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Post radiotherapy medication

User
Posted 14 Jan 2024 at 12:06

My husband is now taking 4 medications prescribed since he had radiotherapy to help with his bladder control. He paid over £30,000 to have 5 targeted radiotherapy treatments which we understood would help prevent bladder problems.

I am very concerned as he is still suffering from so many bladder problems that he never had before the radiotherapy and all these medications have not helped a great deal.  He has Atrial Fibrillation and his balance seems to be getting worse & his life is being made miserable.  Is anyone else taking all these meds?
Solifenacin

Tamsulosin

Mirabegron

Finesteride

 

User
Posted 15 Jan 2024 at 04:32

Solifenacin and Mirabegron do the same thing - reduce the tone of the bladder muscle (detrusor) to prevent bladder spsms (urgency). They can increase the chance of not fully emptying the bladder. It's a bit unusual to take both.

Tamsulosin makes you pee faster, and increases the chances of emptying the bladder, so you don't have to go so often. It's very fast acting, but only works for about 16 hours. If taken for a long time, it can shrink the prostate a bit too, which is useful if you have an enlarged prostate which is causing problems.

Finesteride is a half-way hormone therapy drug. It shrinks the prostate over about 6 months. It can also reverse male pattern baldness (although not if you've had it for years), and reduce growth of body hair acquired at puberty. There's no point taking it if he's on hormone therapy, because that does the same plus more.

As you haven't said what his urinary symptoms are, difficult to say how relevant the meds are. It would also be interesting to know his prostate size. Who prescribed them and what investigation was done in the process?

User
Posted 16 May 2024 at 16:53

I've been on all of those at one time or another.

I was prescribed Tamsulosin in 2022 for Nocturia. It helped initially but then didn't. I no longer take it.

I was prescribed Finisteride by my GP but my Urologist said it wouldn't help me because my prostate was small (33cc). I no longer take it

My Urologist prescribed Solifenicin but it gave me a severe dry mouth so I am now on Mirebegron instead.

Incidentally, I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation at the age of 45. It was controlled by fleccainade for 11 years. In 2016 I had an ablation which I consider to be a complete success.

My very best wishes.

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User
Posted 14 Jan 2024 at 14:19
I think it would be a god idea to ask the pharmacist to check that these drugs are all okay to take together. Sometimes, two drugs can stop each other from working properly. I have known of a situation where the doctor prescribed a new drug, intending the patient to stop taking the original one but didn't make that explicit so the patient inadvertently carried on taking both - which can lead to all sorts of risks and overdosing problems.

Has your husband been properly assessed at an incontinence clinic? If he has over-active bladder, drugs might not help as much as some decent bladder retraining would.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 15 Jan 2024 at 04:32

Solifenacin and Mirabegron do the same thing - reduce the tone of the bladder muscle (detrusor) to prevent bladder spsms (urgency). They can increase the chance of not fully emptying the bladder. It's a bit unusual to take both.

Tamsulosin makes you pee faster, and increases the chances of emptying the bladder, so you don't have to go so often. It's very fast acting, but only works for about 16 hours. If taken for a long time, it can shrink the prostate a bit too, which is useful if you have an enlarged prostate which is causing problems.

Finesteride is a half-way hormone therapy drug. It shrinks the prostate over about 6 months. It can also reverse male pattern baldness (although not if you've had it for years), and reduce growth of body hair acquired at puberty. There's no point taking it if he's on hormone therapy, because that does the same plus more.

As you haven't said what his urinary symptoms are, difficult to say how relevant the meds are. It would also be interesting to know his prostate size. Who prescribed them and what investigation was done in the process?

User
Posted 16 May 2024 at 16:53

I've been on all of those at one time or another.

I was prescribed Tamsulosin in 2022 for Nocturia. It helped initially but then didn't. I no longer take it.

I was prescribed Finisteride by my GP but my Urologist said it wouldn't help me because my prostate was small (33cc). I no longer take it

My Urologist prescribed Solifenicin but it gave me a severe dry mouth so I am now on Mirebegron instead.

Incidentally, I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation at the age of 45. It was controlled by fleccainade for 11 years. In 2016 I had an ablation which I consider to be a complete success.

My very best wishes.

 
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