Watchful waiting, or simply observing the patient and making sure no kidney or bladder problems develop is a reasonable choice for patients with minimal symptoms, or medical conditions that make treatment too risky.

Medications are often used if a patient is having more bothersome symptoms, but his bladder is still emptying fairly well, his kidney function is good, and he does not want to undergo any procedures or surgery. There are a variety of drugs or medical therapy from which to choose.

Alpha blocker are drugs that help relax the muscles in and around the prostate gland and can relieve mild to moderate symptoms. The older drugs include Hytrin and Cardura. These drugs had side effects of dizziness and had to be titrated to the right dose so newer drugs like Flomax and Uroxatral are more often used. These newer drugs are a single dose, often relieve symptoms after only a few doses, and do not have the side effects often seen with the older drugs.

Another category of drugs includes Proscar and Avodart. These drugs relieve symptoms by shrinking the prostate. These drugs are very effective but can take 9-18 months to create enough shrinkage for symptom improvement.

Alternative Drug Therapy
Many patients are turning to vitamins, herbs and natural remedies for BPH and other medical conditions. Since these supplements are not studied, regulated, or approved by the FDA we would invite you to visit www.cancer.org or visit the National Institutes of Health web site on alternative therapies at www.nccam.nih.gov for more information