ot: prostate roto rooter

[Ralph]

Originally Posted by OtayBW

What have been the side-effects of Flomax for any of you all who have tried it? Manageable? Unacceptable? Any effects on blood pressure or (unwanted effects) south of the border?

I had an old Doc tell me Flomax was originally used as a BP lowering drug before being proscribed to relax bladder muscles. So....if currently taking some BP lowering drugs with their side effects, ....might want to consider this if starting Flomax or similar. Don't want BP too low.

[Kirk007]

Taking flomax daily made me feel like crap - side and lower back pains, generally felt like a low grade flu. I read a clinical study suggesting that taking every other day was a way to limit side effects and still have the intended results. That has worked for me so far.

[gasman]

I have found limiting my fluid intake after about 6 pm seems to help by allowing me to get up 2-3 times rather than 3-5 times.

To address the OP. You can listen to what all of us say but really the decision is yours with advice of your doc. Not an easy decision.

Good luck

[OtayBW]

Still looking for any anecdotal evidence of anyone having had any ED or performance issues while on Flomax. It's listed as one of the primary side effects, and it sounds really creepy.

[CSTRider]

Since this is a bike forum, please rate your prostate treatments by the following scale:

- Campy grade: expensive, great ergonomics, not enough out there to know durability, and hard to find a doctor who will do it.

- Shimano grade: reasonable cost, good ergonomics for most, great durability, and available nearly anywhere.

- SRAM grade: cheap, hit or miss ergonomics, a total crapshoot on durability, but a great "do-over" warranty.

Happy New Year

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by OtayBW

Still looking for any anecdotal evidence of anyone having had any ED or performance issues while on Flomax. It's listed as one of the primary side effects, and it sounds really creepy.

You can try it and get off of it if it does. The effects are quickly reversible. I use Flomax and the side effects for me are minimal, but I first tried finasteride and that caused definite problems so I got off of it right away and got on Flomax (generic equivalent).

[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by Ralph

I had an old Doc tell me Flomax was originally used as a BP lowering drug before being proscribed to relax bladder muscles. So....if currently taking some BP lowering drugs with their side effects, ....might want to consider this if starting Flomax or similar. Don't want BP too low.

You're right. Lots of drugs start out as BP lowering agents, because they dilate blood vessels. As they get more experience in use in actual humans, the manufacturer begins to pinpoint exactly what blood vessels the agent effects most. Viagra was a BP drug at first. I was working for Pfizer at the time, and the story goes that the initial clinical studies that were done in Sandwich, England resulted in some not really great BP lowering results. They did uncover one strange finding...the male patients and their wives were hoarding the tablets, so they investigated further. And the rest is history...

[Ralph]

I'm not a Urologist, nor have any medical training (am a 78 year old retired Merrill Lynch stock broker.....now called financial advisor). But have been dealing with emptying my bladder for many years....results of a disease called transverse myelitis many years ago.....so know a few things.

If you are getting up at night every few hours, it means you cannot empty your bladder before bed time. And if you cannot empty it at bed time, you probably cannot empty it completely anytime, although you may not notice it during day time. Drugs that relax the bladder muscles do help with emptying the bladder completely. Urine leaves the bladder thru the urethra which goes thru the prostate gland (in males), and if that gland continues to enlarge and squeeze on the urethra, at some point drugs alone will not be enough. So monitor your situation carefully with a urologist you trust for good advice.

Men who go around with half full bladders have higher risks of UTI's, which can be dangerous (old people die from that), and if urine backs up to kidneys and causes infection, that's not good either. Kidneys have to work.....not optional. If you continue to go around with a bladder that you cannot empty, then there are drugs you can take that make urine acidic which reduce the risk of UTi's and if no bacteria in urine, reduce the risk of kidney damage. Serious stuff these older men issues. Sometimes surgery best all around option.

But again....I'm not a urologist. Best to consult professional advice.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

Get it fixed before you wake up and can't pee at all.

