Alcohol injections as BPH treatment

Posted , 20 users are following.

This is from the Dailymail :

Hope for millions of men with enlarged prostates as scientists discover the gland can be shrunk with direct injections of alcohol

Injecting ethanol directly into the prostate could shrink it by more than a third

And it reduces how often men need to get up in the night to urinate

One expert said the pioneering treatment is 'excellent news'

'Ethanol injection can be an effective, non-surgical alternative in treatment of patients with [an enlarged prostate].'

The scientists tested the therapy on 60 middle-aged men by injecting nine shots of pure alcohol – ethanol – directly into their prostates through the rectum.

Their prostates were around 35 per cent smaller on average.

Doctors suggest this reduction is caused by the alcohol killing off unwanted cells, shrinking any swelling. 

And the men suffered from 48 per cent fewer symptoms, which can include difficulty urinating and needing the toilet frequently.

There were no severe side-effects of the jab, whereas some currently-used drugs can reduce men's sex drives.'

1 like, 59 replies

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  • Posted

    Hello Hank

    This is very interesting.

    Thank you. You gave me something else to research tonight. This would be a great thing for men with BPH. It would go down with the less evasive procedure. A new start. It would give men that want relief without having surgery or side effects.

    It could be used also for men that can't have surgery or men in there 80's or 90's.

    Thanks again...Ken

  • Posted

    Hey Hank

    Did some reading on this subject.

    I found out that something like this was around before. There was a trail done in 2001 but was done in a different way. It was delivered somewhat like the Rezum procedure through the urethra with a curved needle.

    There was also a trail done in 2017 in Venezuela on 19 men. There may be more still looking.

    They changed it to giving the shots through the rectum. You have to have 9 shots. But it does not say if it is because of the size of the prostate. They did say that injecting pure alcohol into the prostate can provide good results in unblocking the bladder.

    I'm going to see if I can find anything else out on this. It may be approved faster because the cost would be low and it could be done in the office. I may be sending a e-mail out to the doctor to see when it will be coming to the UK & US

    I am going to keep a eye out............................Ken

    • Posted

      Thanks Ken for following up. I think what's new is via rectum instead of via urethra as in 2001. It would be great if there are trials with this new approach.

    • Posted

      Hank

      No problem. I sent one email out. I am going to see if I can find the trail they did in 2017 and see what doctor are on there.

      I will let you know....Ken

  • Posted

    Injection therapy has been around for many years but finding a doctor that does it will take some work.

    Here is an article from the NIH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684358/

    There were phase 1 and 2 clinical trials but the results were not posted: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00037141

    I have asked urologists I've seen about this over the past 5+ years, none of them knew much (or anything) about it and were not offering it.

    This is the recent DailyMail article originally referenced:

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6535371/Injecting-alcohol-rectum-help-millions-men-enlarged-prostates.html

    If anyone has had this treatment, please post some information/details.

    • Posted

      Thanks for the links Tim. I know that it's been around and never did become popular. But it was mainly through the urethra. From the trial for this urethral procedure, results were very good, but with 7 days if catheterization, not so good. I am hoping that a new breakthrough in technology in rectum injection that has been used in FLA will make it real this time.

  • Posted

    A number of hoaxes have been seen here. Urologists are still in business.

    • Posted

      Thanks Lester. It's always good to have a skeptic around. 😀

    • Posted

      I am open to any ideas. I just won't jump in until there are more concrete tested evidence.

    • Posted

      Hank

      I know there has to be some truth in it.

      I read 5 articles on this subject in Urology newspapers that have been out for years

      Well have to just wait an see where it go

      All the best.Ken

    • Posted

      Hank, I have seen a lot of such reports and I was always right. I am 89 years old and the longer one lives the more one learns. Hope you can prove me wrong this time.

    • Posted

      Lester

      I'm happy for you that you have lived so long. We can learn from men of age. My Father died at 82 never had a prostate problem. I use to like to listen to him talk about the good old days. He was born in 1917. Been gone 20 years.

      But if this is true think of the men of your age that would be helped. I think no man should have to go through any surgery over 80 there is to much that can go wrong.

      This procedure would help many young and older men with there problems with less complication.

      Only time will tell. Lest hope next year will be good for all of us....Ken

    • Posted

      I am still learning and I would bet on you over me, being right this time. 😀 However, I wouldn't rule it out yet.

    • Posted

      Ken!!

      Reading your latest reminded me of my dad. He died at 67 from pneumonia following mistreated RT for bowel cancer that originated in bladder after BPH treatment. Earlier stomach ulcers resulted in the loss of two thirds of his stomach. Then they discovered anti biotics cured ulcers without surgery. Men seem to get poor outcomes from medical science. There is no proper data collection, little research or support.

      I was treated with Alpha blockers and 5ARI drugs for BPH 2006 to 2015. Medications and TURPs were the only treatments offered in Australia while many other treatments were widely in use overseas. Medications were risky and had consequences post RP. TURPs seem to generally be considered barbaric. My cancer (3+4) detecting MRI was not supported and not considered appropriate by our Federal Health in 2015. Though my surgeon was an expert in RARP the equipment was not locally available nor covered by government or private funds in 2015. In 2015 I was not even made aware of a different surgical option.

      3,300 Australian men a year die from Prostate Cancer. This is greater than women’s breast cancer fatalities. Funding for research, data collection and support is almost non-existent for us while the real and psychological loss is I think greater. The 5ARI drug I was prescribed is the government (PBS) option and would be prescribed to tens of thousands of men here. Our Database of Adverse Events comes up with only 6 prostate cancers (without Gleasons) over the years. Initial trials showed that 20% of men likely to be taking these drugs (PSA 2.5 to 10 and 8 negative hit biopsies) would progress to PCa over 4 years whether the drug was complicit or not. This all proves a complete lack of vital data to assist in decision making.

      5ARI drugs claim a 20% (sometimes) shrinking of prostates. This was not achieved in my case and I soon progressed to PCa. Though I was not made aware there was a possible cancer risk with the 5ARIs. In hindsight a possible 35% reduction without risk would have been the way to go. All these prostate decisions should be easier and governments must bear a substantial part of the blame for this.

      BarrieH

    • Posted

      Barrie

      So sorry about your father.

      I think a lot of stuff that happen is that we do not have the data and some doctor don't read up on what are the side effect of the medicine or the procedure. It is just the basic.

      We have had men on here that doctors have given them pills to help them and fine 6 months later that this pill that the doctor gave them was messing up there life. My mother died 33 years ago from blood poison. My mother was on pills all her life for all the normal stuff but she was under control. When he older doctor died she got this new doctor that did her wrong.

      He took her off all her pills. That her body with in a year it started to shut down. I think the worst was the water pill. Here body could not get rid of the water. She had a stroke 6 month's before. They said that she had gall stones. My father sign for the surgery. I still hear my mother yelling no. Her gallbladder was fine and she never woke up from surgery. She was in a coma for 4 days

      That is why I research any pill or procedure. With the injection I think that would be a good Idea but it was a round many years ago and never took off. They keep trying to get it going again. The only thing I have found out is that the procedure is being done in Brazil but can't find where. A man in Brazil wrote me and he can't find were either. I have tried for him but no answer.

      So we have to use what we have now. All I ask is do your research for yourself because you do not get all the information that you need from the some of the doctor. Your health is up to you.

      Good lick to all of you...............Ken

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