New Procedure Shrinks Prostate Without Surgery
Prostatic artery embolization didnt cause troublesome side effects in study
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, April 15 Men who need treatment for an enlarged prostate may soon have a new nonsurgical option, a small, early study suggests.
The temporary loss of blood supply causes the prostate to shrink, relieving symptoms, according to study lead author Dr. Sandeep Bagla. Whats more, the new treatment doesnt appear to have the same risk of serious complications, such as incontinence and impotence, that often accompany enlarged prostate treatment.
This is fantastic news for the average man with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Many men decline current treatments because of the risks. But, for the average man, PAE is a no-brainer, said Bagla, an interventional radiologist at Inova Alexandria Hospital, in Virginia.
The procedure has only been available as part of Baglas trial until recently, but he said some interventional radiologists have started doing prostatic artery embolization, and he expects the procedure will become more widely available by the end of the year.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the medical term for an enlarged prostate. An enlarged prostate is very common as men get older. As many as half of all men in their 60s will have an enlarged prostate, according to the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases . By the time men are in their 70s and 80s, up to 90 percent have benign prostatic hyperplasia, according to the NIDDK.
What Other Information Should I Know
Keep all appointments with your doctor.
Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.
It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.
Best Evidence Yet: Ejaculation Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Nick Mulcahy
May 17, 2015
NEW ORLEANS Good news, men: you may be able to decrease your risk for prostate cancer by ejaculating frequently, according to research presented here at American Urological Association 2015 Annual Meeting.
The frothy advice is not new but is now backed up by the strongest evidence to date on the subject, according to lead author Jennifer Rider, ScD, MPH, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
There is no modifiable risk factor for developing prostate cancer, Dr Rider told Medscape Medical News. It would be exciting to tell men that there was a way to modify their risk.
However, she noted that these are observational data and urged caution when interpreting them.
The results are fascinating, said Jesse Sammon, MD, a urologist at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, who attended Dr Riders presentation. It was the highlight of the session on cancer epidemiology the moderator called it the study most likely to be tweeted.
These are incredibly high-quality data, said Dr Sammon, who was not involved with the study.
The data come from nearly 32,000 men in the prospective Health Professionals Follow-up Study, who now have been followed for 18 years.
During the study period, 3839 men have been diagnosed with incident prostate cancer, 384 cases of which were lethal.
At ages 40 to 49, men most reported 8 to 12 ejaculations per month only 8.8% reported at least 21 ejaculations per month.
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Can An Enlarged Prostate Be Cured
An enlarged prostatealso referred to as benign prostatic hyperplasia is a common condition among men as they grow older. It is characterized by the natural enlargement of the prostate, a small gland situated between the bladder and penis. The urethra, or the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis, is surrounded by the prostate, and often becomes squeezed and compressed as a result of prostate enlargement. This can cause a weakened urine stream and related issues like a frequent urge to urinate and difficulty sleeping through the night.
Prostate enlargement tends to come with age. While its difficult to completely reverse an enlarged prostate, there are several treatments that can relieve symptoms, reduce the size of the prostate and help restore normal urine flow. In fact, many men with prostate enlargement are able to achieve a positive quality of life with non-surgical treatments.
Relief From Bph Symptoms
Some people choose to discontinue Flomax when they have had effective relief from the BPH symptoms. A study suggests that continual use of Flomax may not be necessary for urinary symptom relief in patients who feel symptom improvement after initial treatment. It is strongly advised that you consult your doctor before discontinuing the use of Flomax.
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Best Drugs To Shrink Prostate
- Asked
- 29 Apr 2012 by warren123
- benign prostatic hyperplasia , infections, tamsulosin, medical, prostate, urine
After a medical procedure i developed a blatter infection and my prostate squeezed off my urine flow. I am on a catheter and .4 mg of Tamsulosin per day. They took the catheter out after a week and had to put it back in. Is there a stronger drug that may help or maybe stronger Tamsulosin dosage. I have just finished the doxycycline 100mg for 10 days. The infection is gone should my prostate shrink back? Before the procedure the prostate was weak but OK for my age. IE once or twice a night if i drank within 2-3 hours and occasionally I did not have to get up at all. Weak stream but ok I am 66.
Can i expect the prostate to go back down in size with time or should i be aggressive with my meds?
What Is The Best Natural Alternative To Flomax
While tamsulosin may be effective in relieving BPH symptoms, it also causes side-effects. Complications are also of concern to many male patients.
On top of that, there is the problem that Flomax does not, in fact, treat the prostate at all, but merely clears symptoms. And all alternative medications also come with side effects, some worse than others.
