There are three main types of treatment for an enlarged
prostate.
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Lifestyle changes
If your symptoms are not having a big impact on your life and
you have no complications, the best approach may be to try changing
your lifestyle and wait and see how your condition develops. The
condition usually develops slowly and your symptoms may not get any
worse. Lifestyle changes, such as drinking less alcohol, caffeine,
artificial sweeteners and fizzy drinks may help improve
symptoms.
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Medicines
If lifestyle changes are not enough to improve your quality of
life, medicines may help control your symptoms. The main types of
medicine are alpha-blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors. You
may have both medicines together.
Alpha-blockers relax the muscles in the prostate and around the
neck of the bladder, making it easier to pass urine. They do not
cure an enlarged prostate but they can help to relieve
symptoms.
5-alpha-reductase inhibitors reduce the size of the prostate
gland, taking pressure of the urethra and making it easier to pass
urine.
Like any medicines, alpha-blockers and 5-alpha-reductase
inhibitors can cause side effects. These affect each man
differently, and you may not get all of the side effects. Read the
information leaflet that comes with your medicine for more
information, or speak to your doctor, specialist nurse or
pharmacist.
Some men find that herbal remedies help to control their
symptoms. However, we don't know whether herbal remedies affect
other medicines you may be taking. We need more research before
herbal remedies can be recommended as a treatment for an enlarged
prostate. Always tell your doctor or nurse if you are taking any
kind of any kind of herbal or complementary therapy.
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Surgery
If lifestyle changes or medicines do not control your symptoms,
or your symptoms are severe, your doctor may recommend surgery.
There are several different types of surgery available including
transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), holmium laser
enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP), transurethral vaporisation of
the prostate (TUVP), bladder neck incision, and open prostatectomy.
You can read more about TURP in our online fact sheet.
If surgery is not suitable for you, your doctor or nurse may
recommend a catheter to drain urine from your bladder.
You can read more about treatment options in our booklet, Enlarged prostate: A guide to diagnosis and
treatment.
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Questions
to ask your doctor or nurse
- How will an enlarged prostate affect my day-to-day life?
- What can I do to help manage the symptoms myself?
- What tests will I need to have?
- Which treatment would be most suitable for me? And why?
- What are the possible side effects of the treatments?
- How long can I take to decide which type of treatment I
want?
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