What will shrink the prostate

A number of prescription medications also can negatively impact BPH, such as antidepressants, water pills, testosterone and pain medicine. A physician can diagnose BPH, by asking questions about the symptoms and by doing a physical exam.

A urine test and a digital rectal exam also may be necessary. In some cases, a prostate-specific antigen test is done to help rule out prostate cancer. Although prostate cancer and BPH are not related, they can have some of the same symptoms. Because BPH cannot be cured, the treatment focuses on reducing the symptoms.

The treatment is based on how severe the symptoms are, how much they bother the patient and whether there are complications. The more irritating the symptoms are, the more aggressive treatment should be. Complications, such as ongoing inability to urinate, urinary tract infections, bladder stones, kidney damage or ongoing blood in the urine, should be treated with surgery. Surgery may also be needed, if symptoms have not been helped with other treatments. However, newer studies have found that not only do the drugs appear to pose no extra risk, they may even protect against prostate cancer.

A follow-up study of almost 9, men, published in the Nov. See your doctor if you have any of these problems. A digital rectal exam can often confirm an enlarged prostate, and your doctor may take a urine sample to check for a bladder infection that can be treated with antibiotics. If your prostate is causing symptoms, your doctor will likely offer you medication to improve and manage them.

Two main classes of drugs are used: alpha blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors 5-ARIs. Your doctor may prescribe one or both types, depending on your symptoms and the size of your prostate gland.

Alpha blockers. These drugs relax the muscles around the prostate and the opening of the bladder, so urine can flow more easily. Common BPH symptoms often improve within two days. They are most effective for men with normal to moderately enlarged prostates. Commonly prescribed drugs in this class include alfuzosin Uroxatral , doxazosin Cardura , silodosin Rapaflo , tamsulosin Flomax , and terazosin Hytrin.

Drugs in this class slowly shrink the prostate so it stops pressing on the urethra. Treatment often reduces the prostate's size by one-quarter after six months to a year. The two common drugs are finasteride Proscar and dutasteride Avodart. Men might opt for surgery to remove excess tissue from the prostate if medications do not relieve symptoms sufficiently or cause undesirable side effects, or if there are complications like urinary retention or recurring urinary tract infections, adds Dr.

For men who have both erectile dysfunction and symptoms of BPH, once-daily low-dose tadalafil Cialis is another option. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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 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. Until recently, treatments for BPH were limited to medications such as alpha blockers Flomax or Hytrin and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors Avodart or Proscar or surgical procedures such as transurethral resection of the prostate TURP.

In TURP, a surgical instrument is inserted into the tip of the penis and then used to trim and remove excess prostate tissue. Medications can help relieve symptoms and reduce the size of the prostate.

However, the medications can have unpleasant side effects, including chronic stuffy nose, lightheadedness and loss of libido. In comparison, TURP surgery is better at improving symptoms more quickly.

But in some cases, a prostate is too large to be removed through a TURP procedure. TURP also carries a risk of causing new problems such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction or retrograde ejaculation the ejaculation of semen into the bladder instead of out through the penis.