I went back to 5mg Daily Cialis about a week ago to see if it could get me through some of the humps I sometimes have initiating a void.
While it did help some, on day 3 or 4 I started getting pains in the muscles of my buttocks, legs and back, primarily at night time. They were significant enough that it interfered with my sleep so after three nights of pains I stopped the Cialis. After two days off the Cialis things are getting back to normal. Some online research shows I am not alone in this, and I also remember a recent post here with something similar.
What's interesting is that I've been on 5mg Daily Cialis before, for as long as two months, and never experienced this kind of pain. One thought is that I had a beer both of those nights, but I'm sure I must have had a beer when I took it before, although can't remember.
Other side effects included heartburn, slightly blurred vision, a little congestion and head pressure. All of which were manageable or minor enough that they didn't really intefere with much. The muscular pain was something else.
I may experiment with Daily Cialis in the future to see if this repeats but to be honest I'm apprehensive. It was not a lot of fun.
Wondering if anyone else has had anything simliar on 5mg Daily Cialis.
Jim
Jim, did your hesitancy just appear recently, or is it just getting worse ?
I had Cialis for 30 days and did not experience any bad side effects. Hank
I just started Cialis about 5 days ago. So far ok. I will let you know. I am taking avodart also while waiting to see if Dr Schlapoff can do a PAE on me. I just had the exams which were A CT scan with dye. A whole bunch of dye injected by a machine. An mri with dye. and an ultrasound of my left arm. Evidently some people only have one artery feeding their hand. I have two really good ones. The mri tech had to get a guy to squeeze really hard to "blanch" my hand. PAE done through the arm can result in possible loss of a hand if a single artery blocks.
Dr Schlapoff is taking his time and checking and conferring with colleagues, including some tame urologists.
No. I'm pretty good. I empty completely most of the time and have the IPSS score of a 20 year old! It's just that every once in a while I can't initiate a void, so I have to self cath. That could be once a day or once every three days, or once a week. It depends on various factors such as fluid intake, sodium intake and activity level. That said, I like to experiment, so have tried different things to try and get over that occasional hump. What seems to work, but not always, are exercising just prior to voiding and now Daily Cialis, except that I probably won't be taking Cialis anytime soon! The other meds I won't take because of the side effects. Of course, fluid management makes a difference, but I'd rather cath every now and then rather than forgo that beer! And while Chips can get me through the night, not great for my blood pressure!
Jim
Get the real stuff or generic? Different generic manufacturers use a slightly different formula sometimes. They alter the inactive ingredients. Pharm we use changes generic manufacturers almost every other time I get a script filled. Sometimes they work alot better than others. pharmacist told me it depends on the deals they get. They are offered large rebates for ordering large quantities from some companies. One time my Omeprazole will work great. Other times it's useless.
Brand name purchased from major U.S. Drug Chain. I think they may be from the same bottle I used a couple of years ago, not 100% sure. At that time, no muscle pain. The pills are expired but I don't think that's it. Other than the muscle pain, they worked as before. Could be the beers, but I'm pretty sure I must have had a beer last time. Anyway, not in the mood to test that right now after losing a couple of night's sleep! As I mentioned, there are multiple forums on the internet mentioning my exact same symptons, so I guess I'm one of the unlucky ones. May try again down the road or perhaps Viagra or Levitra, where those particular side effects reportedly aren't as common.
Jim
I've also had uneven results from PPIs, in my case generic Nexium. However, lately, I take OTC Prilosec (omeprazole) and get great results even at the OTC dose. In fact, I take the Prilosec while using Cialis, otherwise I will get heartburn.
Jim
Jim, I guess what you have is not hesitatancy. The hesitancy I have happens almost all the time, unless I wait until my bladder is full. I usually get the flow started by a few seconds of penis shaking or stretching. Upping my Doxazosin will solve it also, but I face with two other potential side effects: low blood pressure and occasional leakage.
Hank
Not sure what it would be called. It starts out like any other urge to urinate, but within a second or so of standing there I will know if it's coming out or if it won't. And if it won't absolutely nothing comes out, not a dribble. It's AUR. The "penis shaking", or other reflex aids like running water, are sometimes helpful starting the flow, but not in this case. Most of the time I could solve the problem by just walking around for five to ten minutes, but a the middle of the night, I'd rather just cath. I do think the Daily Cialis helped in that regard -- only cathed once in five days -- but no way I will continue with the muscle pain. Doxazosin or Flomax would probably help in a similar fashion, but I would prefer the occasional CIC to taking meds. Some of the yoga Bandhas also seem to help but not every time. As mentioned, this happens less than once a day so really no big deal. The rest of the time I empty almost to zero and voids are usually 250ml with my normal hydration and 300-400ml if I hydrate the way I probably should.
