Prostate

[tatom]

Ive had an enlarged prostate for many years. I dont like cemicals, so I went with saw palmetto. It worked wonders. Took 3 months to notice results. I used to travel to the states occasionaly, and would stock up. Now, I am here permanantly and ran out of saw palmetto 2 years ago. I was fine for about a year, then the symptoms came back.

Im considering going to the doctor to get a prescription (cardura, or whatever he suggests), and am wondering what others who have taken these drugs think. Do they work well? Any side effects?

I would like more saw palmetto, but the initial costs, plus shipping would be a bit too much for me.

[Sheryl]

Can't comment on the saw palmetto.

For cardura and other related drugs (alpha blockers) these are the known side effects and their incidence;

Adverse Reactions

Note: Type and frequency of adverse reactions reflect combined data from trials with immediate release and extended release products.

>10%: Central nervous system: Dizziness (5% to 19%), headache (5% to 14%)

1% to 10%:

Cardiovascular: Orthostatic hypotension (dose related; 0.3% up to 2%), edema (3% to 4%), hypotension (2%), palpitation (1% to 2%), chest pain (1% to 2%), arrhythmia (1%), syncope (2%), flushing (1%)

Central nervous system: Fatigue (8% to 12%), somnolence (1% to 5%), nervousness (2%), pain (2%), vertigo (2% to 4%), insomnia (1%), anxiety (1%), paresthesia (1%), movement disorder (1%), ataxia (1%), hypertonia (1%), depression (1%)

Dermatologic: Rash (1%), pruritus (1%)

Endocrine & metabolic: Sexual dysfunction (2%)

Gastrointestinal: Abdominal pain (2%), diarrhea (2%), dyspepsia (1% to 2%), nausea (1% to 3%), xerostomia (1% to 2%), constipation (1%), flatulence (1%)

Genitourinary: Urinary tract infection (1%), impotence (1%), polyuria (2%), incontinence (1%)

Neuromuscular & skeletal: Back pain (2% to 3%), weakness (1% to 7%), arthritis (1%), muscle weakness (1%), myalgia (≤1%), muscle cramps (1%)

Ocular: Abnormal vision (1% to 2%), conjunctivitis (1%)

Otic: Tinnitus (1%)

Respiratory: Respiratory tract infection (5%), rhinitis (3%), dyspnea (1% to 3%), respiratory disorder (1%), epistaxis (1%)

Miscellaneous: Diaphoresis increased (1%), flu-like syndrome (1%)

It's a long list but you'll note that the percentages are low, i.e. most people don't experteince any of these problems. Main thing that needs to be considered is whether you have any cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure, heart disease) and whether you are on any medication for blood pressure etc as Cardura in itself has a lowering effect on BP and therefore if you take it, other meds may need to be adjusted.

Caqrdura and its relatives often work better in combination with Proscar (finestride) which is a 5a reductor inhibitor. It's side effects (and combined side effects of the 2 drugs togther) are listed below:

Adverse Reactions

Note: “Combination therapy” refers to finasteride and doxazosin.

>10%:

Endocrine & metabolic: Impotence (19%; combination therapy 23%), libido decreased (10%; combination therapy 12%)

Genitourinary: Neuromuscular & skeletal: Weakness (5%; combination therapy 17%)

1% to 10%:

Cardiovascular: Postural hypotension (9%; combination therapy 18%), edema (1%, combination therapy 3%)

Central nervous system: Dizziness (7%; combination therapy 23%), somnolence (2%; combination therapy 3%)

Genitourinary: Ejaculation disturbances (7%; combination therapy 14%), decreased volume of ejaculate

Endocrine & metabolic: Gynecomastia (2%)

Respiratory: Dyspnea (1%; combination therapy 2%), rhinitis (1%; combination therapy 2%)

You may already know this and have done it but just in case...MUST rule out prostate cancer before starting treatment with these drugs. And, even once cancer ruled out, should monitor PSA levels as the two conditions can occur together.

I believe both Proscar and Cardura are available in local generic form.

[siamesekitty]

not a cure but just some advice that drinking tomato juice is supposed to help

[tatom]

Thanks very much. Guess Ill have a visit to the doctor. Im familiar with prostate cancer as all the men in my family have died from it. The positive thing is, that my father was the youngest and he was 85.

Ive deceided that if I get cancer I wont treat it. I understand that often, the cancer stays confined to the prostate.

I find it strange that, during the day, the only symptom I have is frequent urination. Its at night that I have all the problems.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Regarding treating prostrate cancer. It appears questionable depending on your age see:

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080214/D8UPQSG01.html

[andypat]

I have a family history of prostate cancer deaths & have had 2 friends die of it,so I take the risk very seriously & have made an extensive study of possible preventative methods using natural products.

