Tamsulosin Hydrochloride

Tamsulosin Hydrochloride is a alpha-1a adrenoceptor blocker — for benign prostatic hyperplasia (bph) medicine available in Bangladesh under many brand names. Below are its uses, dosage, side effects and precautions — and all brands with their current prices.

Tamsulosin Hydrochloride is prescribed for adult men to relieve the lower urinary tract symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): weak or interrupted stream, difficulty starting urination, straining, dribbling, a feeling of incomplete emptying, and frequent or urgent urination including at night. Doctors may also use it short term to help small kidney or ureteric stones pass.

Before starting, your doctor may examine the prostate and check urine, kidney function or PSA to make sure the symptoms are not caused by infection, stricture or prostate cancer, which can feel similar. Tamsulosin Hydrochloride is not indicated for women or children.

The usual dose is one 0.4 mg modified-release of Tamsulosin Hydrochloride once daily, but your doctor decides the dose and duration of Tamsulosin Hydrochloride for you.

• Take it after the same meal each day — most commonly about 30 minutes after breakfast. Food keeps the release steady and reduces dizziness.
• Swallow it whole with water; do not crush, chew or open it, or too much medicine may be released at once.
• Be extra careful with the first few doses — dizziness is most likely then, so avoid sudden standing.
• If you miss a dose, take it after the next meal the same day; if a whole day has passed, just continue normally — never double up.

Possible side effects of Tamsulosin Hydrochloride include:

• Dizziness or light-headedness, especially on standing up quickly or after the first doses
• Headache, weakness, runny or blocked nose
• Abnormal ejaculation — reduced semen or semen flowing backwards into the bladder (retrograde ejaculation); harmless and reversible, but it can persist while on the medicine
• Palpitations, mild stomach upset, skin rash or itching

Rare but important: fainting, severe allergic swelling of the face or throat, and a prolonged painful erection (priapism), which is an emergency. If you faint, develop chest pain or an allergic reaction, stop the medicine and seek medical care immediately.

Take these precautions with Tamsulosin Hydrochloride:

• Rise slowly from sitting or lying, especially in hot weather, after long standing or if you also take blood pressure medicine; sit or lie down at the first hint of dizziness.
• Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how the medicine affects you.
• Cataract or glaucoma surgery planned? Tell the eye surgeon that you take — or have ever taken — Tamsulosin Hydrochloride. It can cause floppy iris syndrome during surgery, and the surgeon will adapt the technique.
• Tell your doctor about severe kidney or liver disease, or previous fainting episodes.
• If symptoms do not improve after a few weeks, or urine stops completely, see your doctor promptly.

Tell your doctor and pharmacist about every medicine you take. Key interactions of Tamsulosin Hydrochloride:

• Other alpha-blockers (doxazosin, prazosin, alfuzosin) — do not combine; blood pressure can fall sharply.
• Blood pressure medicines — combined use can cause light-headedness, especially when starting.
• PDE5 inhibitors for erectile dysfunction (sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil) — can add to the blood-pressure-lowering effect; ask your doctor about safe timing.
• Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors such as ketoconazole, and to a lesser extent erythromycin or cimetidine — can raise tamsulosin levels.
• Diuretics (water tablets) can worsen dizziness on standing.

Do not take Tamsulosin Hydrochloride if:

• You are allergic to Tamsulosin Hydrochloride or any other ingredient, including previous swelling of the face or throat (angioedema) with it
• You have a history of orthostatic hypotension — fainting or near-fainting when standing up
• You have severe liver failure

Tamsulosin Hydrochloride is not for women — including during pregnancy or breastfeeding — and not for children. It should not be combined with other alpha-blockers, and it should be reviewed before planned cataract surgery. If you have ever fainted after taking a similar medicine, tell your doctor before starting.

Tamsulosin Hydrochloride is a medicine for adult men with prostate enlargement, so the question of use in pregnancy or breastfeeding does not normally arise — it is not indicated for women at all. Studies in men show it can affect ejaculation (reduced or retrograde semen flow), which reverses after stopping.

If a woman — pregnant, breastfeeding or otherwise — takes this medicine by mistake, no serious harm is expected from a single dose, but she should contact a doctor or pharmacist for advice. Keep the well out of reach of children, in whom accidental ingestion can cause dizziness and low blood pressure.

Store Tamsulosin Hydrochloride below 30°C in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight and moisture. Keep the in its original blister or container until use — the modified-release coating is sensitive to humidity — and avoid storing it in the bathroom or kitchen.

• Keep all medicines out of the reach and sight of children.
• Do not use the medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack.
• Do not throw unused medicine into household waste or drains; ask your pharmacist about safe disposal.