What next?

How much Doxazosin are you taking a day ? You can try to increase it. Some people experience RE with it. About the lower libido, it is probably the finasteride.

Fairly safe procedures are Urolift, PAE, Rezum, and FLA. There are no guarantees they will work for you, however. Hank

I am also on blood pressure medicine (Valsartan - HCTZ) - 69 years old.  After about 12 years after my first BPH surgery (TUNA - needle ablation), by BPH returned (mostly increased night visits).  I was prescribed tamsulosin (Flomax).  Mild reduction in night time visits.  But, it reacted badly with my endurance.  In combination with the main blood pressure medicine, it was hard doing things.  For example, I enjoy jogging.  I couldn't do that.  Also, there was the retrograde ejaculation issue.  Many men have good results with tamsulosin.  I wasn't one of those.  While I then had success with a surgical procedure (urolift 1.5 years ago), there isn't one answer for everybody.  You'll see that if you read these forums.  Whatever you decide, good luck.  

I am 65 years old (married 34 years) and had the BPH condition, was completely blocked and was retaining 4 liters.  I had the green light laser procedure with Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez at Houston Metro Urology on July 19.  I highly recommend him and this procedure.  I am peeing normally now and feel completely healed.  I have the dry ejaculation (sperm goes to the bladder) but I don't believe that is avoidable based on how the prostate tissue has to be removed from the urethra.  I do have a relatively normal orgasm and there is some sperm that makes its way out - but not much.  The catheter after the operation for up to 3 or 4 days is uncomfortable for sure. I slept in a recliner for those days and took some sleeping pills so I could stay in one position all night which worked ( I normally sleep like a live fish on a dock - which makes it tough).  Anyway, I'm better now and recommend the procedure.  I'm not on any drugs and I like it that way.  Good luck!

Also, after finding I was retaining 4 liters, I began self-catheterizing to empty my bladder. While this was uncomfortable as well, it did give me complete peace-of-mind that my bladder was empty which was worth the discomfort of doing it.  Plus, I did not have to urinate between self-caths which was a also a relief - especially at night.  I did that 2 or 3 times a day for 4 weeks until my operation and measured and logged my "output" each time to completely understand how much urine I was producing and retaining after I peed all I could pee.  It was surprising but I also came to understand how my kidneys and bladder were working which also gave me great comfort and peace of mind.  An interesting stat my Uro Doc provided was that your bladder can comfortable retain up to a quarter of its "capacity" without causing a problem for your kidney's.  For me that up to a liter - which seemed like a lot when I self cathed.  That eventually went down to 500-600ml and I stopped self cathing about 3 weeks after the procedure. Self cathing after the procedure when the urethra channel has been freshly opened up was a little more uncomfortable also but was tolerable and - again - knowing that my bladder was emptying gave a peace of mind and a careful understanding of was really going on biologically. I just prefer that over depending on drugs and dealing with side effects.  I'm no masochist and don't have a high pain tolerance but I preferred this real, physical solution over drugs and side effects.  And it has worked for me. 

I have had the same issue.

Have your testosterone checked!

If it is low this may be your problem. I was low and now back to normal and my sex life has been Fantastic!!

Graham,

Finisteride is the drug that is lowering your libido.  It will continue for at least a year after you stop taking it and possibly be permanent.  My Urologist did not tell me that when he prescribed it for me.  I think many Urologists do not tell their patients about the long lasting effects of it, in fact they may not be aware.

Doxozasin is and Alpha Blocker so lowers blood pressure.  It relaxes the prostate and bladder neck, so can cause retrograde ejacualation (dry ejeculation).  It will also cause lackluster ejaculations since it relaxes the prostate. Fortunately the effects are temporary and will go away within a day of stopping the drug.  

A drug you can try in place of Doxozasin is Cialis, which is a drug similar to Viagra, so could improve your sex life.

If you want to get off all those drugs you could try CIC (Self Catheterization).  There are some good discussions about it, on this web site.  A good way to start is to get your Urologist's office to show you how and order supplies for you.

Thomas

As already mentioned NICE has passed PAE as a safe procedure so it is now up to local health authorities to fund it. Ask your GP if it is available in your area. If not ask for a referral to where it is. PAE is the least invasive of all the procedures and maybe exactly what you're looking for, a cystoscopy examination and excluding cancer as the cause needs to be established first, this should ensure the right procedure is offered.

Hi Graham, i am 62 and had bph and are much better now and definitely did not want turp! get off finasteride asap! dont believe what they tell you, my suggestion is start with a simple and cheap ultra sound of your prostate to help identify the exact cause of your issues, its wise despite your fears to realize prolonged use of drugs is not ony bad in so many ways but as mentioned by others your bladder and kidneys will be getting damaged while you postpone what maybe the inevitable, I left acting too late and now its taking a long time to hopefully retrain my bladder, in my case I had an enlarged median lobe as seen from the ultra sound and 9 months ago chose  FLA with outstanding results, no issues, no pain, no damage,no regrets,now life is a million times better, you will need to ascertain your exact reason for bph before doing anything else and get off finasteride asap all the best Brian.