Something has to be done.

Natural prostate remedies or man-made prostate drugs? Which to choose? Let's take a look at the drugs, what they do, their potential side effects, and how long they take to work.

There are two types of prostate drugs for treating your prostate problem;

1) 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, (commonly known as finasteride) these actually shrink the prostate in volume, and there are a few; Proscar, Propecia, Fincar, Finpecia, Finax, Finast, Finara, Finalo, Prosteride, Gefina.

2) Alpha blockers, they relax the muscles at the neck of the bladder and make urination easier. Here are some that are used, Cardura, Flomax, Hytrin, Regitine, Minipress, and Uroxatral .

However, there are large quantity of side-effects that men experience with these prostate drugs, and one of the things you'll find if you surf the forums on the internet, is that many men experience problems that are irreversible. You just don't know what's going to happen until it happens. To be fair, some of these side effects of these prostate drugs will decrease over time, but in other cases they won't. To be honest, not my cup of tea.

So here's the list of side effects of these prostate drugs;

- Cardura - COMMON - Back pain, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, feeling of a whirling motion, flu-like symptoms, headache, indigestion, lightheadedness, nasal congestion, nausea, pain, stomach pain, swelling, tiredness.

- Floxmax - COMMON - Dizziness, unusual weakness, drowsiness, trouble sleeping, or runny nose may occur.

SERIOUS - fainting, vision changes, sexual problems (difficulty ejaculating, decreased interest in sex), fastheartbeat. in the unlikely event you have a painful, prolonged erection lasting 4 hours or more, stop using this drug and seek immediate medical attention or permanent problems could occur. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing.

- Hytrin - COMMON; Difficult or labored breathing, dizziness, headaches, heart palpitations, light-headedness upon standing, nausea, pain in the arms and legs, sleepiness, stuffy nose, swollen wrists and ankles, weakness.

LESS COMMON - Anxiety, back pain, blurred vision, bronchitis, conjunctivitis (inflamed eyes), constipation, decreased sex drive, depression, diarrhea, dimmed vision, dry mouth, facial swelling, fainting, fever, flu or cold symptoms (cough, sore throat,

runny nose), fluid retention, frequent urination, gas, gout, impotence, inability to hold urine, increased heart rate,indigestion, inflamed sinuses, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, itching, joint pain and inflammation, low blood pressure, muscle aches, nasal inflammation, nervousness, nosebleed, numbness or tingling, painful lasting erection, pain in the abdomen, chest, neck, or shoulder, rash, ringing in the ears, severe allergic reaction, sweating, urinary tract infection, vertigo, vision changes, vomiting, weight gain.

- Regitine - Acute and prolonged hypotensive episodes, tachycardia, and cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat). In addition, weakness, dizziness, flushing, orthostatic hypotension, nasal stuffiness, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may occur.

- Minipress - Dizziness, drowsiness, head pain, visible water rretention, heart throbbing or pounding, dry mouth, low energy, nervous, not feeling well. SERIOUS; angina, continued painful erection, trouble breathing, feel like throwing up, frequent urination

- Uroxatral - Dizziness/lightheadedness or headache may occur, decreased sexual ability occurs, unusual fatigue/weakness, joint pain, trouble breathing, stomach/abdominal pain, back pain. SERIOUS: unusually fast heartbeat, chest pain, a painful, prolonged erection.

- Proscar, Propecia etc... all contain Finasteride - COMMON - Feeling like you might pass out, swelling in your hands or feet, pain in the testicles, impotence, loss of interest in sex, or trouble having an orgasm, abnormal ejaculation, swelling or tenderness in your breasts, dizziness, weakness, headache, runny nose, skin rash.

SERIOUS; hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you notice any breast lumps, pain, nipple discharge, or other breast changes. These may be signs of male breast cancer.

If you are using any of these drugs and have experienced ANY of these side effects, contact your doctor. If it commons under the SERIOUS OR LESS COMMON title, then seek urgent medical attention.

Okay, not something to look forward to ... but don't despair there are other ways which I talk about in my other articles.

Here's HOW LONG these prostate drugs take to reduce your symptoms;

Cardura, Flomax and Hytrin etc... results are meant to be noticed within 1-2 weeks.

Proscar and Propecia etc... It can take a long time for the drug to show improvement in symptoms - 6 months to a year for complete results.

General Information;

- Hytrin - designed as a long-term medication, studies have shown it to be more effective than Proscar, despite Proscar actually shrinking the prostate and it's more widely publicised use.

- Proscar and Propecia have the good side effect of promoting hair growth (on your head, not on your back)

- Hytrin, Cardura are also used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure)

- Cardura, Flomax and Hytrin etc... advise not to climb, stand up quickly or drive when starting out on your doses.

- Proscar, Propecia etc... can damage a male fetus if handled by a pregnant female.

Well that was your overview of man-made prostate drugs, in my following article entitled 'Your Prostate And Alternative Prostate Remedies - Are They All They're Cracked Up To Be?' you'll see the other side of the coin.