Medicinal Treatments For an Enlarged Prostate

If your doctor has diagnosed you with benign prostatic hyperplasia (PBH), he or she may want to explore using medication as part of your treatment. This is especially true if you are experiencing some of the more severe symptoms of BPH such as difficulty in urination or if you are displaying signs of an infection. There are a number of available medications that have been shown to reduce the symptoms that often accompany an enlarged prostate. If you feel that your program of self-care activities has not sufficiently improved your condition, then you may want to discuss the possibility of including medication in your treatment.

Alpha 1-blockers

Alpha 1-blockers have been demonstrated to be very useful in treating the urinary tract symptoms associated with BPH. This class of drugs include doxazosin, prazosin, tamsulosin, terazosin, and afluzosin. These are the same medications that are used to treat high blood pressure.

Alpha 1-blockers work by relaxing the muscles of the bladder neck and prostate, allowing for greater ease in urination. The various available alpha 1-blockers are all essentially equal in their effects on the urinary tract and in relieving the symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate. However they do vary in their cardiovascular effects, and therefore may pose a safety risk.

Hormone Treatment

Regulating hormone levels has also been shown to not only decrease the symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, but also to assist in reducing the size of the prostate. Treatment with finasteride and dutasteride can effectively reduce the levels of hormones generated by the prostate. As the size of the prostate decreases, urine flow increases and patients experience a reduction in the unpleasant symptoms of BPH.

Because of the time required to significantly alter the level of hormones in the human body, it may be 3 to 6 weeks before a patients begins to see the positive results of hormonal treatment for BPH. If your symptoms are already severe, your doctor may suggest other measures in the interim. It is also important to note that there are some sexual side effects to hormonal treatment which can include a deceased sex drive and in some cases impotence.

Antibiotics

If you are experience symptoms such as pain with urination or see blood in your urine, it may be a sign that you have developed an infection or prostatitis (an inflammation of the prostate). Infections are a somewhat common secondary issue arising from benign prostatic hyperplasia and can be treated effectively with antibiotics. Many men with chronic prostatitis find that treatment with antibiotics greatly reduce their BPH symptoms.

Above all, it is important to keep up with your self-care treatment of your enlarged prostate. In many cases, medication and/or surgery can be avoided if proper lifestyle changes are implemented. If you find that even with diligent care you are experiencing severe, or are seeing and increase in symptoms of BPH then you should discuss further treatment with your physician. He or she may want to start you on a medicinal treatment to augment your self-care regimen.

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