Jim
I'll also add that sex may effect those episodes in a negative way, but not all the time. What's going on here could be some prostatic inflammation. Just enough to close down the circuit, in a similar manner to a very full bladder. You also mentioned constipation. And while I'm not generally constipated, I'm sure many of us with obstructions void slightly better with an empty colon versus a full one. So there are lots of variables and a very fine line in my case between a nice full stream and a no go. No doubt it's the obstruction, but my bladder has been rehabbed to the point where once that obstruction is overcome, voiding is normal and pretty complete. That's all due to CIC.
Jim
Lastly, if I wanted to pursue this more scientifically, I could take my own advice, and have video urodynamics done. However, logistically, I would have to be able to duplicate the "no go" situation and have it compared to a "go" situation. This could involve a lot of time at the urologists office, assuming I could find one willing and patient enough to wait for an event that may not be easy to duplicate on demand. That said, other than academic, not sure what would be the point since the only solution would probably be some sort of prostate reduction. And honestly, if I was having real issues, I'd be considering it. But with an IPSS score in the "mild" range, why risk any procedure because there is always the possibility you will end up worse. We see it here all the time. You know where you check off on the bottom of the IPSS sheet whether or not you are OK with your current condition for the rest of your life? Of course, I'd prefer not to cath at all, but I can honestly at this point answer "yes" to that question.
Jim
Tryed Viagra years ago. Couldn't take the side effects. Stuffy nose, bad headache.
You and I share the same dilemma: not bad enough symptoms to pursue surgery, yet. I also have mild IPSS score, even though I am cheating with meds. Hank
Nothing else is obvious, I'd considered constipation seriously. It is usually underestimated. In my case, I don't need to be completely clogged up. All I need is a slow moving colon to cause problems, under a marginal situation. Hank
I have been taking half a diuretic pill daily for the last 8 months for retention. It works great without side effects. No need to cath.
I've been on cialis for maybe 9 months. I don't get muscle cramps but have blurry vision. Of course I'm 60 so maybe I just need glasses. No other side effects.
I had the leg cramps when I was taking 5 mg, I am now taking 2.5 mg daily with no side effects but it is not helping with nightly toilet trips, so I am thing of going back to the 5 mg. How long were you taking it before the pain started?
Hank,
I can rule out constipation as the sole cause because I've had the issue on an empty colon as well as with a full one. This is not to say it couldn't be one of the contributing causes along with a very full bladder, inactivity, uneven sodium intake, mild prostatitis (inflammation), etc. The combination of variables is such that even Sherlock would be stumped. In most probability the reason is simply an obstructing prostate, that most of the time isn't obstructing to the degree where it causes symptons, given my rehabilitated bladder. However, when one (or probably) a combination of variables increases that obstruction, then I get my issue. Or, it could be something else 
Like I mentioned, video urodyamics might offer another clue, or not, but since I'm not motivated to fix what isn't really all that broke, I'm not in a rush.
Jim
This sounds like a bladder issue more than a prostate thing. Prostates stay the same size in the short run, so if something occasionally won't fire, its probably in your bladder. If you're OK with using Cialis, but the side effects aren't worth any relief, have you considered Alfusozin? When I took it I had absolutely no side effects and the research says about 80% who use it fall into that camp.
I'm not sure how much impact any of these meds have on the bladder, but its worth a try. If it doesn't help or causes unacceptable side effects, you can always stop taking them. I think you'll know within a week or two if its helping. This may be more than you're up for, but that stimulation implant the JerseyUro mentioned sounds like it might help too.
Have you ever had your prostate measured? Do you know how big it actually is?
Diuretics can help with retention and if timed correctly help with nocturia (night time urination). That said, my problem isn't exactly retention (I empty completely) and not sure they would have the same muscle relaxant effect on my prostate and bladder as would a med such as Flomax or Cialis. But thanks for the suggestion, because you never know.
Curious, which diuretic are you using and what dose?
I used to take low dose hydrochlorothiazide for blood pressure but did have some dizziness, especially in warm weather. However, if I can't get my bp a big lower with diet, I may try a low dose again and see if it helps with my issue.
Jim