Tamsulosin - side effects
Posted , 6 users are following.
Recently visited my GP here in the UK because I was becoming increasingly anxious about my peeing frequency. Over the past couple of years I had been getting up maybe twice in the night but I could live with that.
More recently I have been suffering with frequency during the day to the extent that on most days I could not go more the 2 hrs without needing to pee. This became more problematic and embarrassing on a recent cruise holiday where I had to duck out of a shore excursion because it was going to last around 4hrs and there was no guarantee that I would be able to find toilet facilities.
My GP did a DRE and announced that my prostate was only slightly enlarged - smaller than he would have expected for someone of my age (74). He thought there could be other things going on (eg bladder wall irritation) and ordered some bloods and a PSA test. He suggested trying Tamsulosin for a few weeks to see how things progressed and I am now in my third week of treatment (0.4mg/day)
Initial findings have been positive. I'm still getting up in the night but occasionally it has been just once rather than twice. During the day however I'm finding the frequency has dropped so that I can now go between 3 and 4 hours between visits. So all-in-all I'm fairly positive about the results.
However in the last week or so I have been getting quite painful knee joints. I generally keep fit and do a lot of cycling but this knee pain has come on recently and I can't explain it. Joint pain does not appear on the list of known side effects for Tamsulosin but I thought I'd reach out to see if any others on this forum have had the same experience.
0 likes, 8 replies
mike24933 arlowood
Posted
I don't think Tamsulosin is responsible for your knee pain. I was on it for about 6 years and never noticed anything like that.
derek76 arlowood
Posted
Incidence Not Known
•Blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin
•blurred vision
•confusion
•diarrhea
•difficult or labored breathing
•fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
•itching
Joint or muscle pain*******************
•large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs
•red skin lesions, often with a purple center
•red, irritated eyes
•sore throat
•sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips
•sweating
•tightness of the chest
Mr_President arlowood
Posted
flomax contains Tamsulosin .... I had dull pain in lower legs and back as well as retrogade ejaculation when on this drug.I Had a PAE in January this year and it has been very effective
Mr_President arlowood
Posted
flomax contains Tamsulosin .... I had dull pain in lower legs and back as well as retrogade ejaculation when on this drug.I Had a PAE in January this year and it has been very effective
tom86211 arlowood
Posted
Flomax is the brand name for the drug tamsulosin. Most common side effect is feeling light headed. It tends to lower blood pressure slightly. I used to take it every day, now every other day. It works by relaxing the tissues that allow you to pee. Sometimes it works too well, and I have had incontinence "accidents" taking it. It has a "half life" of several days, so you can adjust the dosage to suit your needs. The knee pain you are experiencing doesn't seem to be related to the tamsulosin, but you never know...we're all different. Stop taking it and see what happens. Then, start taking it again. Basically, experiment on yourself to see how you react.
Tom
arlowood tom86211
Posted
Hi Tom
Yes I've already read up on potential side effects but have not seen joint pain mentioned as a "known" side effect. Other than that I have not had any obvious problems during the 3 weeks of taking the drug.
I was thinking of stopping to see if the knee pain disappeared but as I'm on an initial trial period and only have a week or so to go before the capsules run out I thought it might not be long enough to get a real answer.
I'm due to see my GP at the end of the month to review the blood results and discuss my experience with the Tamsulosin. It may be that he decides to put me onto a more extended treatment regime where I will be able to "experiment" with stopping/starting to see what effect, if any, I get on the knee pain. I will also obviously mention it to him to see if he recognises my issues from his experience of others on the drug. He may decide to try me on a different alpha blocker.
Anyway I'm, so far, quite pleased with the results vis-a-vis peeing frequency and would probably want to continue with something similar. I am also presuming that once started on alpha blockers, I will have to continue with them long term to retain the benefits
derek76 arlowood
Posted
Three weeks is not long as the usual side effects are fairly gradual apart from BP dropping.
I once asked the practice nurse which was the most complained about medication Amiodarone or Bisprolol. She said Tamsulosin. I said Yes by men but she replied No by their wives.
lester19220 arlowood
Posted
Your leg pain is a separate matter. As we get older medical conditions start to develope. See your doctor.