For these reasons, some men choose to seek natural alternatives instead rely on medication for treatment. These drugs may improve urinary symptoms. At the same time, they may not come with all the side effects.
So, here are a few natural supplements that have been shown in clinical trials to be effective in reducing symptoms of BPH:
The prostate gland contains a high level of zinc. Chronic zinc deficiencies may increase the likelihood of developing BPH.
Also Check: Is Viagra Good For Enlarged Prostate
What Is The Dosage Of Flomax And Viagra
Flomax dosage instructions
- The recommended starting dose is 0.4 once daily about 30 minutes after the same mealtime each day.
- When taken on an empty stomach, more of the medication is absorbed.
- This could cause a greater effect and potentially a drop in blood pressure.
- The dose may be increased to 0.8 mg once daily after 2 to 4 weeks if the response is not adequate.
- The capsules should not be crushed, chewed, or opened.
Viagra dosage instructions
- The usual recommended dose is 25 to 100 mg 1 hour before sexual activity.
- The maximum dose is 100 mg daily.
- The elderly should start at 25 mg before sexual activity.
- Sildenafil is rapidly absorbed. Maximum observed plasma concentrations are reached within 30 to 120 minutes of oral dosing in the fasted state. When sildenafil is taken with a high fat meal, the rate of absorption is reduced, with an average delay in the time to maximal concentration of 1 hour.
Why Do Doctors Prescribe Flomax
Flomax remains a relatively popular prescription drug that doctors tend to prescribe for male patients with urinary symptoms. The drug will be prescribed when the patients urinary symptoms can be linked to the presence of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
There are several reasons why a doctor may prefer the use of Flomax over alternative pharmaceutical drugs.
The first factor, however, would be for the physician to examine the patient thoroughly. A full medical history is ordered, and the doctor will need a list of the drugs that the patient is currently taking.
This helps the healthcare provider determine if any drugs currently taken by the patient may have an adverse interaction with the chemicals used in Flomax medicine.
In many cases, Flomax is utilized as a way of improving symptoms of BPH without causing severe side-effects in the patient.
The fact that several studies also provide evidence of the efficacy presented by the Flomax drug is another reason why many doctors would consider prescribing this drug to their patients.
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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.
Complications From Taking Flomax
In addition to considering the potential side-effects of Flomax, patients also need to consider other complications that may come from the regular use of tamsulosin.
These complications can sometimes be quite harmful. In fact, certain complications that have been linked to Flomax may cause permanent damage to some regions of the patients body including the penis.
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Ejaculation Frequency And Prostate Cancer
Despite the importance of prostate cancer, its causes remain unknown. Scientists do know that genetics plays a strong role, and they have sound evidence that diet and other lifestyle factors are also important.
Since the prostate is a reproductive organ that produces fluid for the ejaculate, researchers have long wondered if sexual factors influence a mans risk of prostate cancer, but a Harvard study provides good news for sexually active men.
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- Research health conditions
- Prepare for a doctors visit or test
- Find the best treatments and procedures for you
- Explore options for better nutrition and exercise
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How To Take It
Swallow your tamsulosin capsules or tablets whole with a glass of water.
Do not break, chew or crush them.
If you can, take tamsulosin in the morning, after breakfast or the first meal or snack of the day. This is so the highest levels of medicine are in your body during the day and gives you the most benefit when you are most likely trying to pee.
It’s best to take it at about the same time each day.
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Prostate Milking There You Have It
Okay, so now you know that prostate milking can have several health benefits for you and your prostate. And in addition, it can be very erotic and lead to some incredible orgasms even without any additional sexual stimulation.
But we are willing to agree that many guys will not quite be comfortable with this concept even if it can lead to some mind-blowing climaxes! So knowing that there will be a certain amount of guys who ARE NOT comfortable with prostate milking we should mention that there are natural climax intensifiers that will help increase your orgasm intensity AND increase your semen output as well.
So, for the faint of heart that are not OK with the idea of prostate milking here is a cheat sheet of products that can also help improve your orgasms.
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Finasteride Shrinks Prostate And Lowers Psa:
Q. I have been taking dutasteride for almost 10 years. My PSA has stabilized between 3.25 and 3.75. This medication affected my ability to maintain an erection long enough to engage in intercourse. It has also reduced my penis size somewhat.
What I am more concerned about than the sexual aspect, however, is the long-term effect on my overall health. Are there any consequences I should be watching for? My doctor does not seem to have any information on this.
A. Dutasteride and a related drug, finasteride , are approved for the treatment of an enlarged prostate gland . They work by blocking the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone . DHT is largely responsible for prostate enlargement and male pattern baldness.
A review of adverse events reported to the FDA noted several side effects of these drugs. These included reduced libido, erectile dysfunction, orgasmic disorders, breast enlargement, fatigue, muscle weakness, fuzzy thinking and hearing loss .
