BPH

[joe2009]

Hello
I'm new to this forum. I am 55 (male) and have been suffering from BPH for at least 4 years now.
I have been taking Flomax 0.4mg for 4+ years. I am not sure if my constant tiredness is due to a long term medication with Flomax. Is it possibly affectig my liver? Also more worringly I have lost some mental energy to do anything. Has anyone experienced the similar feeling to this? Or is this just me getting old?

Recently, I feel my bladder rigion is a little "heavy", and the flow is quite weak. Maybe Flomax is not working any more? (not sure) So I surfed Internet and came across Avodart 0.5mg, and bought some from my local chemist. (Where I am now, I can buy them without prescriptions) Anyway today I took it for the first time at 8.30am. And also I took a Flomax 0.4mg at lunch time. The Avodart instruction mentioned the use of a Flomax 0.4mg in conjunction with a Avodart 0.5mg has no known adverse effect if I understood correctly. But 1, 2 hours after taking a Flomax, I felt unwell (drowsy, headache) and had to go home early. My headache is gone now as I took some paracetamol.

To summarise my questions:
1) Has anyone experienced the constant tiredness and/or feeling lethargic due to Flomax/Tamsulosin? Any comments?
2) I am aware that the efficacy from Avodart differs from person to person. But in your case, how long it took to see the effect?
3) Has anyone been taking Avodart and Flomax together? Does it work? Any adverse effect?
4) Recently (maybe 4, 5 weeks now) I have noticed a substancial reduction of my semen. Does this indicate something is going wrong?

Any advice/comment is appreciated.
Thanks
Joe

[mrcoyote]

OK>since I'm about the only one responding these days, I'll tell you what I have experienced. But, first the "disclaimer".....I am NOT a doctor, lawyer, or indian chief. Just a guy that has gone through the whole BPH + surgery thing and try to help others with their questions. That's it. OK>>>

What you are experiencing is pretty standard, in my opinion. Almost exactly the same for me...the long-term Flomax and then things got a lot worse quickly. (You may want to read some of my previous posts). The doc gave me a double dose of Flomax (two .4mg capsules) to be taken together and then when that didn't work, I took the .5 Avodart along with it. This I can tell you....and this is straight from the manufacturers info. sheet on both drugs.....the Flomax side effects can be: dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, problems ejaculating, amount of semen, and they say all or some of these should go away with increased use. As you probably know, the Avodart "shrinks" the prostate, unlike Flomax. The side effects for Avodart are listed as: sexual problems (impotence, decreased interest in sex, decrease in the amount of ejaculate, etc. My own doc said Avodart can take up to six months or more to work. It's not fast like Flomax. In my own case, the double dose Flomax and the Avodart I took for only three weeks did nothing to help me. This was greatly due to a nasty urinary tract infection I got from not being able to urinate hardly at all one day. This caused things to go bad real fast and it was only a trip to the emerg. room that helped me. After that, surgery was the only help
available according to my doc. The Flomax for years had run it's useful course. Are your symptoms due to the drugs? I don't know. See your doc! Soon! Tell him/her what's going on. But I'm sure at least one or more of your symptoms are pretty normal. They were for me, but that's me. Hope somehow, some of this helps you out.

[woodcutter]

I have been taking Avodart for over two years and have been pleased with the results. My prostate size has been reduced and urine flow greatly increased. I get up only once during the night, sometimes not at all. It took two to three months to feel significant results. I also had the ED side-effect at 4-5 months, but it gradually subsided. My MD gave me Levitra to get me over that period of 3-4 months.

I would recommend Avodart, but I would use the real pill.

[gizzmo]

I have taken flomax an Avodart at same time have had some of same side effects dry are little ejaculation this is normal read side effects on medication i took avodart for 8 months didn't help me none Avodart its suppose to shrink the prostate the flomax is a alpha blocker an suppose to relax bladder muscles flomax help my stream but killed my sleep at night i have taken every type meds you can think of the best thing that has helped me is 10 mg hytrin its also a alpha blocker also lot cheaper than flomax hytrin is also used for hypertension they will start you out at about 2mg work you up to ten you will also have some same dizziness until you body adjust, also if you have BPH stay away from caffeine, spicy foods, citrus fruit ice cream also hurts me that's my experience everyone different hope this help you.

[joe2009]

Thanks those who gave some comments. Much approciated.
If someone wants advice from doctors, they will/should do so. But I come here to read someone's experience and share info. So mrcoyote, your insightful posts are greatly appreciated, very useful.

It is 6 days now since I started to take avodart. It seems working already. Because I dont feel heavy in the bladder area anymore, and passing water seems easier. I also still take a flomax everyday. Am I mistaken that my "chests" seem to have grown within 6 days?! It's probably my imagination (certainly hope so)

It's still early days, but I am a little happier than before.

Joe

[mrcoyote]

Joe> I found some real interesting info. on Avodart you may want to look at. Just go to GOOGLE search box and type in "Avodart side effects" and then click on the 3rd thing you see by Dr. Ray Sahelian.
It's really detailed and I thought interesting.

I'm not sure you are experiencing what you are after only six days, since most of everything I have read including the Avodart prescription leaflet say it takes several months for Avodart to shrink the prostate to any degree. But, hey....who knows! And the breast enlargement is a symptom, but in six days? That would be pretty unusual, but again, I'm not a doctor and just thinking out loud here. Well, if you're better, who cares what made you better, right! Good luck to you and continued success.

[Hagendos]

I've been taking Flomax for about five years. Two years ago the effectiveness decreased and I was prescribed a double dose. I have never had problems with lethargy, although the low blood pressure side effect was significant when I first started as I have low blood pressure naturally. I still get a little light headed occasionally if I bend over or stand up too fast. The only sexual side effect I've had is retrograde ejaculation, but that doesn't concern me.

About a year ago my PSA spiked to 8.4 from around 4. My primary care physician sent me to a urologist who did a biopsy and an ultrasound. Negative for cancer, but measured the prostate at 100cc, which is quite large. Based on the size of the prostate, my estimated PSA could be as high as 12.0 and still be within the norm. Put me on Cipro for 30 days in case there was prostatitis involved, didn't seem to have any affect. Also put me on Proscar, which performs much like Avodart.

Just had my one year check up and PSA is down to 3.2, which you have to double because of the Proscar. Urination symptoms have improved some, but when I forget to take the Flomax, it's murder trying to pee. I haven't had any side effects from taking the two medications together that I can tell, other than the retrograde ejaculation caused by the Flomax - at 61, I'm not interested in making any more children, so it's not a concern.

Probably going to have some invasive procedure within the next year as the medications aren't helping as much as I'd like. Leaning towards TUMT.

[mrcoyote]

All of what you said sounds very familiar to me since I went through almost the exact same things.
There came a time that the drugs just did not cut it anymore and it resulted in a nasty urinary tract
infection leaving me unable to urinate and a trip to the hospital. My suggestion to you would be to start considering, as I know you are, either the laser TURP (if they can do it after taking Proscar) or the conventional method. It really worked out well for me, although because the doc was conservative with the surgery, I still have to take one .4 Flomax every night to have the next day be as perfect as I would like it to be. I can do without it, but it's just a bit hard to start the stream that way, and now I've grown so used to life after the surgery that I like it to be as I was years ago before all the problems. You will know when it's time to consider a surgical fix. Things for me got worse real fast. And I was really sick of planning my life around the next available bathroom wherever I went. Everything else you said sounded pretty normal...the PSA, etc. Feel free to ask if you want to know more about the surgery, etc. Good luck.