-surgical evaluation and treatment of the rheumatic diseases and conditions. Rheumatic diseases and conditions are characterized by symptoms involving the musculoskeletal system. Many of the rheumatic diseases and conditions feature immune system abnormalities. Therefore, rheumatology also involves the study of the immune system. Classical rheumatology training includes 4 years of medical school, 1 year of internship in internal medicine, 2 years of internal medicine residency, and 2 years of rheumatology fellowship. There is a subspecialty board for rheumatology certification. The American College of Rheumatology is the official organization acting on behalf of the field of rheumatology in the United States.

T cell: A type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system and is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body's immune response to specific pathogens. The T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders.

Immature T cells (termed T-stem cells) migrate to the thymus gland in the neck, where they mature and differentiate into various types of mature T cells and become active in the immune system in response to a hormone called thymosin and other factors. T-cells that are potentially activated against the body's own tissues are normally killed or changed ("down-regulated") during this maturational process.

There are several different types of mature T cells. Not all of their functions are known. T cells can produce substances called cytokines such as the interleukins which further stimulate the immune response. T-cell activation is measured as a way to assess the health of patients with HIV/AIDS and less frequently in other disorders.

T cell are also known as T lymphocytes. The "T" stands for "thymus" -- the organ in which these cells mature. As opposed to B cells which mature in the bone marrow.

Teleology: The study of the ultimate purpose of the design of something in nature.

For example, "what is the true purpose of the nose?" is a teleological question and, to say that all evolutionary changes occur for a definite purpose is a teleological explanation of evolution.

"Teleology" comes from ancient Greek roots but it (and teleological) did not enter English until the 18th century. It is a compound of the Greek "tele-, telos," meaning "end or purpose" + the ending "logos" meaning "the science or study of" = the study of the ends or purposes.

Testosterone: A "male hormone" -- a sex hormone produced by the testes that encourages the development of male sexual characteristics, stimulates the activity of the male secondary sex characteristics, and prevents changes in them following castration. Chemically, testosterone is 17-beta-hydroxy-4-androstene-3-one.

Testosterone is the most potent of the naturally occurring androgens. The androgens cause the development of male sex characteristics, such as a deep voice and a beard; they also strengthen muscle tone and bone mass.

High levels of testosterone appear to promote good health in men, for example, lowering the risks of high blood pressure and heart attack. High testosterone levels also correlate with risky behavior, however, including increased aggressiveness and smoking, which may cancel out these health benefits.

Testosterone may be given to treat medical conditions, including female (but not male) breast cancer, hypogonadism (low gonadal function) in the male, cryptorchism (nondescent of the testis into the scrotum), and menorrhagia (irregular periods).