One of the most prevalent medical conditions that men face as they age is called BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia. What characterizes BPH is the non-cancerous prostate gland enlargement. An enlarged prostate gland can cause a number of problems, some of which may be mild and tolerable, while others may be so difficult to cope with that it may require surgical treatment to relieve symptoms. Tolerable cases have a chance to clear up without any treatment whatsoever, but it will require watchful waiting and careful monitoring by a doctor to ensure that the problem doesn’t get worse. When symptoms get to be intolerable, but not so bad as to require surgery, the best thing to do is to take medications to help deal with the complications that an enlarged prostate may cause. In this article, we will cover some of the most common types of medication for enlarged prostate, or BPH.
Understanding the symptoms
Before we get into the discussion about the medications for BPH, let’s first take some time to get to understand the symptoms. Learning more about the symptoms of an enlarged prostate will us understand how medications work. The most common types of BPH symptoms have to do with urination. The prostate gland, which is part of the male reproductive system, is located right below the bladder and near the rectum, surrounding the tube where urine passes from the bladder (the tube called the urethra). When the prostate gland gets enlarged, it can press against the bladder and the urethra, causing problems that are related to urination. Most BPH patients experience frequent urination, pain when urinating, and urinary tract infection (UTI). Another sign of BPH is when the urine stream is not constant and steady, but instead thin and it stops and starts. Men with BPH may also have a hard time starting their urinary stream. In worse cases, urine retention may become a problem, wherein the bladder does not empty entirely, urine is retained, and there is a higher risk of infection.
Medication for BPH treatment
When it comes to medication used for treating BPH, there are two major drug classes that are commonly used. The first class is referred to as “alpha-blockers.” The main idea behind alpha-blockers is to help in relaxing the smooth muscles in the body. Nonselective alpha-blockers have a more general effect, relaxing smooth muscles surrounding the blood vessels, while selective alpha-blockers specifically target the smooth muscles of the prostate and the bladder neck. While these types of medication do not aid in reducing the prostate size, they do help in relieving the symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate. In most cases, these types of medications help reduce the risk of bladder and urethra obstruction, resulting in a smoother, improved, and less painful urine flow. For the most part, alpha-blockers are typically the first types of medication taken by BPH patients whose prostates are enlarged, but still small in comparison to worse cases of enlarged prostate.
The second type of drug that is often given to those who have been diagnosed with BPH is called “5-alpha-reductase inhibitors.” Unlike alpha-blockers, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors play an active role in helping reduce the size of the prostate. The main goal of 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors is to try and stop the production of a hormone that stimulates the prostate. This hormone is called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, and it is derived from testosterone. 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors block this conversion from occurring, resulting in symptom relief and (in some cases) reduction of prostate size. These types of medication may require prolonged use of up to one year.
Advantages and disadvantages of alpha-blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inductors
The main advantage of using alpha-blockers is that they are fast-acting, helping patients relieve BPH symptoms within days. Because alpha-blockers are fast-acting, they are often given to all types of BPH cases, from bearable cases to severe cases, as the first line of treatment. Another advantage of alpha-blockers is that there are numerous brands of medication available. Also, alpha-blockers are typically the cheapest form of treatment for BPH.
The greatest advantage of 5-alpha-reductase inductors is that they actually trigger the shrinking of the prostate gland. By controlling the production of prostate-stimulating enzymes, 5-alpha-reductase inductors shrink the prostate and reduce the need for future surgery. Another advantage is that this class of drugs slightly helps in relieving symptoms.
Medication commonly used for treating enlarged prostate
Alpha-blocker medicines - alfuzosin (Uroxatral), doxazosin (Cardura), terazosin (Hytrin), and tamsulosin (Flowmax)
5-alpha-reductase inhibitor medicines - dutasteride (Avodart) and finasteride (Proscar)
Reminders when treating an enlarged prostate
Before you head to the nearest pharmacy to try and purchase one of these alpha-blocker or 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor medicines, it’s important to have a good discussion about it with your doctor. Your doctor will have to analyze your medical history, the current condition of your prostate, and your symptoms to help decide on which kind of medication will be best for you. Make sure to ask all of the questions that you may have to ensure that you know all there is to know about your medication and that you are fully aware of its side-effects.