What are the Side Effects of Prostate Shrinking Drugs?

New medications are being approved on a constant basis in order to help treat an enlarged prostate. There are also alternative methods and surgical procedures.

If the enlargement is not severe, doctors will normally suggest medicines first, or an alternative treatment, without considering the use of surgery. Prescription medication to help improve the urine flow is usually prescribed to men with an enlarged prostate. These are also called alpha-blockers, and they act by relaxing the bladder. Some of the commercial brands have been found to cause eye disorders and are not recommended for men who are planning eye surgery or have undergone eye surgery.

Another popular medicine is Finasteride, also called Proscar. The drug has been found effective in shrinking the prostate. This type of treatment is only used if the condition is not severe. While this medication is slightly controversial, it has been proven to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. However, it has also been proven to accelerate the growth of tumors in men who have already been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Most medications will come with normal side effects, such as nausea or dizziness. In order to avoid this, it is recommended that you take medications with food. When taking medication, you should also be careful about the other substances that you intake. Alcohol should be limited, as well as caffeine. You should only use herbal supplements with approval from your doctor. While this might be explanatory, over-the-counter medications can cause certain reactions, especially decongestants and antihistamines. The reason is the fact that these medications might affect the muscle control of the bladder.

Herbal remedies are often tried by men if they are trying to avoid the visit to the doctor. The only problem is that the remedies are not required to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This means that they are not required to go through testing in order to make sure that the remedies for enlarged prostate are safe for patients to use. This also means that the side effects of these remedies are not always understood or reported, and no one knows what the consequences of taking the remedies will be at a later time.

If you are not able to make it to the physician right away, there are several things that you can do at home to help take some of the pain or pressure from your bladder. One tip is to drink less amount of fluids after 7 or 8 PM. This will minimize the trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Cutting down on your alcohol consumption as well as caffeine is a good start as well, especially since you will be recommended to do this after you visit the doctor. As always, exercising regularly will help your condition as well.