Hi, I'm 52 years old, and for more than 5 years, I've been experiencing the following symptoms: feeling like my bladder doesn't empty completely, frequent urination, and a weak urine stream. I've already had my prostate checked, and it's benign. I usually take Silodosin 7 mg, but it doesn't seem to be working as well anymore.

 

Could you advise me on an alternative treatment ?

 

 

Cheers

17 minutes ago, sardine said:

Could you advise me on an alternative treatment ?

0.5g of cannabis smoked before bed every night

60 percent Indica hybrid or higher works best.

I can tell you what works for me.

I didn't care for the side effects of the meds that a doctor prescribed for me, so I went more 'natural.'  I found the following combination to be very effective for 'me;'

Saw Palmetto extract once a day - no side effects - Lazada

Pumpkinseed oil once a day - no side effects - Lazada

1/2 tab of generic Sildenafil. Every other day - Drug store  -  Pleasant, beneficial side effects... 🙂

(Do NOT use if you have heart problems or high blood pressure.)

 

That said, each item by itself did NOT work for 'me' for this problem. I tried using each by itself on recommendation from various sources, but only the combination of the three reduced the problem. I've been using these for the past 5 years, and still only wake up once a night most nights. Occasionally twice.  Very effective and inexpensive way to manage the situation.

16 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

1/2 tab of generic Sildenafil. Every other day - Drug store  -  Pleasant, beneficial side effects... 🙂

(Do NOT use if you have heart problems or high blood pressure.)

Risky for those with very low blood pressure and those with uncontrolled hypertension 

13 hours ago, sardine said:

Could you advise me on an alternative treatment ?

 

I cannot advise based on extensive knowledge or personal experience as I have not had this issue.

 

I can only advise based on my general philosophy, which is that herbal interventions (if available) are often/sometimes/perhaps/maybe better than pharmaceutical interventions.

 

Because pharmaceutical interventions will only tweak the symptoms, but herbal interventions will support the body's natural healing system. 

 

So a search on iHerb brings up the following. However, these generally do not mix well with pharmaceuticals so if you go down this route, you will need to stop the drugs. 

 

What I do is look at the ingredient list and then look up each ingredient to see what it does in the body and see if you can match it to one of your symptoms. 

 

Or this ?? 

 

I was prescribed Duodart........but chickened out from taking it.......not a huge fan of meds if I can avoid them.

 

That was four years ago......don't take anything now........touch wood....getting away with it.

I saw a Urologist 3 years ago, had MRI and found out it was benign and again with a repeat MRI a year after.

I was prescribed Finesteride 5 mg which I take at night and never had any problems.

I do get up at night to urinate twice, but good stream and bladder feels empty.

if I were you I would see a Consultant Urologist and get advice/ proper treatment and follow up if necessary.

You’re young and it could cause serious problems by the time you’re 70.

8 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

Sildenafil

Tadalafil, 5mg daily, is what a urologist would prescribe. 

It stays in the body longer,  you would have a continuous level of it in the blood. Whereas the way you do it, there are spikes of a PDE5 inhibitor every 48 hours.

Side effects are similar. 

A bit more difficult to get in Thailand (apcalis from India is sold in Pattaya and on Sukhumvit), cheaper abroad anyway. 

21 minutes ago, Lorry said:

Tadalafil, 5mg daily, is what a urologist would prescribe. 

It stays in the body longer,  you would have a continuous level of it in the blood. Whereas the way you do it, there are spikes of a PDE5 inhibitor every 48 hours.

Side effects are similar. 

A bit more difficult to get in Thailand (apcalis from India is sold in Pattaya and on Sukhumvit), cheaper abroad anyway. 

Thank you! My mistake when posting. It has been Tadalafil that I've been taking under the name Apcalis.

Thanks for the correction.

I have friends who have had Turp and Rezum.  Some side effects for a few weeks, but they claim it has helped them quite a bit.

I would suggest a second opinion with a different uroligist.

 

In particular, wonder about the possibility of infection (prostatitis) as your symptoms are worse than would normally be seen from benign enlargement at your age.

 

Where in Thailand are you located? 

 

 

On 7/27/2025 at 12:35 AM, sardine said:

Hi, I'm 52 years old, and for more than 5 years, I've been experiencing the following symptoms: feeling like my bladder doesn't empty completely, frequent urination, and a weak urine stream. I've already had my prostate checked, and it's benign. I usually take Silodosin 7 mg, but it doesn't seem to be working as well anymore.

 

Could you advise me on an alternative treatment ?

 

 

Cheers

Do you wake up all night to pee?   

 

Sounds like you have an enlarged prostate. 

