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Treatment Options
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
How is it treated?
Treatment options for BPH include lifestyle changes, "watchful waiting," drug therapy, non-surgical procedures and major surgery. The goals of treatment are to improve urinary flow and decrease the symptoms an individual may be experiencing. Treatment should also delay or prevent the progression of BPH.
If symptoms are mild and do not affect a man's quality of life, "watchful waiting" is often recommended. Individuals may also select this treatment option if the symptoms are not bothersome or they feel drug therapy may be a greater inconvenience than the symptoms of BPH. During "watchful waiting," men receive regular checkups and report any intolerable BPH symptoms to the doctor. If symptoms occur and cause discomfort, affect activities of daily living, or endanger the man's health, drug treatment is recommended.
Drugs are used to relieve the common urinary symptoms associated with BPH by either reducing the size of the prostate gland or slowing the growth of the prostate. Common drug classes that are used to treat urinary symptoms include alpha blockers, such as doxazosin (Cardura) or tamsulosin (Flomax), and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, such as finasteride (Proscar) or dutasteride (Avodart). You can learn more about these medications by clicking on the drug class links below. However, if drug therapy does not provide adequate relief of symptoms, surgery may be needed to help correct the prostate gland overgrowth. If a man experiences more severe symptoms of BPH such as recurrent urinary retention, recurrent blood in the urine, recurrent urinary tract infections or bladder stones, then drug therapy should not be initiated. These symptoms indicate that surgery is most likely needed to correct the problem.
The National Institute of Health has sponsored the Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms Trial (MTOPS). Researchers studied whether finasteride (Proscar) and doxazosin (Cardura) taken alone or together would delay or prevent the progression of prostate growth in men with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Follow-up visits for this study continued through November 2001. After an average follow-up time of more than 4 years, combination therapy with doxazosin and finasteride was found to be superior than taking either drug alone for the prevention of BPH-related disease progression. This combination therapy is now a recommended option by the American Urologic Association for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with BPH.
Drug classes used to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors Alpha Blockers
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Last Updated: March 2008
This content was created by members of the DrugDigest team of experts and is solely under DrugDigest's editorial control.
Note: The above information is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. It is not intended to diagnose a health condition, but it can be used as a guide to help you decide if you should seek professional treatment or to help you learn more about your condition once it has been diagnosed.
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How is it treated?
