Lowering PSA

What do you take to lower your PSA ? After my UTI, my PSA level was at 12 in November, December 8,1; January 8; February 7,9.

My GP told me that my PSA was high due to the UTI. I am on active surveillance for my BPH and I have to have a blood test for my PSA every four months and a biopsy every 3 years. I have seen today the Specialist Nurse in the hospital  and has booked me for blood test (PSA) in September. I don't know if my PSA is high or not, I would to know what I can take to lower my PSA.

Finasteride and its cousin, dutasteride, will shrink prostate and lower PSA. You need prescription for them. Hank

Read about the side effects first. However large prostate equals high PSA. My PSA was 9.8 when my prostate was 75 grms. After my last laser surgery it was 0.74. 

Bruno,

Avodart usually cuts the PSA in half.  However Avodart can have the side effect of reducing libido, and the effect may last months or years after stopping it.

When you have your PSA checked you should avoid sexual activity for several days before, because it can cause PSA to be artificially high.  Also avoid any aggravation to the prostate, like riding a bike, for several days.

Thomas

In England they no longer use PSA as an indicator. My PSA has been around 12 for a few years and BPH condition stable. My Canadian urologist said that Americans are too concerned about PSA levels. 

I second this. While PSA is usually reflection of the size of the prostate, other condition, like UTI can increase it artificially.  In my case, I got muscle inflammation immune system issue (PMR) which pushed my PSA from ~9 to 24 level. Now that PMR is managed properly, PSA is falling. It is thought that PSA test causes more unnecessary biopsies and is misleading. What is important is the trend. As long as PSA is stable or falling, one should not be concern.

Have you already had a biopsy?  In any case, random biopsies are officially obsolete.  Get an mpMRI (multi-parametric MRI).  That's the gold standard now to determine if you have non-indolent prostate cancer.

After two negative random biopsies, one in 1999 (negative) and one in 2005 (negative) and a slowly rising PSA to about 8, over a 16 year period, I had an mpMRI in 2015 when my PSA suddenly leaped to 14, and it produced a PI-RAD score of 2 (where 1 is most probably benign, 5 is most probably malignant and 2 is probably benign)  A few weeks after the scan, my PSA dropped back down to 8.

I'm not aware of anything to ingest or inject to specifically lower the PSA.  I exercise, and have a great, mostly vegetarian, organically grown diet.  That improves everything.  And I'm 76 y.o.

Harvey in S. Calif.

Oh, when I wrote that I was unaware of ingesting or injecting anything to lower PSA, I was thinking of food.  I never consider medication for anything except antibiotics for infections, and anything else didn't even occur to me.  I depend on food and exercise.  Try blueberries. smile

Bruno, you don't mention your age.  The US Nat. Inst. of Health cited a European study published in 2014 (I think) that 1000 men (55-69), their PSA levels, and whether they developed cancer and died over a decade.  You can probably find the results online.  For the vast majority of us, watchful waiting is probably the best course.  My US-based urologist suggests its the change in PSA level that is a better indicator whether more investigation has to be done rather than the absolute.   Good luck on your journey to manage this.  You are not alone.

I can confirm the elevated reading after sex.  The only time I was over 4 was when I had a blood test the day after sex.  My urologist told me the average 70 year old has a PSA of 6.  A year ago at 68, mine was 3.1 so he said mine was very good.

Sex and anything else that stimulate you prostate puts up your PSA including riding a bike or more obviously a DRE.

If a DRE is obvious what about self catheter (CIC) ? Does anyone really know?

Thanks Thomas,

The nurse told me yesterday to avoid sexual activity for 3 days before biopsy and no riding.

Take a stool softener as well.

Bruno,

Do you really need a biopsy ?  Your PSA was high due to a UTI but since then it has dropped to 7.9.  I don't know much about that area because my problem is BPH, but there must be people on this web site who can comment about your PSA levels and biopsy.  If they want to do a biopsy the old way with random sampling, the biopsy itself can cause problems, like infection and hemorrhaging .  If you have to do a biopsy look into the mp3TMRI imaging followed by an MRI guided biopsy.  It is much safer and less painful.

Thomas

I had an infection after my first one and  an infection and haemorrhaging after the second one that involved 16 needles.

Hi Harvey,

 I have had my biopsy in May. I have changed my life style like you (diet and exercise). After the RMI, the consultant told me that my prostate is abnormal and asked to have a biopsy. I am on active surveillance for my prostate, my risk of cancer is very low.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Bruno

Bruno.

Was your UTI an infection in the prostate? Because if so, it might continue to remain elevated even after infection is treated. On account of inflammation of prostate, known as "prostatitis" This is a bit complex because there are 4 type of "postatitis". It's not clear exactly how--and by how much-- each can raise the PSA.

But for inflammatory prostatitis there probably are things you can ingest to lower the inflammation and thereby lower the PSA