A question to those who are taking Finasteride.

Men's health
1

Hi,

If you are currently taking Finasteride I would be grateful if you would share with me the following information:-

1) How long have you been taking this drug?

2)How long was it before you noticed any beneficial effect?

3) Do you suffer with retrograde ejaculation?

4) Do you take this drug in conjuction with any other drug for BPH, i.e Tamsulosin?

I ask these questions as I have been on Tamsulosin for about 2 years and Finasteride for five months.

When I first started with Tamsulosin I found some, almost, immediate relief with a better flow rate. But then, about five months ago, I had another episode of not being able to pass urine for a couple of hours, which thankfully passed. That's when I was put on Finasteride also.

With the Tamsulosin alone I had normal ejaculations but about 2 weeks after starting the Finasteride it all went haywire with totally dry orgasms. Very odd the first time it happens as I am sure you will agree.

So, I have been on Finasteride for five months now, how long, in your experience, does it take for them to shrink the prostate, as they are supposed to?

Is there anyone on here who has had total success with this drug? i.e. the easing/disappearance of all symptoms and if so how long did you persevere with it for?

Thanks for your time.

Best wishes.

2

I was on finesteride for almost 12 years continuously nightly and it did improve my symptoms. this was after a TUNA procedure for BPH.

Now I have recently undergone a urolift and am off the drug since Feb 20. It seems to be about the same with some improvement in flow and overall body strength. I think the finesteride may have affected my heart function but am not sure because of aging in general

3

I was on Tamsulosin for about 2 years and finasteride/Avodart for about 6 months.  I can't say my flow power was all that much better to be brutally honest.  I had "reverse ejaculations" which I did NOT enjoy.  Also after about 6 months of being on the "Avodart" I found I could go and go and go like the energizer bunny but just couldn't have a climax.  On Sept. 10th, 2014 I had a "PAE" and am now off both drugs.  Happy to say now that my "sex life" has returned to normal.  Have great climaxes and make my wife messy.  But its all good.  Still get up 3 times a night to pee so that didn't change.  Iam learning to live with it until something comes along with a  lot less side effects.  After reading about all the different types of "Turp" and all the repercussions and the "catheter" night mares Iam just going to keep doing what Iam doing.  Hopefully someday a procedure will be invented that actually works without all the nasty ugly side effects.  Take Care and Good Luck to You. 

4

There is a small percentage of people who have sexual side-effects after stopping finisteride or adovart.  That is now on the drug insert.  It could be weeks, months, or years.  When on both tamsulosin and finasteride, the chances of sexual dysfunction increases.

5

PAE ?   I should know but can you expand please?

6

What is prostate artery embolisation?

PAE is a non-surgical way of treating an enlarged and troublesome prostate by blocking off the arteries that feed the gland and making it shrink. It is performed by an interventional radiologist, rather than a surgeon, and is an alternative to a TURP (trans urethral resection of prostate) operation. PAE was first performed in 2009, and since then over 200 men have had the procedure performed predominantly in Portugal and Brazil. University Hospital Southampton has been offering a PAE service from April 2012 and is the first UK centre to perform this procedure.

Hope this helps Simon.

7

Hi Simon;  Yes, a "PAE" stands for "Prostatic Artery Embolization".  Its where the "Interventional Radiologist" goes in thru your femaral artery in your leg and with the use of a micro catheter device and camera "embolizes"  (closes) the arterys that go into the "prostate".  It shrinks (over a period of 6 months) the prostate by 20 to 25%.  Much less invasive than the "Turp" and all the other much more "radical" surgerys that are out there.  There have been several other discussions on "PAE" on this website which I think you can type in the search bar and read.  Take Care.

8

Thanks - if the time comes I may consider ....

9

Thanks ...

10

The various laser surgery options are much less invasive than TURP and do not have a long wait for a possible result like PAE. Urolift can only be a short term solution as no tissue is removed and the shifted tissue will continue to grow.

