Does Flomax Reduce Prostate Size

What Is An Alternative To Flomax

Flomax is not the only drug that can be used to treat an enlarged prostate. Patients diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia need to ensure they are educated about all their options. In some cases, an alternative drug may yield better results. The risk of side-effects may also be reduced in some cases.

It is always important to consider the safety profile of the preferred drug. The safety profile is unique to the specific patient.

Some alternatives are more popular than others. It is essential that the individual considers all of the alternative options that are available to them. We take a closer look at some options that men should consider. This is important if the risk of taking Flomax is too great.

Other Side Effects Of Flomax

If you notice a serious life-threatening symptom of Flomax side effect it is immediately required that you consult your doctor.

Some of these side effects and their symptoms can include the following:

• Low blood pressure that causes you to feel lightheaded, faint, or dizzy when changing positions
• Allergic reaction, with trouble breathing, fever, swelling of your throat or tongue, rash, itching, or hives
• Flu-like symptoms
• Blurred vision

What Are The Drug Interactions Of Flomax And Viagra

Flomax drug interactions

• lopinavir, and
• other drugs that reduce the elimination of drugs by liver enzymes.

Reduced elimination may lead to increased side effects of Flomax. PDE-5 inhibitors add to the blood pressure lowering effects of Flomax and may result in severe blood pressure reduction.

Viagra drug interactions

Viagra increases the effects of the blood pressure lowering medications. It also increases the blood pressure lowering effects of nitrates, for example, isosorbide dinitrate , isosorbide mononitrate , nitroglycerin that are used primarily for treating angina. Patients taking nitrates should not receive Viagra.

Cimetidine , erythromycin, ketoconazole , itraconazole , atazanavir , and mibefradil can cause marked increases in the amount of Viagra in the body. Patients taking these medications should be observed carefully if sildenafil is used.

Patients should not combine Viagra with other PDE5 inhibitors .

It is expected that rifampin will decrease blood levels of Viagra and probably reduce its effectiveness.

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Sidebar 1 Bph Case Report

Chief Complaint: LF is a 64-year-old white male presenting with fatigue and sleep pattern changes that have lasted over the past several years. He believes his poor sleep habits are due to frequent nighttime urination, occurring three to four times per night. He denies drinking any fluids in the evening. LF also complains of difficulty starting a stream, especially in public restrooms, and notes that this stream has become weaker over time. He also feels that it takes him longer to completely empty his bladder. He admits to âgoing a little in his shortsâ after urinating and confirmed postvoid dribbling. He experiences some mild urgency but denies dysuria. He also confirms knowledge of all of the bathroom locations in his office building.

Past Medical History: LF denies blood in his urine, a past history of STDs, or other UTIs. He reluctantly reports difficulty keeping firm erections during sexual intercourse compared to when he was younger. However, he maintains that this issue is not one of his major concerns.

Family History: Negative family history of prostate cancer

Social History: Nonsmoker, no illicit drugs, mild alcohol consumption

Physical Examination: Male pattern baldness

Vital Signs: WNL

⢠Niacin 1,000 mg 1 daily

⢠Cinnamon tablet 1 daily

Getting The Most From Your Treatment

• Tamsulosin can cause dizziness particularly when you first start taking it. This may affect your ability to drive. Make sure your reactions are normal before you drive or do things which would be dangerous if you were not fully alert.
• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. This is so your doctor can check on your progress. Your doctor may want to take your blood pressure from time to time, particularly when you first start the treatment.
• You are advised not to drink alcohol while you are on tamsulosin. Alcohol increases the risk of side-effects from tamsulosin, such as feeling faint or dizzy.
• Consider reducing or stopping the amount of caffeine you drink . Caffeine can make your symptoms worse, so drinking less of these things may benefit you.
• If you are a smoker, stopping smoking may significantly improve your symptoms. This is because nicotine irritates the bladder. You can ask your doctor for advice on quitting.
• If you are having an operation or dental treatment, tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking tamsulosin. This is because your blood pressure may drop suddenly if you have an anaesthetic. If you are having cataract surgery, it is particularly important that you tell your surgeon you are on tamsulosin. This is because an eye problem known as ‘floppy iris syndrome’ has developed in some people and your doctor may advise you to stop taking tamsulosin for a short while.

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Sexual Adverse Effects Are Common With Dutasteride And With Combination Therapy

Impotence, erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, ejaculation disorders and gynaecomastia occur significantly more frequently with dutasteride compared with placebo in the first year of treatment, but not at 2 years .2,30 Apart from gynaecomastia, most sexual adverse effects resolved with ongoing therapy.

More men taking dutasteride with tamsulosin had impotence, erectile dysfunction, decreased libido and ejaculation disorders compared with both dutasteride and tamsulosin alone at 2 and 4 years .1,2,6,30

Table 3.

There were no statistically significant differences between combination treatment and dutasteride or tamsulosin monotherapy for any of the sexual adverse events reported.

Saw Palmetto For Bph And Prostatitis

The most recent research on the effect of saw palmetto on BPH comes from a systematic review and meta-analysis that evaluated data from 27 studies and 5,800 participants. All of the studies analyzed used a proprietary saw palmetto product which contained 160 mg of lipidosterolic extract of Serenoa repens per capsule.

After evaluation, the reviewers reported that:

• When compared with placebo, the saw palmetto supplement was associated with fewer voids during the night and an increase in peak urinary flow
• When compared with the BPH drug tamsulosin, the two showed similar increases in peak urinary flow
• When compared with alpha blockers, the two showed similar improvements on IPSS
• Prostate volume decreased slightly
• Of the 447 men treated for one year or longer, efficacy results remained the same
• The most frequent adverse reaction was gastrointestinal disorders

The reviewers concluded that saw palmetto appears to be an efficacious and well-tolerated therapeutic option for the long-term medical treatment of LUTS/BPH.

A long-term study of saw palmetto was conducted in 120 men with mild or moderate lower urinary tract symptoms associated with BPH. After taking 320 mg of saw palmetto daily, the men showed statistically significant improvement in their IPSS, quality of life, residual urinary volume, prostate volume, and sexual function.

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Does Flomax At 4mg Daily Actually Shrink The Prostate

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Do Prostate Medicines Make Penis Shrink

Q. Taking Avodart triggered the onset of both erectile dysfunction and reduced ejaculate for me. I took it for two years my prostate did not shrink, but my penis did.

These sexual side effects linger. Five years later, I still have ED and low ejaculate. The symptom of frequent nightly urination, however, has ceased to be a problem. Will the sexual side effects ever go away?

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Why Choose Flomax To Treat Your Urinary Symptoms

There are several drugs that doctors may offer a patient who presents with symptoms generally linked to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Each drug works in its own way to assist in reducing the severity of the symptoms that the patient is experiencing.

Some drugs may come with more side effects than others, however, which is why some doctors prefer the use of specific medicine for people with an enlarged prostate.

What Are The Most Common Side Effects Of Flomax

Some side-effects associated with Flomax are more common than others.

It is important to note that there are both mild and more serious side-effects that people may experience when they use this drug. Individuals who have been prescribed a daily dose of Flomax should be aware of these side effects.

Some of the most common side-effects that men may experience when they take Flomax include:

• The development of back pain
• Problems with their teeth
• Risk of hypotension

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What Does Nps Medicinewise Say

Dutasteride is the only 5-alpha reductase inhibitor PBS listed for treating symptomatic BPH.

Combination treatment is more effective than monotherapy, and should be considered for men with enlarged prostates who have moderate or severe symptoms who are at increased risk of disease progression.

Sexual adverse effects are common with dutasteride monotherapy and combination therapy.

New Drugs For The Prostate

Medicine is a rapidly changing field. New discoveries in basic research continue to uncover the bodys innermost secrets, explaining how it works in health and what goes wrong in disease. New diagnostic techniques allow doctors to recognize abnormalities with more precision than ever before. And a steady stream of new treatments continues to improve the outlook for patients with a broad range of problems.

This progress is wonderful, but many challenges remain and new ones continue to arise. Although the need for further advances is great, sometimes even urgent, science usually progresses in evolutionary stages rather than revolutionary breakthroughs. Its particularly true of medications some new drugs are indeed unique and novel, but many are modifications of existing drugs.

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How Long Flomax Should Be Taken

How long Flomax should be taken varies depending on the condition or state of health. Intermittently, your prescribed dose may be changed by you to make sure you get the best results. It is also recommended not to take Fomax in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.

Ideally, Tamsulosin oral capsule is usually taken once a day, approximately 30 minutes after a meal. Taking this medication at the same time each day is very advisable.

Phytotherapies: Risk And Benefits

The best research studies demonstrate that these BPH home remedies do not work. Lower safety and testing standards mean that you do not know exactly what you are taking. These treatments carry risks without any potential benefits. In addition, they may result in patients prolonging urgent treatment that could result in long-term health complications.

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Flomax Side Effects In Women

Flomax is only approved by the FDA for use in men to treat BPH. However, research has indicated that Flomax is also an effective treatment for women who have trouble emptying their bladders. It can also help both men and women pass kidney stones. Therefore, some doctors also prescribe Flomax for men and women as treatment for kidney stones and urination trouble.

Because Flomax isnt FDA approved for use in women, the side effects of this drug in women have not been studied. However, women who have used this drug report similar side effects to those in men, with the exceptions of priapism and abnormal ejaculation.

Other drugs can be used to help relieve symptoms of BPH. Two such drugs are Uroxatral and Avodart.

Can Saw Palmetto Shrink The Prostate

Men, Prostate

Many claims have been made about the ability of saw palmetto , a natural remedy derived from the American dwarf palm tree.

There are many claims it helps to shrink the prostate and relieve symptoms of an enlarged prostate and associated urinary tract problems, as well as showing promise in prostatitis, and perhaps even in fighting prostate cancer.

But is this hype, or does saw palmetto really work to shrink the prostate?

The simple answer to the question is yes, saw palmetto has been shown to be effective in managing BPH symptoms and prostatitis, and its too early to tell how effective it may be in the fight against prostate cancer. But here is why saw palmetto works

One of the main components is beta-sitosterol, a substance that inhibits the activity of an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. This enzyme promotes the growth of prostate cells, and thus contributes to an enlarged prostate. Saw palmetto also appears to reduce levels of dihydrotestosterone , a hormone which, at elevated levels, causes the prostate to become enlarged.

To get a better idea of how saw palmetto has performed in men with BPH or prostatitis, here are the highlights of some of the research

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What Other Drugs Will Affect Flomax

Some drugs may interact with Flomax. A doctor will need a complete list of both over-the-counter and prescription medications that a patient is taking. This will help the physician determine if interactions could occur.

The most important interaction is with blood pressure medication. It is not advised to take Flomax with medicine used to treat hypertension.

Drug interaction and warnings also include that Flomax capsules should not be used in combination with other alpha-adrenergic blockers.

Other drugs that may also interact with Flomax include:

• Vicodin

What Is The Cost Of Flomax

Flomax is available in both the brand name drug and in its generic form, called tamsulosin. In general, Flomax is considered a moderately priced drug. A one month supply of 30 capsules costs between $7.17 and $9.50 for tamsulosin, while Flomax costs approximately $250 for a one month supply. Although some men due take the brand name version of the medication for medical reasons, most men will be prescribed the generic version of the drug, which is widely available and more cost-effective. Although some people express concern over the quality of generic drugs, these concerns are unfounded the FDA subjects generic forms of the medication to the same stringent testing as the brand name form of the drug. The generic medication uses the same active ingredient as the brand name form of the medication in the same amount but may use different inactive ingredients that affect the color, size, shape, or taste of the medication. However, you will receive the same treatment when using a generic medication of the same form and strength as you would with a brand name medication. Choosing a generic medication can help you save money on your prescription, but patients should also consider using a pharmacy discount card program like USA Rx. Pharmacy discount cards offer savings on all FDA-approved brand name and generic medications, including Flomax and tamsulosin.

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Who Should Not Take Flomax

Certain medical conditions may be exacerbated by the use of Flomax. People with the following medical conditions should speak to their doctor before taking Flomax:

• Severe kidney disease
• Allergy to sulfa drugs
• Hypotension

People taking the following medications should inform their doctors prior to taking Flomax, as the medications may interact:

• Antifungals, such as itraconazole and ketoconazole
• Antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine

Who Is It For

Dutasteride monotherapy, and dutasteride-with-tamsulosin fixed-dose combination, are indicated for treating men with symptomatic BPH and an enlarged prostate.7,16 Consider dutasteride-with-tamsulosin combination therapy for men 50 years who are at increased risk of disease progression .1,2,1719/p>

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How To Avoid Prostate Problems With Cucurmin

In a series of articles published in the journal Nature and others, Dr. Dorai evaluated the topic thoroughly. The articles mentioned 4 different reasons why curcumin is a potential agent to help avoid prostate problems:

• It induces apoptosis: This is cellular death, which is a natural body response. It is lost in prostate cancer and BPH. But curcumin is capable of increasing the rate of apoptosis in prostate tissue .

• It reduces tyrosine kinase activity: In this regard, it acts similar to a prostate cancer drug called tyrosine kinase inhibitors. This reduces the cell signals that favor prostate overgrowth .

• It inhibits proliferation and angiogenesis: This function of curcumin is particularly important in patients with prostate cancer. Curcumin slows down cell proliferation but also contributes in another aspect. It wont allow cancer to build new blood vessels to keep on growing. This inhibits angiogenesis and prevents more advances in phases in prostate cancer .

• It reduces the rate of bone metastasis: The effect from these foods does not have to do with helping to shrink the prostate gland, but it is very important, too. Prostate cancer cells mimic bone cells and cause bone metastasis. But curcumin interferes with this property and may reduce the rate of bone metastasis .Thats why a 2016 review on the topic revisited each one of these mechanisms and recommended curcumin as a side therapy in patients with prostate cancer and other prostate health issues .

What Is Flomax What Is Viagra

Flomax is an oral drug prescribed to treat men who are having difficulty urinating because of an enlarged prostate gland due to benign prostatic hyperplasia . Difficulty urinating is caused only in part by the enlarged prostate. The other cause of the difficulty is the muscle cells tightening around the bladder outlet. Flomax helps the muscles relax, which results in a decrease in obstruction to the flow of urine.

Viagra is used for treating impotence . It is in a class of drugs called phosphodiesterase inhibitors that also includes tadalafil , vardenafil , and avanafil . It works by increasing blood flow to the penis, enabling a man to get and keep an erection.

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