Prostate Health
This category covers medicines for an enlarged prostate and for male-pattern hair loss, two common concerns that share some of the same treatments. The two problems in this group share medicines but not doses, and each needs its own assessment before treatment starts.
Key points
- Two separate concerns share this group: an enlarged prostate and pattern hair loss.
- Alpha blockers ease urinary flow within weeks, while 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors shrink the prostate over months.
- Urinary symptoms need assessment first, because they have causes other than prostate enlargement.
Classes and ingredients in this category
- Alpha blockers such as tamsulosin and terazosin relax the prostate and ease urine flow.
- 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors like finasteride and dutasteride shrink the prostate and slow hair loss.
- Topical minoxidil supports hair regrowth.
Conditions it covers
These medicines are used for benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia. The same 5-alpha-reductase medicines appear in both uses at different doses, so the diagnosis decides the dose.
Further reading
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