Benign prostatic hyperplasia affects up to 80% of men in their lifetime. It causes bladder outflow obstruction, leading to lower urinary tract symptoms, which can have a large impact on quality of life. Lifestyle modifications and pharmacotherapy are often offered as first-line treatments for patients. These include alpha blockers, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, anticholinergics, B3-agonists, and desmopressin. While often well tolerated, these pharmacotherapies do have significant side effects, which both clinicians and patients should understand and discuss in order to make an informed treatment decision among alternatives. The purpose of this review is to provide a current overview of the risks and side effects of commonly used medications in benign prostatic hyperplasia management.
Prostate international. 2023 Dec 02 [Epub]
Abdulghafour Halawani, Ryan Paterson, Tianshuang Zhong, Katie Du, Runhan Ren, Connor M Forbes
Department of Urology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Department of Urological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Stone Centre at Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada., University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.