Doxazosin

Doxazosin
Clinical data
Pronunciation/dɒkˈszəsɪn/
dok-SAY-zə-sin OR
/ˌdɒksəˈzsɪn/
DOK-sə-ZOH-sin
Trade namesCardura, Carduran, others
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
MedlinePlusa693045
License data
Routes of
administration
By mouth
Drug classα1 blocker
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability65%
Protein binding98%
MetabolismLiver
Elimination half-life22 hours
Identifiers
  • (RS)-2-[4-(2,3-Dihydro-1,4-benzodioxine-2-carbonyl)piperazin-1-yl]-6,7-dimethoxyquinazolin-4-amine
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.128.642
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC23H25N5O5
Molar mass451.483 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
ChiralityRacemic mixture
  • O=C(N3CCN(c2nc1cc(OC)c(OC)cc1c(n2)N)CC3)C4Oc5c(OC4)cccc5
  • InChI=1S/C23H25N5O5/c1-30-18-11-14-15(12-19(18)31-2)25-23(26-21(14)24)28-9-7-27(8-10-28)22(29)20-13-32-16-5-3-4-6-17(16)33-20/h3-6,11-12,20H,7-10,13H2,1-2H3,(H2,24,25,26) Y
  • Key:RUZYUOTYCVRMRZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y
  (verify)

Doxazosin, sold under the brand name Cardura among others, is a medication used to treat symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate), hypertension (high blood pressure), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For high blood pressure, it is a less preferred option. It is taken by mouth.

Common side effects include dizziness, sleepiness, swelling, nausea, shortness of breath, and abdominal pain. Severe side effects may include low blood pressure with standing, an irregular heart beat, and priapism. It is a selective α1-adrenergic blocker in the quinazoline class of compounds.

Doxazosin was patented in 1977 and came into medical use in 1988. It is available as a generic medication. In 2022, it was the 180th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 2 million prescriptions.