On 2016-02-05 9:54 AM, Archer wrote:
Anyone using Alfusin (Alfuzosin)? How does it compare with
Avodart/Flomax etc in effect?
Flomax and Alfuzosin are both similar drugs (alpha-blockers) that relax
the muscles around the urethra, hopefully helping to alleviate frequent urination symptoms caused by prostate enlargement.
But they don't actually shrink the prostate.
Alfuzosin is a newer drug and generally has fewer side effects,
especially sexual side effects like erectile dysfunction and retrograde ejaculation, than its predecessors like Flomax and Rapaflo.
These drugs, when they work, work quite quickly, within a day or two, to alleviate symptoms.
Avodart is a different class of drug that actually, over time, shrinks
the size of the prostate gland.
It generally can take up to 6 months before any symptomatic relief is experienced.
This drug and others in its class work by changing the way that
testosterone propagates in the blood stream.
They are also prescribed for hair loss.
They also have the same potential sexual side effects as the alpha-blockers. [Note: None of the supplements normally recommended for BPH actually
shrink the prostate.
The only substances that do that are Avodart and sim.]
An alternative to the alpha-blockers is 5mg of Cialis daily, normally prescribed for erectile dysfunction, but which seems to also relax the
muscles around the urethra relieving BPH symptoms, although nobody seems
to know how or why it works.
So a viable strategy is to use Cialis and Avodart together, which
effectively mitigates the sexual side effects of the Avodart, which is
what I'm currently doing myself now.
In my case, it took longer than 6 months for the Avodart to relieve my
BPH symptoms at all.
Closer to 7 months in my case.
Symptomatic relief from day 1 on Cialis has been sketchy, sometimes
seeming highly effective sometimes not at all effective.
I've just gone through a period of about 12 months on both drugs where
during the last 6 months my symptoms were much more manageable than they
had before that.
But I've just had a week or so where my symptoms have come back
full-tilt and I'm not quite sure how to interpret that.
Although last night wasn't too bad.
[BTW In my case, the alpha-blockers actually make my symptoms worse
(which is another reason why I'm taking the Cialis instead) although my urologist has no idea why that is.]
Hope that helps.
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