The 2 best without doubt are:-

1. Saw pallmetto tablets.Unfortunately not easy to get in Thailand,but one of the best sellers in western countries.I get friends from the UK to bring for me when they come on holiday.All health food stores sell,but best value from mail order companies in the Channel Islands - phone or internet.

2.Lycopene - this comes from tomatoes & one of the best sources is tomato ketchup - the leading brand Heinz even has a label on the bottle about lycopene.Also tomatoe juice is a very good source.I try and eat tomatoes both cooked & uncooked in my diet every day.

I hope this helps any of you who have concerns as to what to do.If anyone wants further advice you can PM me & I will be glad to help.

Best regards & stay fit & healthy

Andypat

[ProThaiExpat]

An enlarged prostate is a given for those who are older, at least that is what I was told. I attribute my frequent urination to the diruretic I take for hypertension.

By taking the "water pill" in the morning and my other pills at night, I have limited my night time sleep interruptions to urinate to one or two. It seems that during the day the feeling of need to urinate is indeed appropriate to the amount eliminated, however at night, only a minor amount of fluid signals the need to urinate.

I have been told that the enlarged prostate presses upon your urinary tract signaling a false need to urinate at night. Why not during the day? Perhaps the supine position has something to do wih it?

[worldtravel76]

Bee Pollen helps see if you can get that.

wtrv.

e

Ive had an enlarged prostate for many years. I dont like cemicals, so I went with saw palmetto. It worked wonders. Took 3 months to notice results. I used to travel to the states occasionaly, and would stock up. Now, I am here permanantly and ran out of saw palmetto 2 years ago. I was fine for about a year, then the symptoms came back.

Im considering going to the doctor to get a prescription (cardura, or whatever he suggests), and am wondering what others who have taken these drugs think. Do they work well? Any side effects?

I would like more saw palmetto, but the initial costs, plus shipping would be a bit too much for me.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Recently I read an article on drinking pomegranate juice to help reduce the swelling and reduce the problem of slow flo urinating. I decided what the he-ll and bought some at the super market about 65Baht litre, drink on glass a day. Seems to help and dosen't taste bad at all.

[Isanalive]

After tracking my PSA levels for a number of years a biopsy 2 years ago confirmed the presence of low level prostate cancer. Advice then was to "watch & wait" ie. keep a check on the PSA level every few months (here in Buri Ram a PSA blood test at the local government hospital is just 350 THB) - thats the 'watch' - the 'wait' is not to proceed to surgery unless the PSA shoots up (figure doubles in under 6 months!!)

The advice I had from the consultant in London was to consume plenty of cooked tomatoes (for the lycopenes), pomegranate juice and/or red grape juice and green china tea. The result has been that my PSA has fallen from 6.29 to 6.20 - a small but pleasing drop. If the consumption of these 'free-radical moppers up' works then I hope to avoid the recourse to surgery, with it's potentially negative impact on those two "I's" - impotence and incontinence. My wife tends to agree with me here!!

[lawling]

Ive had an enlarged prostate for many years. I dont like cemicals, so I went with saw palmetto. It worked wonders. Took 3 months to notice results. I used to travel to the states occasionaly, and would stock up. Now, I am here permanantly and ran out of saw palmetto 2 years ago. I was fine for about a year, then the symptoms came back.

Im considering going to the doctor to get a prescription (cardura, or whatever he suggests), and am wondering what others who have taken these drugs think. Do they work well? Any side effects?

I would like more saw palmetto, but the initial costs, plus shipping would be a bit too much for me.

After my old doctor back in the UK retired, his replacement, a youngish, enthusiastic guy who seems prepared to look at alternative as well as conventional medicine, recommended that I try saw palmetto and/or pumpkin seeds.

He claimed that both were widely used in mainland Europe, particularly in Germany, and that he had had several patients who found them very beneficial.

I have been trying both for several months now but, in all honesty, cannot detect much difference. However, maybe I am an exception. I'm certainly happy to persist with them for a while longer.

[tim armstrong]

Thanks very much. Guess Ill have a visit to the doctor. Im familiar with prostate cancer as all the men in my family have died from it. The positive thing is, that my father was the youngest and he was 85.

Ive deceided that if I get cancer I wont treat it. I understand that often, the cancer stays confined to the prostate.

I find it strange that, during the day, the only symptom I have is frequent urination. Its at night that I have all the problems.

I've recently been treated for prostate cancer - radiotherapy everyday for 7 weeks. 6 months post treatment my PSA is 0.27, so all is well so far. But I will only be free of it if my PSA remains below 4 during the next 5 years. My Gleason score was 4+4 which means the cancer may have spread outside the prostate to the seminal vesicles. I'm now without libido at all, but hey I'm alive and maybe for a long time yet. ( and the libido will eventually come back). The point of this story is that prostate cancer does indeed spread outside the prostate, but can still be treated. The latest radiotherapy treatment is excellent, with few side effects or the risks associated with surgery. The earlier its recognised the easier it is to treat, and you are more likely to live longer.