There is no mention of penis shrinkage in the official prescribing information. There are, however, a bunch of sexual side effects including reduced orgasmic sensations, diminished libido and sexual arousal and erectile dysfunction.
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Medications For Erectile Dysfunction
Three medications have been approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction: sildenafil , tadalafil , and vardenafil . These medications are all PDE-5 inhibitors, which generate nitric oxide, a chemical that enables arteries to widen. The increased blood flow to the penis helps to produce an erection. The problem is that arteries elsewhere in the body widen as well, causing a slight drop in blood pressure.
If you are considering an erectile dysfunction medication, you dont have to worry if you are also on one of the 5alpha-reductase inhibitors for your BPH: The drugs can be taken together without adverse effects. However, if you are currently using, or considering, an alpha-1 blocker, you may want to take some precautions when adding one of the PDE-5 inhibitors.
Heres why: Because the PDE-5 inhibitors cause a system-wide drop in blood pressure, theoretically they can exacerbate the blood pressurelowering action of the nonselective alpha-1 blockers doxazosin and terazosin. This seems especially to be a problem when taking sildenafil and vardenafil tadalafil is a longer-acting PDE-5 inhibitor, and the risks are less clear.
Mtops Study And Reanalysis
McConnell JD, Roehrborn CG, Bautista OM, et al. The Long-Term Effect of Doxazosin, Finasteride, and Combination Therapy on the Clinical Progression of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. New England Journal of Medicine 2003 349:238798. PMID: 14681504.
Marberger M. The MTOPS Study: New Findings, New Insights, and Clinical Implications for the Management of BPH. European Urology Supplements 2006 5:62833.
Some men with large prostates try combination therapy to get fast relief for their symptoms from the alpha-1 blockers. In six months or so, when the 5alpha-reductase inhibitors begin taking effect, these men may stop taking the alpha-1 blockers.
However, you should consider two additional pieces of information when contemplating whether to start combination therapy: cost and side effects. First, taking two pills is more expensive. If you have to pay for medications on your own, or if your insurance company requires some type of co-pay, you may want to figure cost into the equation. Second, although the MTOPS study found that side effects were similar whether men took one drug or the combination, many experts feel differently, based on the patients they see.
Read Also: Zinc And Prostate Cancer
Alpha Blockers: Risk And Benefits
These BPH medications work fast to address symptoms, but they are not without risk. These drugs work by lowering blood pressure and may contribute to dizziness, headaches, weakness, and other side effects. In addition, they may result in sexual performance issues, including difficulty ejaculating. The impact on your blood pressure will certainly need to be evaluated so that other health issues are not adversely impacted. Although these drugs do tend to lower cholesterol, there is some evidence of long term negative effects on heart health.
What Is The Prostate
The prostate is a walnut-shaped gland that is part of the male reproductive system. The main function of the prostate is to make a fluid that goes into semen. Prostate fluid is essential for a mans fertility. The gland surrounds the urethra at the neck of the bladder. The bladder neck is the area where the urethra joins the bladder. The bladder and urethra are parts of the lower urinary tract. The prostate has two or more lobes, or sections, enclosed by an outer layer of tissue, and it is in front of the rectum, just below the bladder. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. In men, the urethra also carries semen out through the penis.
Also Check: What Is The Definition Of Prostate Gland
How Flomax Works For Bph
Tamsulosin was one of the first drugs available to treat the urinary symptoms of BPH. Its been around since the late 1990s.
Flomax is part of a drug class called alpha-blockers. These drugs work by relaxing smooth muscles in the prostate and bladder neck to let urine flow more freely.
Flomax, or another alpha-blocker, is usually the first drug prescribed for men with mild to moderate urinary symptoms from BPH.
Because Flomax also affects blood pressure, you shouldnt use it if you already have low blood pressure. Since its effects on blood pressure are brief and somewhat unpredictable, its not a good choice to treat high blood pressure.
Side effects from Flomax are usually mild. These can include:
- an infection
- a heart attack
- an allergic reaction
Talk to your doctor before taking Flomax if youve had a severe allergic reaction to sulfa drugs. You may be at an increased risk for an allergic reaction to Flomax.
This drug can also affect your eyes, and it may interfere with cataract or glaucoma surgery. If youre planning to have eye surgery, you should tell your doctor before starting Flomax.
Talk to your doctor before taking Flomax if you also take an ED drug or blood pressure medication. When combined with Flomax, these can lower your blood pressure too much and increase symptoms like lightheadedness or fainting.
Like Cialis, Flomax is available in generic form, which can cost less than the brand name version.