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Medication for BPH

Medication

Several different types of medications are available to treat the symptoms of enlarged prostate.  Many physicians still use medication as the primary treatment option for patients. However, drugs must be taken daily for the rest of your life and have also been shown to cause significant side effects. Over time, the cost can become a large expense.  Also, medication is not effective for all men with a reported 48% of patients not showing clinically significant symptom improvement.1

“CTT and Prostiva are safe, durable, minimally invasive office procedures with very high patient satisfaction rate. Patients are very happy to get off BPH medication and are well pleased with their voiding patterns following the procedure. Patient referrals indicate to me how very satisfied men are with the results.” – J. Randolf Beahrs, MD

Benefits

  • Simple to use
  • Does not require surgery or a hospital stay
  • Fast symptom relief

Side Effects2

  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Impotence
  • Chronic sinus congestion
  • Low blood pressure
  • Loss of sex drive

Limited Durability

While medications can provide initial relief from BPH symptoms, some men find that the drugs aren’t effective or their effectiveness decreases over time and their symptoms return.  In fact, over 50% of patients who start a regimen of medications for BPH discontinue the treatment within three years.3 This is unfortunate, because once a man stops taking his medication, it stops working.  However, due to the nature of one class of the drugs, sexual side effects may last for months to years, even after stopping the drug.8

Cost

For many men and their families, the cost of BPH medications is an expensive burden. BPH patients can expect to spend thousands of dollars on these medications over time.

National Average Patient Cost for BPH Therapy at 2 Years As with any medical procedure individual results will vary. Please consult your urologist for more information.

 1Wei, et al, High Rates for Continued BPH Medical Therapy among Non responders, AUA2010 Abstract 498 2Flomax®, Tamsulosin hydrochloride, Patient Information About Flomax Capsules, Table 3, Treatment Emergent Adverse Events Occurring in ≥2% of Flomax (tamsulosin hydrochloride) capsules or placebo patients in the U.S. short-term placebo-controlled clinical studies, Page 14, July 17, 2006. 3Long-Term Risk of Re-Treatment of patients using Alpha-Blockers for Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms. J. De La Rosette, et al. The Journal of Urology, Vol. 167, 1734-1739, April 2002. 4Combination Therapy is with Flomax® and Avodart®. Prescription drug cost from www.drugstore.com, accessed 4/2010 5Calculated using Medicare 2010 rates, www.medicare.gov, accessed 4/2010 6Calculated using the CMS maximum allowance for service covered. https://catalog.ama-assn.org/Catalog/cpt/cpt_search_result.jsp?_requestid=899945 7Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2010, Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare, www.medicare.gov/medigap/default.asp Flomax is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Avodart is a registered trademark of GlaxoSmithKline. 8Journal of Sexual Medicine: July 12, 2012