Even if you have prostate cancer, you may still have many years to live, as its often slow growing. If you treat it you may extend further your lifespan. This is surely better than carrying around in your head the big question " when am I going to die" ? But its a personal choice. I hope it you stay well. Tim

[backflip]

The lycopine fan club was a result of a study performed in the mid-90's. As a student at Stanford, I did an analysis of the Study, and the media reporting that surrounded the report. According to the Study, the largest mean decrease of prostate cancer risk was 35%, and that required more than 10 servings of tomatoes. You could do substantially better than that by limiting your intake of fats and alcohol, and stop smoking. Like a sword, the Study has 2 edges: it indicated that the consumption of tomatoes can INCREASE the risk of prostate cancer by as much as 12%. I bet that the healty-living websties you visited never mentioned that. The biggest problem was confidence interval in which the data was analyzed. At the same time of the lycopine study, a (female) breast cancer study was performed (weight, diet), and it was analyzed within a 99.99% confidence interval. That is, there was a 0.01% probability that the outcome of the study was due to "chance". The lycopine study was done within a 95% confidence interval. Those unfamiliar with statistics will say "hey, it's only 4.99% different - it's not a big deal." The increase in the confidence is exponential, not linear, and the 4.99% difference is substantial. To put it another way, using the lycopine study, and analyzing the data to a 99.99% confidence interval, lycopine has no effect (beneficial or otherwise) in the risk of prostate cancer.

[cme]

Ive had an enlarged prostate for many years. I dont like cemicals, so I went with saw palmetto. It worked wonders. Took 3 months to notice results. I used to travel to the states occasionaly, and would stock up. Now, I am here permanantly and ran out of saw palmetto 2 years ago. I was fine for about a year, then the symptoms came back.

Im considering going to the doctor to get a prescription (cardura, or whatever he suggests), and am wondering what others who have taken these drugs think. Do they work well? Any side effects?

I would like more saw palmetto, but the initial costs, plus shipping would be a bit too much for me.

I have been using Tamsulosinhydrochloride tablets (1 each 24 hours) from Germany for the past 3 years with no side effects and they are great for me. Not sure what they cost (I get them free on the German Medical Insurance) but they are a generic version of Ommunic.

[farang2002]

Bee Pollen helps see if you can get that.

wtrv.

Yeah, I know male bees have tiny prostates and never complain about BPH.

e

Ive had an enlarged prostate for many years. I dont like cemicals, so I went with saw palmetto. It worked wonders. Took 3 months to notice results. I used to travel to the states occasionaly, and would stock up. Now, I am here permanantly and ran out of saw palmetto 2 years ago. I was fine for about a year, then the symptoms came back.

Im considering going to the doctor to get a prescription (cardura, or whatever he suggests), and am wondering what others who have taken these drugs think. Do they work well? Any side effects?

I would like more saw palmetto, but the initial costs, plus shipping would be a bit too much for me.

[Carguy]

Ive had an enlarged prostate for many years. I dont like cemicals, so I went with saw palmetto. It worked wonders. Took 3 months to notice results. I used to travel to the states occasionaly, and would stock up. Now, I am here permanantly and ran out of saw palmetto 2 years ago. I was fine for about a year, then the symptoms came back.

Im considering going to the doctor to get a prescription (cardura, or whatever he suggests), and am wondering what others who have taken these drugs think. Do they work well? Any side effects?

I would like more saw palmetto, but the initial costs, plus shipping would be a bit too much for me.

If you have an allergy to Sulfa, avoid these drugs. I had a reaction after 3 days, ringing in my ears and a near total loss of hearing for a week. The Thai doctor and pharmacy both noted the sulfa allergy, then prescribed the drug anyway. A recent 'Doctor Oz' show revealed that guacamole actually did a better job of handling the frequent urination problem than the drug, as well as killing prostate cancer cells. I buy mine at Sunrise Tacos. Might as well have the best. Tops has a guacamole dip that doesn't even have avocados. They suspect a combination of boron and lycophene are the active ingrediants.

[Miami Bob]

A guy told me he found Saw Palmetto at a pharmacy in Kata, Phuket. He didn't say which one but if true at least we know it can be found here.

Edited March 11, 2008 by Miami Bob

[BigSnake]

Hear drinking warm water is helpful.

Edited March 11, 2008 by BigSnake

[BigSnake]

Regarding treating prostrate cancer. It appears questionable depending on your age see:

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080214/D8UPQSG01.html

THANK A VERYGOOD WEB SITE,