Recently diagnosed with Non-Bacterial Prostatitis

[fred]

I was diagnosed with NBP about 3 months ago. First I was prescribed Cipro, that worked for a while (or so it seemed). I did good for a few weeks and then had another flare-up and was put on Doxycyline, of which I got no relief. My urologist said to take hot baths and frequent ejaculation, none of this has helped at all. Most of my pain is located in my penis, no burning during urination, but after. The pain starts from the time I wake up and doesn't end until I go to sleep. I have also noticed that I dribble urine for some time after urination. The pain is unreal and is really getting the best of me. Has anyone else experienced the same pain? I recently purchased Prosta-Repsonse from a heath food store and am trying that, as of 3 days, no relief.
Fred

[Carlton Higgins]

Hi Fred,

hang in there. I too suffered from pain in the penis, urgency, frequency, etc. Enough to change my entire lifestyle. This is what I did:
1. Knowing through research that antibiotics rarely help with this condition, I didn't even bother going on them.
2. My doctor gave me Flomax, a beta-blocker, that relaxes the muscles around the prostate and urethra, helping with urgency, frequency, and dribbling. I still get a little dribble, but nothing major. I now go to the john 4-5 times a day, down from 10-12.
3. I cut alcohol, caffeine, and spicy food from my diet. This means no chocolate, