Medication To Shrink Enlarged Prostate

Table 5 Description Of Bph Drugs And Their Side Effects

With the older drugsdoxazosin, terazosin, and prazosinyour doctor should start you on a low dose and build up to a higher dose over a period of a few weeks to give your body time to adjust to the medicine. That process is not necessary with the newer alpha-blockers .

Low blood pressure caused by the alpha-blocker medicines can fall to dangerous levels if you’re also taking a high blood pressure drug or erectile dysfunction medicines such as sildenafil , vardenafil , and tadalafil . So don’t take an alpha-blocker with those other drugs without first discussing it with your doctor.

Men with prostate enlargement who are planning to have cataract surgery should be aware that all alpha-blockers can cause a complication called intra-operative floppy iris syndrome, or IFIS. This condition causes the iris of the eye to become limp due to increases in fluid levels in the eye. This is a concern because it can raise the risk of a painful and extended recovery period from cataract surgery, and a reduction in visual acuity or sharpness after the surgery. You should alert your eye surgeon that you are taking alpha-blockers if you plan on having this surgery.

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If doxazosin does not bring enough relief, you could try terazosin next. Or you could also try adding finasteride.

Combination therapy?

International Prostate Symptom Score

Youll be asked to complete a questionnaire to assess your symptoms. Each question has five possible answers that carry a score, and your overall score is used to assess the severity of your symptoms.

The checklist includes the following questions.

Over the past month:

• How often have you had the sensation of not completely emptying your bladder after urinating?
• How often have you had to urinate again less than two hours after finishing urinating?
• How often have you found that you stopped and started again when urinating?
• How often have you found it difficult to postpone urination?
• How often have you had a weak stream of urine?
• How often have you had to push or strain to begin urinating during the course of one night?
• How often have you had to get up during the night to urinate?

After your GP has assessed the severity your symptoms, theyll aim to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms using certain tests.

Diagnosis Of An Enlarged Prostate

The doctor will ask some detailed questions about the symptoms and by doing a physical exam. This will include:

• Urine test: The doctor will analyze the sample of your urine which can help to detect the infection or conditions which can cause the symptoms.
• Blood test: This will indicate kidney problems
• Digital rectal exam: The doctor here inserts a finger into the rectum to check for prostate enlargement

If the condition is bad, the doctor will recommend:

• Prostate biopsy: In transrectal ultrasound, needles are used to take some tissue samples of the prostate. By examining the tissue, the doctor can determine the problem.
• Cystoscopy: This is a lighted, flexible instrument which is inserted into the urethra, which allows the doctor to see the inside of the bladder. The doctor will give the anesthesia.
• Transrectal ultrasound: An ultrasound probe is inserted in the rectum to measure and examine your prostate.

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Using Pads Or A Sheath

Absorbent pads and pants can be worn inside your underwear, or may replace your underwear altogether. These will soak up any leaks.

Urinary sheaths can also help with dribbling. They look like condoms with a tube coming out of the end. The tube connects to a bag that you can strap to your leg under your clothing.

When To See A Doctor

If you don’t see a reduction in symptoms or if your symptoms worsen, you may need to undergo a different treatment plan.

Prescription Medications

The first higher-level treatment is to begin taking prescription drugs for an enlarged prostate. One class of medication is an alpha blocker. These medications, such as Flomax, Rapaflo, and Cardura, work by relaxing the affected muscles around the prostate to encourage urine flow.

Another type of medication is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. Examples of these medications include Proscar and Avodart, which are long-term medications that help to block the production of dihydrotestosterone and shrink the size of the prostate.

Surgery and Minimally Invasive Procedures

For moderate to severe BPH, you may need a medical procedure to relieve your symptoms. There are a variety of procedures, including laser therapy, microwave heat, or prostate tissue compression. Partial prostate removal and full removal are more invasive but may be necessary for extremely large prostate glands.

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What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture .

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location â one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

Are Alpha Blockers For Me

Depending on the severity of your prostate symptoms and your overall health, Alpha Blockers may be an appropriate treatment option. Men who are considering cataract surgery would be at risk from this class of BPH medications. In addition, men who take beta blockers or medication for erectile dysfunction must be evaluated before starting this treatment.

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Symptoms Of Benign Prostate Enlargement

The symptoms of benign prostate enlargement are caused by the enlarged prostate placing pressure on the bladder and urethra .

This can affect urination in a number of ways. For example, it can:

• make it difficult for you to start urinating
• weaken the flow of urine or cause “stopping and starting”
• cause you to strain to pass urine
• cause you to need to urinate frequently
• cause you to wake up frequently during the night to urinate
• cause a sudden urge to urinate, which can result in urinary incontinence if you can’t find a toilet quickly enough
• cause you to not be able to empty your bladder fully
• cause blood in the urine

In the later stages, benign prostate enlargement can cause urine retention and other complications such as bladder stones, bladder infections and kidney damage.

What Should I Do If I Forget A Dose

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. If you interrupt your treatment for several days or longer, call your doctor before restarting the medication, especially if you take more than one capsule of tamsulosin a day.

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Table 4 Common Dosages Of Bph Drugs

Also, little research has been done on whether race or age makes a difference in how men respond to the BPH drugs. Some major studies have included very elderly men and black men, but so far there is no definitive evidence that the effectiveness or side effects of treatment differ between black and white men or older men.

Silodosin is the newest alpha-blocker. The FDA approved this medicine in late 2008. In two studies involving a total of 923 men, those receiving Rapaflo showed an improvement in their symptoms and urinary-flow rate compared with those who took a placebo pill over 12 weeks. But since the drug does not have the long track record of use of some of the other alpha-blockers, its safety profile is not yet firmly established. In addition, its more expensive. At $159-$163 per month, depending on dose, it is one of the most expensive alpha-blockers, and costs significantly more than generic doxazosin, which runs $8 or less per month. For those reasons, wed advise it not be used as initial treatment at this time.

How the drugs work

Studies dont indicate any difference in the effectiveness or safety of finasteride and dutasteride, and, at the current time, neither is known to have any advantages over the other.

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Relief From Prostate Enlargement Without Surgery

Men’s Health, Prostate Health, Urology

You wake up in the middle of the night with an urgent need to pee. Then, before you can fall back asleep, you have to go again. If youre a man with a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia , this scene is all too familiar.

About half of men ages 50 and older have problems with urination because of BPH. That number increases to 80 to 90 percent in men older than 70.

In BPH, the prostate becomes enlarged to the point that men have problems such as difficulty starting urination, a weak flow, an urge to urinate again soon after urination or the need for frequent urination.

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Frequent Urination Especially At Night

You might also feel the need to pee more often. This can happen because your urine stream stops before your bladder has emptied, so you quickly feel the need to go again.

Youre never really getting all the pee out, Dr. Linehan explains, because the enlarged prostate can block the urinary channel. Since your bladder isnt empty, you wont get the sensation of having just voided it. And you may start to get up at night to go, Linehan adds. Usually if thats happening, the prostate has some type of involvement.

How Do You Shrink An Enlarged Prostate And Lower Psa Naturally

One way to shrink an enlarged prostate is through medication, but if you are not ready to take prescription medication, there are some more natural approaches that you can explore, like changes to your diet and exercise routine.

A 2013 review showed that many males with BPH also had vitamin D deficiency. The review also discusses additional studies that focused on increasing vitamin D intake which showed promising results in reducing BPH. Either through supplements or vitamin D-rich foods, increasing vitamin D in your diet may cause a reduction in BPH symptoms.

Obesity may also play a role in the severity of BPH symptoms. Positive changes to your diet may also help with BPH, particularly with the inclusion of more fruits and vegetables like tomatoes that can also lower the risk of developing prostate cancer and bell peppers that are rich in vitamin C.

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Who Needs A Drug

As we have already mentioned, many men with BPH dont have symptoms or their symptoms can be managed with lifestyle changes. About half of men of any age who have BPH will have symptoms that require attention and treatment that may involve taking one of the drugs we evaluate in this report. The percentage of men requiring treatment increases with age:

One in four men in their late 50s can expect to have symptoms that are bothersome enough to seek medical attention or treatment

One in three men in their late 60s can expect to have symptoms that are bothersome enough for them to seek medical attention or treatment, and

One in two men in their late 70s and beyond can expect to have symptoms bothersome enough to seek medical attention or treatment.

This means that millions of men are regularly taking drugs or using other treatment options to ease the symptoms of BPH.

The first advice wed give to any man bothered by problems when urinating is to see a doctor. Many men are reluctant to talk about urination problems with their doctor, but its important to get these issues evaluated as early as possible to prevent any complications that may be present, whether or not the patient is aware of them. Its important to note that some men dont notice any symptoms of BPH and their enlarged prostate is only discovered by their physician during a routine examination.

Getting a diagnosis

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Table 1 Classes Of Drugs Used To Treat Bph

Also, little research has been done on whether race or age makes a difference in how men respond to the BPH drugs. Some major studies have included very elderly men and black men, but so far there is no definitive evidence that the effectiveness or side effects of treatment differ between black and white men or older men.

Silodosin is the newest alpha-blocker. The FDA approved this medicine in late 2008. In two studies involving a total of 923 men, those receiving Rapaflo showed an improvement in their symptoms and urinary-flow rate compared with those who took a placebo pill over 12 weeks. But since the drug does not have the long track record of use of some of the other alpha-blockers, its safety profile is not yet firmly established. In addition, its more expensive. At $159-$163 per month, depending on dose, it is one of the most expensive alpha-blockers, and costs significantly more than generic doxazosin, which runs $8 or less per month. For those reasons, wed advise it not be used as initial treatment at this time.

How the drugs work

Studies dont indicate any difference in the effectiveness or safety of finasteride and dutasteride, and, at the current time, neither is known to have any advantages over the other.

Medication To Reduce Enlarged Prostate

Enlarged prostate refers to the state in which the prostate is enlarged but not cancerous.

Hormonal changes and cell growth resulting from the aging process may cause the prostate to swell, often impinging upon and compressing the urethra. This causes the bladder walls to become thicker and can prevent the bladder from emptying completely.

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The Most Common Supplements

The best-studied, most commonly used supplements to treat BPH are:

• Beta-sitosterol

Beta-sitosterol: This is a substance found in many plants. It doesnât affect the size of the prostate, but it may help your bladder empty and give you a stronger urine flow. It may improve other BPH symptoms as well.

Studies with Harzol and Azuprostat, two supplements that contain beta-sitosterol from South African stargrass, have shown particular promise.

Pygeum: This comes from the bark of the African plum tree. It seems to help some men with BPH wake up less at night to pee, go fewer times during the day, have a stronger urine stream, and empty their bladders better.

Rye pollen extract: This substance may improve a number of BPH symptoms, such as:

• Dribbling after you finish peeing
• Having to pee often throughout the day
• Having a weak urine stream
• Having an urgent need to pee

Some research shows that it may also shrink the prostate, give you a better flow, and help you empty your bladder.

Saw palmetto: This is a short tree that grows in North America. Some small studies have shown a benefit. However, several large studies do not show that saw palmetto reduces the size of the prostate or eases urinary symptoms. Men may try it hoping to relieve common BPH symptoms such as:

• You have a hard time getting pee to start
• You must go often throughout the day
• Having a weak stream
• Having an urgent need to urinate

Possible Cancer Protection From Prostate Drugs

Early research suggested that 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors , a class of drugs used to treat prostate enlargement, might increase the risk of developing more aggressive prostate cancer. However, newer studies have found that not only do the drugs appear to pose no extra risk, they may even protect against prostate cancer.

For instance, research from the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial study in 2013 showed that taking the 5-ARI finasteride for seven years could lower the chance of getting low-grade prostate cancer by 25% among men ages 55 and older. A follow-up study of almost 9,500 men, published in the Nov. 1, 2018, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, also showed that finasteride lowered the risk by a similar amount , and found the protective effect lasted for at least 16 years.

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