New-onset priapism associated with ingestion of terazosin in an otherwise healthy man.

INTRODUCTION

Priapism has been reported as a rare effect of the commonly used alpha 1-antagonists through direct inhibition of the sympathetic input necessary for detumescence. Although previously reported as an adverse event in a patient with spinal cord injury, to the best of our knowledge, terazosin-induced priapism in an otherwise healthy man has not been previously described.

AIM: We describe an otherwise healthy man with lower urinary symptoms who developed priapism after ingestion of the commonly prescribed alpha-blocker terazosin.

RESULTS

The priapism resolved after a combination of cavernosal aspiration and alpha-agonist administration.

CONCLUSION

Priapism is an extremely rare side effect of alpha-blocker therapy and has previously been described in association with other alpha-blockers, as well as with terazosin, in a spinal cord-injured patient. We report a case of priapism specifically associated with terazosin prescribed for lower urinary tract symptoms in an otherwise healthy man.