Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Patient Information Fact Sheet

How is BPH treated?
If symptoms of BPH are interfering with your life, there are several drugs your doctor can prescribe to try to improve them. Alpha-blockers are a type of drug that relax the muscle in the urethra, opening up the tube and letting urine flow out more easily. This type of medicine works within weeks. Examples include alfuzosin (Uroxatrol), doxazosin (Cardura), silodosin (Rapaflo), tamsulosin (Flomax), and terazosin (Hytrin). A group of drugs known as the 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (eg. dutasteride [Avodart] and finasteride [Proscar]) may also be used to treat BPH. With this type of medicine, at least six months’ treatment may be necessary to assess whether a beneficial effect has been achieved. A combination tablet containing the alpha-blocker tamsulosin and the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor dutasteride (Jalyn) is also available.

Some men with BPH suddenly find they are completely unable to empty their bladder, even though they feel like they want to urinate. If this happens to you, you may need to go to hospital so that a catheter or tube can be inserted into your bladder to let the urine flow out. You may need medication (as described above) or an operation to relieve the blockage. The most common operation for BPH is a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). Under anesthesia, an instrument is passed up the tube toward the bladder, and part of the prostate gland is removed from the inside. 

Will BPH affect my sex life?
There is no reason why you should not continue having sex. BPH is unlikely to affect your sex drive. However, if you do experience problems, you should always see your doctor.

Self-Help

• If you need to go to the toilet often, don’t drink before going to bed, an important meeting or event, or when traveling
• When going to a new place or traveling , try to locate where the toilets are as soon as you can, in case you need them quickly
• Keep a note of the number of times you have to go to the toilet, especially how often you have to get up during the night to urinate, in case your doctor asks for this information
• Take all medicines exactly as directed by your doctor and do not share them with anyone else

Further information
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov

Last Reviewed: May 2013