I was diagnosed with enlarged prostate about 18 months ago. It was 35 grams. My urologist prescribed Avidart & Omnic. He said I would probaly require surgery at some future date. The size is now 28g. I went for a second opinion because I was not happy taking the drugs long term and the new urologist told me to stop taking the Avidart & Omnic. He gave me digital rectal examination and scan & said my prostate was only slightly enlarged, he then prescribed Tebetane. I have to go back in 4 mths. I am 55 and have never had a strong urine flow, I get up once or twice each night. Why do the two treatments differ so much, which urologist should I stick with ?
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Q: Second Opinion about Enlarged Prostate
Answers (2)
5/ 1/09 3:03pm
The drugs that you are taking are safe for long-term use. The treatments that you have been undergoing are actually not so different from each other. The first approach is utilizing medications that shrink the prostate (Avodart) and relax some of the muscular fibers (Tamsulosin) and allowing urine to pass more freely through the prostatic urethra. By utilizing this protocol your prostate actually shrunk in size to a more "normal" size prostate.
The second urologist substituted the previous drugs for Tebetane, a non-hormonal herbal preparation consisting of amino acids and plant extracts (pygeum africanum) that is not available in the US. There is no overwhelming clinical evidence that supports the use of this substance.
If your clinical symptoms improve on the Tebetane, then the obvious answer is to continue its use. Otherwise I would seek alternative therapy. If you are emptying your bladder well, than your physicians may consider the use of a drug from the anti-cholinergic category. These agents help to decrease the frequency with which your bladder contracts.
3/13/09 2:05pm
Hi AJB,
Good question. I'm passing this along to one of the doctors on our site. While we can't offer diagnoses or give advice, he should be able to offer some insight into why doctors might come to such different conclusions and recommend such different courses of treatment.
We'll let you know when a response has been posted.
-Dan
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