Droxidopa: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Droxidopa is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand, for orthostatic hypotension. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats
- Orthostatic Hypotension
- Available as
- Capsule
- Sold as
- Droxidopa
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $49 for a 30-count supply — not your price
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How droxidopa is dosed
From the FDA label for Droxidopa (application ANDA214384). Other droxidopa products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Starting dose is 100 mg three times during the day (2.1) • Titrate by 100 mg three times daily, up to a maximum dose of 600 mg three times daily (2.1) • Take consistently with or without food (2.1) • To reduce the potential for supine hypertension, elevate the head of the bed and give the last dose at least 3 hours prior to bedtime (2.1) • Take droxidopa capsule whole (2.1) 2.1 Dosing Information The recommended starting dose of droxidopa capsules is 100 mg, taken orally three times daily: upon arising in the morning, at midday, and in the late afternoon at least 3 hours prior to bedtime (to reduce the potential for supine hypertension during sleep). Administer droxidopa capsules consistently, either with food or without food. Take droxidopa capsules whole. Titrate to symptomatic response, in increments of 100 mg three times daily every 24 to 48 hours up to a maximum dose of 600 mg three times daily (i.e., a maximum total daily dose of 1,800 mg). Monitor supine blood pressure prior to initiating droxidopa capsules and after increasing the dose. Patients who miss a dose of droxidopa capsules should take their next scheduled dose.
Droxidopa side effects
The following adverse reactions with droxidopa capsules are included in more detail in the Warnings and Precautions section of the label: • Supine Hypertension [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] • Hyperpyrexia and Confusion [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)] • May exacerbate existing ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3)] The most common adverse reactions (>5% and ≥3% compared to placebo) are headache, dizziness, nausea, and hypertension (6.1) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. at 1-800-406-7984 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice. The safety evaluation of droxidopa is based on two placebo-controlled studies 1 to 2 weeks in duration (Studies 301 and 302), one 8-week placebo-controlled study (Study 306), and two long-term, open-label extension studies (Studies 303 and 304). In the placebo-controlled studies, a total of 485 patients with Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy, pure autonomic failure, dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency, or…
Who shouldn’t take droxidopa
Droxidopa capsules are contraindicated in patients who have a history of hypersensitivity to the drug or its ingredients [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)] . History of hypersensitivity to the drug or its ingredients (4)
Droxidopa drug interactions
Use of DOPA decarboxylase inhibitors may require dose adjustments for droxidopa (7.2) 7.1 Drugs that Increase Blood Pressure Administering droxidopa in combination with other agents that increase blood pressure (e.g., norepinephrine, ephedrine, midodrine, and triptans) would be expected to increase the risk for supine hypertension. 7.2 Parkinson's Medications Dopa-decarboxylase inhibitors may require dose adjustments for droxidopa. 7.3 Non-selective MAO Inhibitors The concomitant use of selective MAO-B inhibitors, such as rasagiline or selegiline, was permitted in the droxidopa clinical trials. However, based on mechanism of action, the use of non-selective MAO inhibitors and linezolid should be avoided as there is a potential for increased blood pressure when taken with droxidopa.
Every droxidopa product we track (1)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
Only one: Droxidopa.
What droxidopa pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
| Imprint | Strength | Colour | Shape | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD9 | 200 mg | yellow, white | capsule | — |
| MD8 | 300 mg | green, white | capsule | — |
| MD10 | 100 mg | white, blue | capsule | — |
| Northera;100 | 100 mg | blue, white | capsule | — |
| Northera;200 | 200 mg | yellow, white | capsule | — |
| Northera;300 | 300 mg | green, white | capsule | — |
| DRO;100 | 100 mg | blue, white | capsule | — |
| DRO;200 | 200 mg | yellow, white | capsule | — |
| DRO;300 | 300 mg | green, white | capsule | — |
| DRO;100 | 100 mg | blue, white | capsule | — |
| DRO;200 | 200 mg | yellow, white | capsule | — |
| DRO;300 | 300 mg | green, white | capsule | — |
How long droxidopa keeps
No droxidopa label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does droxidopa expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about droxidopa
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,518 reports naming droxidopa, and the FDA flagged 77% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- fall149 reports
- dizziness93 reports
- hallucination93 reports
- hypotension71 reports
- loss of consciousness62 reports
- hospitalisation60 reports
- confusional state49 reports
- blood pressure decreased47 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean droxidopa caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is droxidopa?
Droxidopa is a medication used to treat Orthostatic Hypotension.
Can you take droxidopa with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run droxidopa against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What forms does droxidopa come in?
Across the brands we track, droxidopa is currently marketed as capsule, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic droxidopa?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic droxidopa product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Droxidopa: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/droxidopa
- MLA
- “Droxidopa: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/droxidopa.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for droxidopa on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.