At 65 years old, will I have to be on Avodart for life. I have BPH?I have just started taking Avodart, for 3 weeks and seen marked improvement. Will the prostate return to normal, so I can go off Avodart,
or will I have to take it for the rest of my life?
Do you have to take avodart for the rest of your life?
Question posted by doug45 on 1 Nov 2010
Last updated on 26 February 2014
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Answers
oisamoum
26 Aug 2012
Yes
suzanne66
1 Nov 2010
How long you continue with Avodart treatment will depend on how your body responds.
Prostate growth is caused by a hormone in the blood called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Avodart lowers DHT production in the body, leading to shrinkage of the enlarged prostate in most men. Just as your prostate became large over a long period of time, reducing the size of your prostate and improving your symptoms will take time. While some men have fewer problems and symptoms after 3 months of treatment with Avodart, a treatment period of at least 6 months is usually necessary to see if Avodart will work for you. Studies have shown that treatment with Avodart for 2 years reduces the risk of complete blockage of urine flow (acute urinary retention) and/or the need for surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia.
So in answer to your question you may have to Avodart for a minimum of 6 months and possibly up to 2 years.
https://www.drugs.com/avodart.html
Inactive
2 Nov 2010
Regarding Avodart, have you heard of any cases where a doctor saw some improvement (shrinkage in prostate size) and had the patient take it EVERY OTHER DAY instead of the standard everyday dose?
Dimitar
26 Feb 2014
Avodart or dutasteride is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. It stops the formation of DHT that is responsible for prostate hypertrophy. Avodart blocks both types of 5-AR and reduces blood levels of DHT by more than 90%. The truth is that you can reduce the dose by taking it every other day and the drug will still do it's job, but sadly you can't stop taking it or more importantly you shouldn't. If you're suffering from severe side effects you can try another drug called Proscar. It is also a 5-AR inhibitor but reduces the levels of DHT by about 70%. If the high price of Avodart is a problem to you, you can visit this site proscar.tictail.com . They are offering original Avodart for quite cheap. Hope my answer helps you
Related topics
avodart, benign prostatic hyperplasia (bph)
Further information
- Avodart uses and safety info
- Avodart prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Avodart (detailed)
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