BY GEORGE NAVA TRUE II
This is the second part of my series on benign prostatic hyperplasia which was asked by Ruben Chanco Jr. of San Pedro, Laguna.
There are many treatments for an enlarged prostate. What your doctor recommends will depend on the size of the prostate, your age, symptoms, and overall health. If the symptoms are not that bad, the physician may advise you to monitor them for a while. In some, symptoms can improve without treatment.
If you have mild to moderate symptoms, medicines are commonly prescribed to reduce the size of the prostate gland. These include:
* Alpha-blockers – help bladder muscles relax and make urination easier. Examples are alfuzosin, doxazosin, tamsulosin, and silodosin. The Mayo Clinic said these are effective for small prostates but some men might experience side effects like dizziness and retrograde ejaculation (where semen returns to the bladder instead of going out the penis).
* 5-alpha reductase inhibitors – help shrink the prostate by preventing hormonal changes responsible for its growth. Examples are finasteride and dutasteride. These might take up to six months to work and side effects include retrograde ejaculation.
* Combination drug therapy – your doctor might ask you to take both drugs together if none aren’t effective when used alone.
* Tadalafil – this is often used for erectile dysfunction but can also treat prostate enlargement.
Another option is minimally invasive or surgical therapy. This is recommended if medicines don’t work, you have moderate to severe symptoms, or if you have a urinary tract obstruction, bladder stones, bloody urine, or kidney problems.
The Mayo Clinic said surgery is not recommended if you have a neurologic disorder like Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, an untreated urinary tract infection, or urethral stricture disease.
Depending on the type of surgery, complications include:
* Bleeding
* Erectile dysfunction
* Loss of bladder control (which is rare)
* Retrograde ejaculation
* Temporary difficulty with urination
* Urinary tract infection
You can also try these home remedies:
* Eat healthy meals and avoid obesity.
* Exercise regularly.
* Go to the bathroom when you need to. Don’t stop the urge to urinate.
* Reduce your intake of beverages an hour or two before bedtime to avoid going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
* Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake since they increase urine production, irritate the bladder, and make symptoms worse.
* Reduce the use of decongestants or antihistamines since they make it hard to urinate.
* Stay warm since cold weather can increase the urge to urinate.
* Train your bladder to urinate regularly – every four to six hours during the day.
* Urinate and do it again a few moments later (double voiding).
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National Press Club and Philippine Dental Association awardee George N. True II has written two bestsellers based on his popular column which has been running for almost 40 years. For questions about health, email georgenavatrue@yahoo.com./PN