On 7/27/2025 at 11:35 AM, sardine said:

Hi, I'm 52 years old, and for more than 5 years, I've been experiencing the following symptoms: feeling like my bladder doesn't empty completely, frequent urination, and a weak urine stream. I've already had my prostate checked, and it's benign. I usually take Silodosin 7 mg, but it doesn't seem to be working as well anymore.

 

Could you advise me on an alternative treatment ?

 

 

Cheers

Someone here said it already;

Pumpkin seed, saw palmetto, stinging nettle

On 7/27/2025 at 11:35 AM, sardine said:

Hi, I'm 52 years old, and for more than 5 years, I've been experiencing the following symptoms: feeling like my bladder doesn't empty completely, frequent urination, and a weak urine stream. I've already had my prostate checked, and it's benign. I usually take Silodosin 7 mg, but it doesn't seem to be working as well anymore.

 

Could you advise me on an alternative treatment ?

 

 

Cheers

I had a TURPS operation in Thailand 

Using Tamsulosin and Finasteride prescription from Thai urologist.Tamsulosin I guess to stop the urge to go pee at night,and Finasteride to stop the prostate from growing.Both works well I can sleep 5-6 hours at night without running to pee.Negative aspect no more semen,I mean you can have sex but nothing comes out.

On 7/27/2025 at 11:35 AM, sardine said:

Hi, I'm 52 years old, and for more than 5 years, I've been experiencing the following symptoms: feeling like my bladder doesn't empty completely, frequent urination, and a weak urine stream. I've already had my prostate checked, and it's benign. I usually take Silodosin 7 mg, but it doesn't seem to be working as well anymore.

 

Could you advise me on an alternative treatment ?

 

 

Cheers

For me (Prostate size 110 cc + small PCA lesions):

 

Finasteride 5mg daily,

Cialis 5 mg daily,

Doxazosin 4mg daily.

 

Has been working fine, so far. If this fails, and/or if I need radiotherapy for PCA I'll go for PAE (Prostatic Artery Embolisation) and/or HOLEP surgery prior to the Cancer treatment.

 

Took years to work this out, I can only recommend Dr. Churaspong. Had another Dr before who wanted to treat me for a tiny malignancy, 7 years ago. At 73 I am still a man.

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/charuspong-dissaranan

 

Since childhood I've never slept more than 3/4 hours per night. Now 83 years old, and with an enlarged prostate, I stopped worrying about lack of sleep  some time ago and as a result I feel much better. Prostate enlargement benign, so far. 

On 7/27/2025 at 1:42 PM, FolkGuitar said:

1/2 tab of generic Sildenafil. Every other day - Drug store  -  Pleasant, beneficial side effects...

Little known treatment option.  Drugs like Dildenafil and other "erectile dysfunction" drugs at low-dose are effect off-label for the treatment of BPH. But they can be really expensive.  @FolkGuitar How much are you buying Dildenafil?

For meds, check this list from drugs (dot) com as it includes user "ratings" of the efficacy of each drug option.  Take the "activity" column with a grain of salt and stick with the User "Rating". 
https://www.drugs.com/condition/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia.html?order=desc&sort=popularity

On 7/27/2025 at 9:45 PM, Lorry said:

Tadalafil, 5mg daily, is what a urologist would prescribe. 

It stays in the body longer,  you would have a continuous level of it in the blood. Whereas the way you do it, there are spikes of a PDE5 inhibitor every 48 hours.

Side effects are similar. 

A bit more difficult to get in Thailand (apcalis from India is sold in Pattaya and on Sukhumvit), cheaper abroad anyway. 

3000 THB per box of 30 at a pharmacy in CM.  Like 100 THB per pill.  It's expensive. I use it on occasion.  If anyone knows a cheaper source, let me know. It is effective.

 

On 7/27/2025 at 10:08 PM, FolkGuitar said:

Thank you! My mistake when posting. It has been Tadalafil that I've been taking under the name Apcalis.

Thanks for the correction.

How much are you paying for Apcalis and where are you buying it. I believe you're in Northern Thailand.

I have been taking Avodart since discovering my prostate was getting bigger three years ago. It seems to have worked and the urine flow is normal.

What with diabetes 2 causing more frequent peeing (to eject sugar) and the prostate pushing the bladder up and this causing more frequent peeing the Avodart did help.

The doctor has informed that the medicine won't shrink the prostate back to its original size, so I can expect to take it the rest of my life. Not a big deal though.

P.S. as my company health insurance covers the cost today, the doctor has said she can recommend cheaper generic drugs when the insurance stops.

On 7/28/2025 at 2:49 PM, bkk6060 said:

I have friends who have had Turp and Rezum.  Some side effects for a few weeks, but they claim it has helped them quite a bit.

