Effects of Flomax

[Jim]

I am a prostate cancer survior, that is the good news. The bad news is that Flomax in no way has lessened my trips to the restroom during the day and especially at night and this is at one point taking two every evening. I'm deparately looking for another alternative to at least try. Are there any suggestions. Please send your thoughts/suggestions to "[e-mail] ".

Thank you in advance.

-Jim

[Stan]

This reply probably could have gone onto any of these forum questions.

I received relief from Flomax within one day. Not a total cure but enough to notice the difference. I also found on the first day that I had loss of ejaculation and complete loss of sensation during orgasm.

This wasn't a retrograde ejaculation. I had experienced that before and knew what it felt like. This was more of a case of the well being dry. As for the loss of orgasm, I still can't figure out how I knew I climaxed but I did know and felt absolutely nothing.

Told my doctor, who told me these symptoms weren't documented and it was probably from stress. Knowing he was wrong, I asked for a different prescription, which he declined to fill. Yes, I'm changing doctors.

I then spoke to the pharmacist who wasn't familiar with the symptoms but didn't rule out the medicine as a cause. His suggestion was to take it for a month and see if my body stabilized.

Having heard about the loss of muscular strength, I decided against that. I would up taking the Flomax for three days before discontinuing.

I decided to try herbals. I know herbals work but I also know they don't work for everyone. I've tried various herbals before for things with no effect {one exception: I get some benefit from echinacea if I take it early enough}.

So off I went to the vitamin section and picked up saw palmetto and zinc, two of the major ingredients in the over the counter prostate remedies. The zinc is 30mg; the saw palmetto is 450 mg capsules.

Taking pills is not a problem for me -- I take vitamins every morning anyway and being the big mouth I am, it's easy for me to take a bunch in a big gulp. So...1 zinc and 2 saw palmettos with breakfast, then two more saw palmettos with dinner {those are hard to remember so I keep the bottle on top of the stove, which can lead to some interesting cooking faux pas}.

I'm having excellent success with this approach. In my head, it feels like the three days of Flomax gave me a headstart and the herbals are maintaining the advantage I gained without any of the side effects, including strength loss. It's not perfect and sometimes it's not even good, like if I've been sitting down in the car for a long ride -- feels like my urethra has to unfold.

But for the most part, I'm in good shape. I won't tell you it will work for you and I won't even tell you to try it. Ask your doctor first, even if you think you know what he's going to say. Better still, ask your pharmacist. The doctor knows diseases, but the pharmacist knows meds.

I don't know if the brand is important but for the record, I used Nature Made zinc and Sundown saw palmetto, both available at CVS for us Florida guys.

Good luck. I hope you get the benefit I did.

[Ben Parkes]

I have been on Flomax for some 10 or more years (I am now 71).. I did have a prostate ream job which helped for a while but recently I have had to get up usually 3 times in the night (on a good night it was only twice) and I was generally not happy about everything ..

the medic says I am on the normal max dose & he wouldnt specify more I thought is this stuff doing any good anyway??

I stopped taking it ..

result .. get up only once in the nioght (from the time I stopped taking it , and other symptoms are no worse .. I can live with that.

[Tink]

Ben Parkes wrote:

I have been on Flomax for some 10 or more years (I am now 71).. I did have a prostate ream job which helped for a while but recently I have had to get up usually 3 times in the night (on a good night it was only twice) and I was generally not happy about everything ..
the medic says I am on the normal max dose & he wouldnt specify more I thought is this stuff doing any good anyway??
I stopped taking it ..
result .. get up only once in the nioght (from the time I stopped taking it , and other symptoms are no worse .. I can live with that.

I gulped three Saw Palmeto Berry extraxt captsules,
450mg at each meal for a year.(I still do) My urologist, at my exam following that year, said my prostate was smaller and softer than the year before. He wanted to know what I had done. I told him. He said, keep it up....(No pun inteded).....

[Paul]

Anybody here experience heightened sensitivity to the sun? I played three rounds of golf and had three episodes of what had the characteristics of sunstroke. When it was prescribed the doctor mention increased sensitivity to the sun and it affected me in spades.

[hal]

yes.looking at the ball i get a extreme glare back.and slight focus problem.In general sun is always glaring.

[Ken]

what is next in developing of enlarged prostate? Is taking Flomax regularly the only option to maintain the normal function and avoid night frequent and painful urination?

[Mary]

my husband had an enlarged prostrate along w/a tumor they have done radiation and have cut the tumor so that he can urinate more today they took the caterher out and he could only go very little is this unusal I know he is on flowmax they had to put the caterther back in and I am worried now they said that the laser surgery would work for him Thank you !

[Frank]

Uroxatral (alfuzosin HCI) is a new medication that helps with urinary problems in men. If Flomax is not compatible, you might suggest to your physician that you would like to try Uroxatral. It's not supposed to have all the side effects of Flomax but like any other medication, it will respond differently to different people. Ask for samples before you invest in a prescription.

[Wendy]

I started Flomax 5 days ago for a kidney stone and woke up tonight with really clammy skin. Has not gone away yet. Are there any other women out there who might have had similar problems?

[Angela]

I'm a woman & I took the Flomax for about 5 days for a kidney stone and I took it at night so I wouldn't feel any of the side effects like dizzy or nausea however, I did have horrible back pain & tenderness in my whole lower back after about the 3rd day it felt like I pulled a muscle or something. I also had been stuffed up with sinus which I've heard is also a side effect from other people reading this. I stopped taking it and both symptoms went away. It didn't help the stone come out any ways so I wouldn't recomend it.

[Kym]

My dad is 80. He has a psa done today and they tell him it is 61. Can you tell me what the 61 means. My husband has had them done and they are 2.9. What is a PSA of 61. Never heard them go above 10

[Traderjosie]

My husband has been taking Flomax for about a month now. Since taking this drug he has anger issues that he didn't have before.

Can someone tell me why this could be.