Enlarged prostate.

Hi Unckle,

Glad it's working for you and def let us know how much your prostate shrunk if any. 

If you're interested in the article I mentioned, try googling this:

"Hair loss and prostate drugs linked to persistent erectile dysfunction in men"

-- Jim

Hey jimjames I just posted part of the article I found. 

I don't think fernasteride will shrink it that much but I think it has helped. We'll see when MRI gets done

I was wrong

I have not been able to find the article saying fernasteride did not cause a slight increase in high grade cancer. Actually it looks like the warning labels are still saying it.

I read it on rxlist and doc told me it was possible. But they tell you every possibility to cover them selves.

I found a John's Hopkins article says Whether the drug actually causes high-grade disease or merely helps find it, says Walsh, the fact remains that when men on finasteride are diagnosed with prostate cancer, they are more likely to have dangerous, high-grade disease.

Playing devil's advocate here, not a fan of finasteride at all (tried it for 6 mos, and discontinued when it didn't help LUTS symptoms), but wouldn't that be a good thing if it helps find high-grade PCa that had been there?

My PSA was never elevated. Finasteride didn't help at all. Tamsulosin did nothing. Surgery was inevitable. I had it done. Biopsies showed no cancer. Others have said it helped them. For me it didn't. I stopped taking it cause it wasn't working. Figured why take a pill and pay for a pill that doesn't work. Plus having to get PSA blood work every 6 months to monitor it's effects on that. If it's shows cancer sooner that's a good thing. If it causes cancer, that's bad. It's a individuals choice I guess.

I wonder if by shrinking the prostate, finasteride (Proscar) results in finding more cancerous lesions in general. That is, if the prostate is reduced by 25% or so, it would allow less chance of missing tumors during a typical 12-core Bx.  I don't understand the correlation with high Gleason score cancers (8, 9 or 10).  That is concerning and prevents me from really considering finasteride to relieve BPH symptoms at this time. I would think anyone on finasteride for the long term should be diligently monitoring PSA levels (after establishing a new baseline as the drug essentially halves total PSA value) and have mp-MRI 3T to rule out or confirm clinical cancer.

I wonder if by shrinking the prostate, finasteride (Proscar) results in finding more cancerous lesions in general. 

That was one hypothisis I read. I taken fernasteride for one year and it bought me time. I do believe it has shrunk my prostate. Just the potential of taking a drug to reduce prostate size kept me from having surgery right away. I'm tankfull for that. I realyy don't like taking meds so the sooner I'm off it the better

I was told fernasteride reduces your PSA levels so it may mask a problem

 

Uncle ;    Sir  - I perused  your reply posted about two days ago .  I have  started taking Dutasteride as prescribed by the Urologist. It been about Eight Days now ... No side effects so far ... ( In addition he has prescribed  Alfusozin,( ( I have  taken for 30 days) and Urotone ( taken for Twenty days).  My enlarged Prostrate is  about 65 ..   PSA  Test result is  1.06 (Total PSA).  However with   above  Medication  there is perhaps no improvement /  NO REDUCTION in  frequency  of  trips to washroom.   Just  wonder   how long  should I  continue  Alfusozin and Urotone ?  

Because  as I understand Dutastreride --- one has to take for  couple of months 

That Said  it is  reassuring to know from your Post that  You are pretty sure  your Prostrate has Shrunk ...  Which means  There is Reduction in Trips to the  Washroom  ? 

. 

Could be mistaken, but a shrunken prostate potentially makes it easier for 12-core biopsy needles to find an agressive "hit."  The question begs:  "Do 5-AR Inhibitors" (Brand: Avodart (generic: dutasterid) / Brand: Proscar (generic: finasteride) increase the risk of aggressive PCa?  Or ... has aggressive PCa been under reported all along?  In other words, the two aforesaid drugs may have made it easier to find aggressive PCa.  Hope this helps.

But, if you already have aggressive PCa, and don't know it, is it a good thing to let it go another year or so waiting to see if the finasteride works before doing anything to find out if you have it? Catch 22 cituation.

I can tell you this. Before getting on these drugs, urgency was a big factor. I would pee before I left work. Its a 35 minute drive home. I always had to pee again by the time I got home. Some days I would stop at McDonald's to pee because I couldn't hold it that last 10 minutes. I peed my pants a few times. My biggest issue was bleeding. I would go pee and blood would come out. Not piniskish, or redish urinene I mean blood. Very large clots. The first time it happened it lasted for 10 days. I had a second episode about 3 months later. Same thing lots of blood when I peed. Thats when I started fernasteride. I've had shorter duration, less blood episodes about every 3 months. No rhyme or reason for it. I've been scoped and scanned so I'm pretty sure its nothing deadly. My therory is that the fernasteride has shrunk my prostate enough that my bleeding episodes are shorter and less bloody. Of course all I have to back that up with is anecendotal evidence. Maybe what ever was bleeding just healed up over time, I don't know. Some times I think I don't want to upset the apple cart by having surgery. Maybe surgery will start the bleeding all over again.  And uros dont really seem to care about finding the source of the blood. They just want to do surgery. Prostate won't bleed if we hollow ut out  So much to think about. . 

My dad had that problem. Took them to long to figure out the blood was from his kidneys. Not his prostate. By then he had very progressed kidney cancer. They treated. Remission for a couple years. Then it came back

Well I have a 30mm spot on my kidney. It hasn't grown and doc says because my clots are big blobs and not long and stringy that the blood isn't from kidneys. Who know if they're right.

Hope it's nothing unckle

Dear Alan :   I  perused  Your  recent  Reply to Unklefester;  Appears  somewhat Paradoxical--- On one hand   Websites are mentioing that  taking  Dutasteride over  a long period  -- can cause Cancer ;  On the other hand someone who  suspects that he  is  perhaps having Cancer (latent) -- continues  with  taking Finasteride  , in the hope  that  perhaps his condition would improve ...  What I am  Driving  at  is   ----> ,,  Are there any Instances where  Prolonged Intake of Dutasteride ( say  six months / One year)  has   caused Cancer  ?  Or  any research Findings  that Dutasteride / Finasteride  have Actually caused Cancer  Pls ? ..,