Dr. Weeks Comment: Compliance ought not be a problem for these blokes!
Men who take medication for symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) may want to add an erectile dysfunction medication such as Cialis, according to recent research.
The erectile dysfunction (ED) medication tadalafil (Cialis) relieves some of the most bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms related to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), according to a recent study reported in The Journal of Urology (Volume 180, page 1228).
After taking no BPH medication for four weeks, 1,058 men were assigned to daily treatment with tadalafil at 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 mg or a placebo for 12 weeks. Their lower urinary tract symptoms were assessed using the standard International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Men who had taken finasteride within three months or dutasteride within 12 months were excluded from the study.
There was a statistically significant improvement in lower urinary tract symptoms for each tadalafil dose compared with placebo at four, eight, and 12 weeks. At the higher dosages some men experienced backache, muscle pain, and headache, but these side effects were uncommon. Most of the improvements in BPH symptoms occurred by week 8 and were similar to those associated with standard alpha-blocker therapy.
These findings are good news for men who find the side effects of standard BPH drugs intolerable and for those who have BPH and ED. If you fall into either of these categories, ask your doctor if you might be a candidate for therapy with an oral ED drug.