Avodart (dutasteride) is most often prescribed to treat symptoms resulting from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), more commonly known as an enlarged prostate. It may be used as a solitary treatment or in combination with another medication, usually Flomax (tamsulosin), to shrink the prostate and thus alleviate symptoms.

Treatment with Avodart is particularly useful in cases where there is a risk of the enlarged prostate partially or completely trapping urine in the bladder, a potentially life-threatening situation which can only be remedied by surgery.

Treatment is Important:

To some extent prostate enlargement is inevitable as a man gets older. Prostate size is largely influenced by certain hormone levels, particularly testosterone and its metabolite, dihydrotestosterone. The prevalence of these hormones changes naturally as the body ages.

While nearly all men experience prostate enlargement to some extent, it doesn't always cause serious problems. Many men will never even know they have an enlarged prostate. But for those less fortunate, symptoms worsen until they begin to interfere with daily life:

• Persistent bladder pressure
• Frequent urination
• Incontinence
• Sudden urge to urinate, especially at night
• Difficulty starting to urinate
• Painful urination
• Incomplete urination
• Inability to urinate at all

Symptoms are produced when the prostate swells to such an extent that it begins to close off the urethra, inhibiting urine flow. Left unchecked it may enlarge to the point that the bladder is unable to empty completely, dramatically increasing the risk of infection in the bladder or kidneys. In the worst cases, the bladder can't empty all -- calling for emergency surgery before the bladder ruptures.

Avodart works by limiting the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. Ultimately this shrinks the prostate without artificially lowering levels of testosterone, which is critical for male reproductive health. Treatment with medications like Avodart are often the only alternative to surgically removing the prostate.

Reverse Prostate Enlargement with Avodart:

Treatment with Avodart is simple and, more importantly, effective:

• 1 capsule is taken once daily with a full glass of liquid, with or without food.
• Capsules should swallowed whole; do not open, split, dissolve, or otherwise alter them.
• Improvements are usually noticed within 3 to 6 months, very rarely it takes up to 12 months.
• A small percentage of men do not respond to treatment with Avodart. If no improvements are felt after 12 months of use, alternative therapies should be explored.

Treatment with Avodart is typically long term. Cessation of treatment will likely result in continued prostate enlargement within 6 to 12 months.

Though this medication has not been tested or approved for other uses, many men also notice a reduction of hair loss and improved hair regrowth while using Avodart.

Important Precautions:

Avodart is a powerful medication, not suitable for everyone. To avoid potentially dangerous interactions, it must be used with care:

• Children and women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not use or even handle Avodart; it may cause birth defects and interfere with reproductive development.
• Though there is no evidence it increases the risk of developing prostate cancer, Avodart may interfere with detection during screening. Men with a history of, or at high risk of developing, prostate cancer should discuss risks with a physician.
• Patients with liver or kidney disease may not be good candidates for this treatment.
  
• Men should not donate blood while taking this medication, or within 6 months of taking the last dose. Doing so can cause serious complications in unsuspecting recipients.

Adverse Effects:

Side effects are quite rare with this treatment. A very small percentage of men do have some adverse reactions, though in the vast majority of cases the effects disappear over time even with continued treatment:

• Decreased sex drive
• Reduced ejaculate volume
• Erectile dysfunction
• Male breast tenderness

A few men did not experience reversal of side effects until treatment stopped.