Laser for ones with a fast growing prostate like me is not a permanent solution either. I had Greenlight PVP for my 75 gram prostate in 2005 and by 2013 it had regrown to 130grams when I had Holmium laser surgery. This year my prostate is said to be 50 grams but although I complain about my flow and getting up in the night it is not causing obstuction.  

11

I took Finasteride several years ago for up to a year.  I got no benefit from it.  Then I was taking Terazosin (an earlier version of Tamsulosin -- which was o.k.  When I switched over to Tamsulosin, that was much better.  And then when I added Finasteride -- it was very effective in reducing my BPH problems.  And that kicked in promptly.  The problems were that the combo drained my libido and my energy.  Then when I stopped the Finasteride -- the problems started up again right away.

I opted to proceed with TURP surgery, which was more of an ordeal than I anticipated.  I have recovered a lot now, and I am taking no medications.  Am still getting up during the night some, but I think that will diminish over time.  

I prefer not taking medications.  I think I agree with Derek -- if you can get a less invasive laser treatment, that may be superior to the drugs.  But it is unclear how longlasting the benefits of the laser surgery will be.  A specialist may be able to be more specific about what it looks like in your situation.  I think that it depends in part on how old you are, how big your prostate is, the exact nature of your problems, and the expertise of the urologist you work with.  

12

My experience with about 3 weeks on Finasteride was I gained 10 lbs, began to grow serious breasts, and found it almost impossible to reach an organism, wet or dry. I'm off it now for about 4 weeks. My breasts are shrinking, my weight is beginning to come back down, and my organisms are very slowly returning to normal. Also, my swollen prostate symptoms are returning, so I'm exploring the other options, but I won't go back to that stuff again.

Neal

13

Hi Stephen

I was on Finisteride and Tamsulosin for 18 months prior to the TURP operation. I have RE and my semen is less viscous and darker in colour. I have stopped taking them after the operation as advised by my Urologist. I now have erectyl disfunction probably as a reult of the TURP operation. There has been slight improvements on getting up at night to pee down from 3-4 times a night to 1-2 but I have also stopped drinking after 7 pm and reduced caffeine I drink more peppermint tea and ordinary tea and no coffee. Regards Peter

14

I was surprised when the urologist who did my PVP in 2005 told me that he had done a 120 gram prostate for a Guy in his 90s. It's a very gerntle operation he said.

I certainly found it so. As I have said in my posts mine was done on a Friday afternoon. I travelled home by train on the Sunday and went to the Races on the Monday and had to remind myself to go to the toilet before before coming home . Life was back to normal apart from stinging and a spurt of red at the start of urination. No Retro, no more urgency, no retention but still getting up at night and not as good  flow as I expected. It was that Uro's eighth proceure.

The Holmium laser procedure caused more bleeding and I went home with a catheter and got an infection that both delayed recovery.

This time retro and still getting up in the night and again for no reason a slow flow much of the time. 

15

Thank you for your input Neal.

Sorry to hear of your experience with Finasteride, and in such a short period of time. Clearly your body 'wanted none of it' and reacted appropriately. Just goes to show how different we all are, despite being the same.

Let's hope you can find something which helps you soon.

16

Hello Peter,

Good to hear you are no longer on these drugs.

Sorry to read that your TURP has resulted in erectile disfunction. There always seems to be a downside to these proceedures.

Do you find peppermint tea has any benefits or do you just drink it because you enjoy it?

Best wishes

17

Hi Stephen

I take peppermint tea instead of coffee not becauae I enjoy it but it has no caffeine and according to an NHS leaflet I was given after TURP operation is that caffeine drinks should be avoided best to drink water and caffeine free drinks such as peppermint tea. Regards Peter

18

Did they mean those instructions forever or just post op.?

Peppermint is good for the digestion as well

19

Iam thinking about a TUNA procedure if my sysmptoms don't improve. Was it effective and did you have to go back for another?

Thanks

20

Thanks for your comments. If you read the side effects, all the problems I had are apparently to be expected. I am trying to decide between Urolift, the prostate artery embolism (PAE), and the Holo procedure. Does anyone have pros and cons to share about these procedures, or others?