Tamsulosin/Flomax

What eye problems?

Dry eyes, blurred vision and alot of extra floaters in the eye. I have been off of flomax for 7 months and have notice a marked improvement in my vision. I assume since this is the only medicine I have quit taking then Flomax must have been creating some of, if not all, the eye problems. Hopefully it will continue to improve. 

interesting, thanks. I don't take Flomax but another alpha blocker (Prazosin) and have similar problems. PAE did not work for me I am one of the unlucky 15%

From drugs.com side effects for tamsulosin :

Ocular

Common (1% to 10%): Blurred vision

Postmarketing reports: Visual impairment, intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS)[Ref]

 

And Floppy eye syndrome that makes cataract surgery more difficult.

I'm very hesitant to take any meds, especially long term. With that said, tamsulosin has definitely helped my LUTS. I do have side effects (persistent cough and nasal congestion ) , so I am trying supplements and educating myself about PAE.

 

Tom, how did you find it was reducing it to every second day? Half life is 9-13 hours so I was wondering how it would be the day with no Tamsulosin? Were BPH symptons higher? More urination at night?

Was erectile function better the days off? How about ejaculation which is my biggest issue with Tamsulosin. No ejaculation at all sometimes.

KC,

I switched to every other day 2 weeks ago. Effectivess and side effects (cough and nasal congestion) are less on the day off, but it's tolerable. With every day, the side effects were really pretty bad. 

 

Also noticed that I needed to play with what time of the day to take it on the "on" day to get the most comfortable results.

And what was your experience on that? I normally take it just before bed, but I'm thinking a few hours before may be a better idea. I have to say the days I forget I usually know it the next day really quickly.

So far pretty much what you're thinking. I started out taking it just before I went to bed. What happened after a few days was that on the "on" day when I took it just before bed, the first time I got up to pee (maybe 2 to 3 hrs later) the tam hadn't kicked in, and I had a difficult time peeing. After that things were fine, but that's always a scary feeling ... My dad had to have emergency surgery for blockage, and I definitely want to avoid carrying on the family tradition. 

So I switched to taking it 4 hrs before going to bed. That fixed the first time up difficulty, but the sinus stuff now arrives earlier also, so I get congested in the early morning and often can't get back to sleep because of that. I'm going to try 3 and if necessary 2 hrs earlier to see if I find a sweet spot.

 

KCin,

At first I took two per day - made me very dizzy. Then, I reduced to 1 per day. Not as dizzy - no difference in urine flow. Then, I reduced to 1 per every other day. Even less dizzy - lightheaded. Urine flow still the same. Then, I just went off it entirely and after about 5 days all symptoms of light headedness gone. but urination difficult with burning sensation. So, I went back to 1 every other day. 

The tamsulosin stayed in my system for about 5 days - not 9-13 hours. I have no idea how this reduction in dosage would work for anybody else, but it works for me. Less is better.

If the sexual side effects are your issue, then you absolutely need to reduce the dosage to the minimum. Maybe this will help.

The best result would be to have the BPH symptoms treated with the least invasive procedure possible - PAE first, then Urolift next choice. One treated, you can get off any medication. 

We are all very different.

Tom

Thanks Tom, I'm going to give the every other day a shot. I only take .4 mg per day now. It's the sexual sides that bother me, so if I time it right and know when I am seeing GF, this might be much better. Unfortunately there is no PAE in Canada as yet. Could take years and they will likely look for any reason to not allow it. Our Government healthcare is really not as great as some think. I have time as I am 53 and still seem to get away with one pill a day.

I'm going to give that every second day a shot. I think I may try to offset the day with no tamsulosin with a kicker of cialis. Just my thoughts. It would work well if I'm timing it so I see the GF on the second night or third night before my dosage of Flomax. I love peoples thinking and providing new alternative ideas. Thanks again Rich 

Hi Tom86211,

We are all different and our bodies react differently to medications.  I think dosage adjustment is important to to evaluate the efficacy and minimize adverse side effects.   I do not use tamsulosin but if I did, and was experiencing adverse side effects; I would play with the dosage until I find the dosage that works for me.  Doctors are not helpful.  They either prescribe the normal dosage or increase the dosage.  For them there is no middle ground.

I read an article published by the FDA regarding Flomax for children age 2 to 16.  The article reads in part “Tamsulosin  HCl  Capsules,  0.025  mg,  0.1  mg,  and  0.2  mg  were  developed  to  provide  an  age-appropriate formulation for the pediatric population.  The capsules were formulated for US pediatric program.  Dosing of the investigational pediatric capsules was accomplished by opening the capsules and sprinkling the contents over a teaspoon of apples sauce or yogurt, followed by a spoonful of water.”                                   

Flomax for children was an investigational medication for elevated detrusor  leak point  pressure (LPP) associated with a known neurological  disorder  (e.g.,  spina  bifida).  Nonetheless, it means that Tamsulosin HCl not the CR version could be diluted with water or as listed above apple sauce or yogurt.

In other words, you could buy a good quality scale (Amazon has them) and weight the contents of the capsule and figure the dosage that works for you instead of interrupting you normal daily dosage.  You will have to play around until you find what works for your individual needs.

You can read the complete article at the FDA website.  http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/DevelopmentResources/UCM198020.pdf

Good luck!

 

 

Hi James,

      Thanks so much for your post. I've located the study and will look it over in the next few days. I had looked into using a lower dose of Tamsulosin. I had spoken to my urologist, and he said that splitting the capsules in smaller portions would not work as there was some kind of time release mechanism incorporated in it, and spliiting it would result in random strengths, sometimes very small, sometimes very large. The study at first glance seems to indicate otherwise, unless they were using a version that didn't have the time release. At any rate, this is very interesting to me and needs further investigation. Thanks again. (I will also post this reply at the other thread where you posted yours.)