Are Pills the Best Solution for an Enlarged Prostate?

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by Teleflex Interventional Urology
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For the 42 million men in America affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH),1,2 a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate as men age, weighing the pros and cons of medication against the challenges of BPH is an all too familiar challenge to consider. BPH can cause a variety of challenging symptoms including urinary problems, interrupted sleep and loss of productivity.3

Despite the availability of alternative treatment options, results from two recent surveys of 1,000 men and 1,000 women over age 40 in the U.S. found that some men and women believe that BPH can only be treated with medication.*

Fewer than one in five men with BPH surveyed were told about minimally invasive outpatient procedures while nearly three in four men with BPH said their doctors discussed medication. With an apparent lack of awareness of available treatment options, it is no surprise that 54% of men surveyed who have BPH are taking or have taken medication despite widespread frustrations with its usage.

While BPH itself can cause a number of bothersome symptoms, symptom relief from medication can be temporary or inadequate.4 Like 25% of male survey respondents who said they are unsatisfied with the effectiveness of their medication*, David B., 51 years old, found his results to be disappointing and inconsistent. After a year of being on medication with only hit-or-miss symptom relief, his wife prodded him to seek out other options.

The Potential Downsides of Medication

Even when medication does provide symptom relief, side effects may cause men to discontinue taking their prescriptions.4 More than one third of men with BPH taking medication have experienced unpleasant side effects including headaches, dizziness, weakness or lack of energy (asthenia), ejaculatory dysfunction and erectile dysfunction.* This was the case for John B., a 62-year-old avid competitive runner who felt medication affected his training and running times, making him tired and sluggish. Just two weeks after starting the medication, he stopped taking it altogether and began to research other alternatives.

Sometimes, the reality of taking another pill every day or concerns about possible interactions with other medications is enough to dissuade patients from taking medication. Survey results confirm that most patients are interested in learning about alternative treatment options.*

Another Way to Treat BPH

The UroLift System offers BPH sufferers a different choice – a proven, minimally invasive approach to treating enlarged prostate with better symptom relief than reported for medication.4,5

The UroLift System is also the only leading BPH procedure shown not to cause new onset, sustained erectile or ejaculatory dysfunction.4,5,7 The procedure can be performed in an office setting under local anesthesia and patients can experience rapid symptom relief, recover from the procedure quickly and return to their normal routines with minimal downtime.5,6,†

With 200,000 men, and counting, treated to date, the UroLift System is an alternative to drugs for patients with BPH.** To see if the UroLift System may be right for you, speak to your Urologist or visit www.urolift.com and find a doctor near you.