Uses
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Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Alfuzosin hydrochloride is used to reduce urinary obstruction and relieve associated manifestations in patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, benign prostatic hypertrophy). Alfuzosin relieves moderate to severe irritative (e.g., frequency, urgency, nocturia) and obstructive (e.g., hesitancy, interrupted or weak stream, sensation of incomplete bladder emptying or straining) manifestations and improves urinary flow rates in a substantial proportion of patients. Although drug therapy is not curative, α1-adrenergic blocking agents (e.g., alfuzosin) may be a useful alternative to surgery, particularly in those who are awaiting or are unwilling to undergo surgical correction of the hyperplasia (e.g., via transurethral resection of the prostate [TURP]) or who are not candidates for such surgery.
Results of several controlled studies indicate that alfuzosin hydrochloride is more effective than placebo in the management of BPH. In addition, results of several comparative studies in patients with BPH suggest that the drug (as conventional formulations) is at least as effective as other α1-adrenergic blocking agents (e.g., prazosin, tamsulosin). While symptomatic improvement has been maintained for up to 3 years of alfuzosin therapy in some patients, the long-term effects of α1-adrenergic blocking agents on the need for surgery and on the frequency of developing BPH-associated complications such as acute urinary obstruction remain to be established.
Combination therapy with an α1-adrenergic blocker and a 5α-reductase inhibitor (e.g., finasteride) has been more effective than therapy with either drug alone in preventing long-term BPH symptom progression; combined therapy also can reduce the risks of long-term acute urinary retention and the need for invasive therapy compared with α-blocker monotherapy.
For additional information on the use of α1-blockers in the management of BPH, .
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Other Uses
The manufacturer states that alfuzosin hydrochloride should not be used in the management of hypertension.