Silodosin

Silodosin is a prescription medication used to treat the symptoms of enlarged prostate, known medically as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Silodosin belongs to a group of drugs called alpha blockers. Unlike some BPH medicines, silodosin does not shrink the prostate. It works by relaxing the muscles in the bladder and prostate so urine can flow easily.

This medication comes in capsule form. It is taken once daily, with food.

Common side effects include diarrhea, headache, and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how silodosin affects you.

Silodosin is a prescription medication used for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) including:

• difficulty urinating (hesitation, dribbling, weak stream, and incomplete bladder emptying)
• painful urination
• urinary frequency and urgency

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Silodosin may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Rapaflo

Common side effects include:

• orgasm with little or no semen (fluid)
• diarrhea
• dizziness
• low blood pressure
• stuffy or runny nose

This is not a complete list of silodosin side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicine you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.  Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• medications that block a protein in the body (CYP3A4) such as some macrolide antibiotics (clarithromycin, telithromycin), some HIV protease inhibitors (indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir), some HCV protease inhibitors (boceprevir, telaprevir), some azole antifungals (ketoconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole), conivaptan (Vaprisol), delavirdine (Rescriptor), and nefazodone
• medications that block the p-glycoprotein transporter such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), azithromycin (Zithromax, Zmax), captopril (Capoten), carvedilol (Coreg), clarithromycin (Biaxin), conivaptan (Vaprisol), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune, Gengraf), diltiazem (Cardizem), dronedarone (Multaq), erythromycin (EES, Ery-Tab), felodipine (Plendil), itraconazole (Sporanox, Onmel), ketoconazole (Nizoral), lopinavir and ritonavir (Kaletra), quinidine (Cardioquine, Quinact, Duraquin), ranolazine (Ranexa), verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Covera, Verelan)
• medications used to treat erectile dysfunction such as tadalafil (Cialis) and sildenafil (Viagra)
• digoxin
• Alpha 1- blockers such as alfuzosin (Uroxatral), doxazosin (Cardura), and prazosin (Minipress)

This is not a complete list of silodosin drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with silodosin including the following: 

• Decreased blood pressure when changing positions. Silodosin may cause a sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing, especially after the first dose or when changing doses. 
  Symptoms may include:
  • fainting
  • dizziness
  • lightheadedness

Change positions slowly from lying down to sitting up or from a sitting to a standing position until you learn how you react to silodosin. If you begin to feel dizzy, sit or lie down until you feel better. If the symptoms are severe or do not improve, call your doctor. 

Silodosin can cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how silodosin affects you.

• Eye problems during cataract surgery. During cataract surgery, a condition called intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) can happen if you take or have taken silodosin. If you need to have cataract surgery, be sure to tell your surgeon if you take or have taken silodosin.

Carcinoma of the prostate and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) cause many of the same symptoms. These two diseases frequently co-exist. With this being said, your doctor will exam you before prescribing silodosin to rule out carcinoma of the prostate. 

Do not take silodosin if you:

• are allergic to silodosin or to any of its ingredients
• have liver or kidney problems
• have cataracts or plan to have cataracts surgery

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of silodosin, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before taking silodosin, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you: 

• are allergic to silodosin or to any of it's ingredients
• have or have had cataracts
• have liver or kidney problems
• have low blood pressure

Silodosin is not intended for women or children 

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Silodosin falls into category B. Silodosin is not to be used by women. There are no well-done studies that have been done in humans with silodosin. 

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if silodosin crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether or stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using silodosin.

Take silodosin exactly as prescribed.

Silodosin comes in capsule form and is taken once daily, with food.

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of silodosin at the same time.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor.  Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The recommended dose of silodosin is 8mg once daily, with a meal.

The recommended dose of silodosin for those with moderate renal impairment is 4mg once daily, with a meal.

If you take too much silodosin, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

• Store silodosin at room temperature
• Keep this and all medicines out of the reach of children.