{"id":31542,"date":"2021-11-19T07:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-19T07:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bensnaturalhealth.com\/blog\/?p=31542"},"modified":"2023-06-19T14:58:01","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T14:58:01","slug":"bph-medication-and-heart-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bensnaturalhealth.com\/blog\/prostate-health\/bph-medication-and-heart-failure\/","title":{"rendered":"Do BPH Medications Affect Your Risk of Heart Failure?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) is a common condition. It happens to older men. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The male prostate is the only gland for males who needs it to make male sperm and grow with age. If it grows too much, it can block the urethra, which means that there is no way for urine to escape the bladder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can lead to kidney failure and other problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical Treatment for BPH<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The typical medical treatment for BPH is either pharmaceutical drugs or a surgery called a TURP.<\/a> Recent studies suggest that the common medications used in the Western world for treating BPH increase the risk of multiple coronary conditions, such as heart failure, congestive heart failure, chronic heart failure, and other heart conditions, as well as high blood pressure<\/a>, all of which can increase the risk of other cardiac events.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A TURP is a procedure performed in a hospital or out-patient facility. Its purpose is to surgically remove excess prostate tissue that may be hindering smooth urination. It uses a cutting tool passed through the penis. It has numerous consequences and side effects, including surgical risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Medications to Treat BPH<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most common medications used to treat BPH in the US today are alpha-blockers<\/a>, such as tamsulosin (Flomax<\/a>) or terazosin<\/a> (Hytrin), and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, such as dutasteride (Avodart) or finasteride (Proscar), which are supposed to help shrink the prostate<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many doctors use a long-term combination of both types of medication to help relieve symptoms. Alpha-blockers relax muscles around the bladder neck and in the prostate, making urination easier. They also help lower blood pressure.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5-alpha reductase inhibitors block the conversion of testosterone to DHT and Estradiol, leading to inhibition of prostatic growth and lower prostate volume.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both drug types are used to ease symptoms of an enlarged prostate. But BPH medication comes with many unwanted side effects such as abnormal ejaculation and syncope<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, recent research has linked both classes of these drugs to cardiac issues and an increased risk of heart failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do BPH Medications Affect Your Risk of Heart Failure?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heart failure is a summation of several conditions involving the heart. It can include chronic heart failure and congestive heart failure, as well as numerous other heart irregularities that are not as heavily covered in the media as the above two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, there have been warnings that BPH medications alter the basic function of the male prostate. The alterations of the gland are often permanent and remain after the medication is discontinued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pharmaceutical community and the medical community tend to deny these reports. But, recent studies suggest that problems are far more serious than previously reported. Recent studies indicate that medication-induced heart problems may be widespread and are under-reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A study in The Journal of Urology<\/em><\/a> found a link between widely used medications for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH or enlarged prostate) and a small but significant increase in the probability of developing heart failure.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other BPH Medication Side Effects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Multiple past studies have conclusively shown that the drugs commonly used to treat BPH cause other prostate changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such changes are both cumulative and permanent. A few of these are common and listed below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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