I know people who had Turp and now have nothing but problems.  It's brutal.  Some hospitals do green-light laser surgery but I wouldn't have it don't unless I know the surgeon has done a lot of these procedures. And it's expensive. Up in the ฿250K and above range. I get the distinct feeling that BPH is more of a "farang" condition so the surgical options, in Thailand, are limited. As long as drugs at least marginally work, stick with drugs.  Surgery is a crap-shoot and you can end up worse off then you were. You just learn to live with it.  

4 hours ago, TedG said:

Do you wake up all night to pee?   

 

Sounds like you have an enlarged prostate. 

At 52, it can also be a prostate or bladder infection as Sheryl said.  I'd agree with her call to get a second option before settling in with a drug program specifically to rule out infection.  The second option should include an ultra-sound measurement of the prostrate to get a baseline on it's size as well to verify that it's actually BPH. 

   I’m 75 and have suffered from enlarged prostate (BPH) for a long time, and it came to the point where I could not pee at all without a catheter.  Neither herbal or standard medicinal remedies had helped through the years.  I had the Rezum treatment this last New Years, but it was ineffective.  I finally had the TURP surgery just last week, and I can finally pee again. 

   It’s not the perfect return to the days of a young man’s bladder functions, since I’m still getting up frequently in the night – which is probably partly because of the large intake of water I’m advised to take right now.  But I’m now free of a catheter after eight months hooked to one like a ball and chain. 

   Good luck dealing with this problem. 

1 minute ago, Zenwind said:

   I’m 75 and have suffered from enlarged prostate (BPH) for a long time, and it came to the point where I could not pee at all without a catheter.  Neither herbal or standard medicinal remedies had helped through the years.  I had the Rezum treatment this last New Years, but it was ineffective.  I finally had the TURP surgery just last week, and I can finally pee again. 

   It’s not the perfect return to the days of a young man’s bladder functions, since I’m still getting up frequently in the night – which is probably partly because of the large intake of water I’m advised to take right now.  But I’m now free of a catheter after eight months hooked to one like a ball and chain. 

   Good luck dealing with this problem. 

 

That is rough....especially having gone through the Rezum treatment. Did you get any feedback as to why that wasn't successful?

 

Obviously very personal, so just ignore if you wish.....but can you tell if you have or might suffer from the well documented 'side effects' of the TURP?

On 7/27/2025 at 12:35 PM, sardine said:

Hi, I'm 52 years old, and for more than 5 years, I've been experiencing the following symptoms: feeling like my bladder doesn't empty completely, frequent urination, and a weak urine stream. I've already had my prostate checked, and it's benign. I usually take Silodosin 7 mg, but it doesn't seem to be working as well anymore.

 

Could you advise me on an alternative treatment ?

 

 

Cheers

I'm 59. I too have benign hyperplasia (BPH). My problems started when hyperplasia caused inflammation and the inflammation caused an urine infection. The infection sent me to the urologist. Long story short, I changed 5 doctors, 3 hospitals and 2 countries (China and Thailand) until I finally found a proper doctor (in Shanghai where I live) who gave me the appropriate treatment. He prescribed anti-inflammation medication (actually a traditional Chinese medicine), anti-bacteria suppressant (instead of antibiotics) and finally finasteride.    

 

I took them all for 3 months until finally the inflammation and this constant sense of burning in the area between prostate and bladder went away. Now I'm only taking finasteride. Usually I go to the toiled twice per night. The side effect of finasteride is the near total absence of sperm. Women can get spooked by this, lol. 

 

Another side effect is the occasional erectile dysfunction (oh well 😑)  which goes away after 2-3 days if I stop taking finasteride. PSA etc is normal.

 

Take a second, a third or more opinions before you decide anything.

Hope it helps, good luck. 

3 hours ago, connda said:

How much are you paying for Apcalis and where are you buying it. I believe you're in Northern Thailand.

I'm sorry, but I've never purchased them as stand-alone. It's always been bought along with several other items at the same time. I don't remember what the price was that I was told years ago when I first started using this trio, but knowing me, if it was too high, I wouldn't have tried that route. But whatever the cost, the combination of the two herbals and the tadalafil does the job for me with no side effects.

4 hours ago, connda said:

How much are you paying for Apcalis and where are you buying it. I believe you're in Northern Thailand.

In Pattaya you can get knock off 30 Cialis 20mg for 600 baht. Doc Martyn had it tested and they were exactly the same as original Cialis. He's on Facebook if you want to message him and ask

4 hours ago, Redacce said:

Now I'm only taking finasteride.

I was on finasteride for a while.  It makes your hair grow back, but other than that, the side effects were nasty.