That is bad advice. The drugs do work to an extent. Surgery should be a last resort, and can be screwed up and the effects are irreversible. Getting up 2-3 times a night is not justification for surgery, in my opinion.

[eddief]

but will discuss with dr. on Thurs.

Originally Posted by MikeD

That is bad advice. The drugs do work to an extent. Surgery should be a last resort, and can be screwed up and the effects are irreversible. Getting up 2-3 times a night is not justification for surgery, in my opinion.

[NHAero]

The reason you want a good urologist monitoring you is that it's possible that your symptoms are ones you can live with, but unbeknownst to you, your bladder is getting distended and damaged. So monitor how much urine is being retained once you start having these symptoms.

Once you think you're headed for surgery, look carefully at your own case and compare the treatments, making sure they are appropriate to your conditions. I got a second opinion once I realized urologist 1 was recommending procedures not appropriate to my situation.

Originally Posted by MikeD

That is bad advice. The drugs do work to an extent. Surgery should be a last resort, and can be screwed up and the effects are irreversible. Getting up 2-3 times a night is not justification for surgery, in my opinion.

[oldpotatoe]

This after I've read the thread(yup, of interest to 'old farts')..
I used to get up 3-4 times a night to pee..no other 'symptoms'..until I did a 'sleep study' and discovered I have sleep apnea.

Now do the 'alien face hugger', mask, etc., routine(accustomed to it, don't love it), have since September 20th AND..now I pee once per night(7-7.5 hours of sleep)..It seems I didn't need to pee but wasn't sleeping well(about 35 obstructive apneas per hour)..

Now 2-4 OA per hour(5 or less is considered 'normal)...so, it may not apply to OP but anybody else 'out there' who is peeing a lot during the night..look at sleep apnea 'symptoms'..may fix yer tinkle frequency issue..

[thwart]

Originally Posted by Ralph

I'm not a Urologist, nor have any medical training (am a 78 year old retired Merrill Lynch stock broker.....now called financial advisor). But have been dealing with emptying my bladder for many years....results of a disease called transverse myelitis many years ago.....so know a few things.

If you are getting up at night every few hours, it means you cannot empty your bladder before bed time. And if you cannot empty it at bed time, you probably cannot empty it completely anytime, although you may not notice it during day time. Drugs that relax the bladder muscles do help with emptying the bladder completely. Urine leaves the bladder thru the urethra which goes thru the prostate gland (in males), and if that gland continues to enlarge and squeeze on the urethra, at some point drugs alone will not be enough. So monitor your situation carefully with a urologist you trust for good advice.

Men who go around with half full bladders have higher risks of UTI's, which can be dangerous (old people die from that), and if urine backs up to kidneys and causes infection, that's not good either. Kidneys have to work.....not optional. If you continue to go around with a bladder that you cannot empty, then there are drugs you can take that make urine acidic which reduce the risk of UTi's and if no bacteria in urine, reduce the risk of kidney damage. Serious stuff these older men issues. Sometimes surgery best all around option.

But again....I'm not a urologist. Best to consult professional advice.

That's pretty good advice, especially for a stock broker... uh, financial advisor.

Originally Posted by NHAero

The reason you want a good urologist monitoring you is that it's possible that your symptoms are ones you can live with, but unbeknownst to you, your bladder is getting distended and damaged. So monitor how much urine is being retained once you start having these symptoms.

Exactly. The key is to not wait too long for surgical treatment.

[Ralph]

Exactly. The key is to not wait too long for surgical treatment.[/QUOTE]

Yes....if distended too long....can loose it's "elasticity". Or ability to empty naturally.

All the urologists I have seen, at every 6 month visit....when you are taking bladder relaxing drugs.....have you go to their restroom and do your best to empty your bladder.....then ultra sound your bladder with a machine that measures how much is still there. They keep track of this....and when your retainage reaches a dangerous level (if it does), they suggest another route....or next step.

[Ken Robb]

Ralph is always the voice of reason.