[Music] hi everyone this is Ryan from our PMT dossier and today we're going to be talking about the drug tamsulosin also known as flomax tamsulosin belongs to the alpha 1 antagonist drug classification to get a good understanding of how the drug works let's break down the words in that classification so alpha 1 means that tamsulosin is working on the alpha 1 receptors in the sympathetic nervous system also known as the fight-or-flight nervous system alpha 1 receptors main target is on the smooth muscle of the body some of the effects that we see with alpha 1 stimulation include basal constriction contraction of the detrusor muscles in the bladder and contraction of the prostate the antagonist in alpha 1 antagonist means tamsulosin is blocking or inhibiting the alpha 1 receptors rather than stimulating them so the effect of tamsulosin is actually the opposite of what the alpha 1 receptor is normally responsible for this means that tamsulosin causes vasodilation relaxation of the detrusor muscles in the bladder and relaxation of the prostate relaxation of the prostate and bladder allows for better urinary flow this is why tamsulosin is most often given to treat symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH which include frequent urination at night also known as nocturia hesitancy to urinate pain during urination and dribbling at the end of your nation tamsulosin does have some off-label uses including urinal stones it is good to know that tamsulosin is not often given in the treatment of hypertension as there are many better antihypertensive options side effects do however include hypotension which may present as dizziness drowsiness and headache orthostatic hypotension is another side effect that is more common in elderly clients it is the sudden drop in blood pressure usually during a quick change in position such as changing from lying down to sitting up always remember to monitor and assess for side effects of tamsulosin monitor intake now put as needed it is recommended that elderly clients sit on the edge of their bed for a few minutes before standing up this reduces the risk of syncope and falls from orthostatic hypotension tamsulosin is often given once daily by tablet or capsule without regard to food and that's about it for tempt you Lawson if you have any questions please let me know in the comments or visit our pn t CA for more help