Terazosin is a medication that affects your blood vessels, helping them to relax and enhancing blood flow through your body. This helps to lower your blood pressure, but also can be helpful in reducing the symptoms associated with prostate enlargement, such as painful and difficult urination. To ensure terazosin can work properly in your body, you may need to avoid certain herbal teas and supplements known to interact with the medication.
Drug Interactions
Your liver is responsible for breaking down terazosin, which is why some herbal teas can adjust the effects of the medication. The liver is responsible for filtering and breaking down the herbs you consume via herbal teas. When both are present in your liver, it can speed up or slow down how fast the medication is released in your body. Because your physician prescribes terazosin based on a certain rate of release, certain herbal teas can have adverse effects.
Heightened Effects
Certain herbal teas increase the rate at which terazosin is released. This can cause your blood pressure to drop too low, making you feel faint. At worst, too much herbal tea can be toxic to your body and lead to death if left untreated. Examples of herbal teas that heighten terazosin’s effects include black cohosh, dandelion, goldenseal, bloodroot, burdock root or parsley. Avoid these tea types whenever possible.
Decreased Effects
Other herbal teas can slow the effects of terazosin. This can cause side effects such as increased blood pressure. Examples of herbal teas that can negatively affect terazosin release include guarana, licorice and yohimbe. Avoid these teas to ensure your medication is released at a speed your physician recommends.
Warning
Terazosin takes about one hour to reach its maximum effects, yet stays in the body for between nine to 12 hours, according to “Mosby’s Nursing Drug Reference” guide. This means you should avoid herbal teas at all times whenever taking terazosin. If you do drink an herbal tea that can interact with your medications, contact your physician immediately, informing him of the tea you drank and in what amount. If you experience adverse side effects, such as feeling faint, blurred vision, heart palpitations or vomiting, seek immediate medical treatment. Unless instructed by your physician you should not discontinue terazosin use, because immediately stopping the medication can cause your blood pressure to suddenly increase.
References
- PubMed Health: Terazosin
- C Health: Terazosin Drug Factsheets
- "Mosby's Nursing Drug Reference, 24th Edition"; Linda Skidmore-Roth, R.N., M.S.N., N.P.
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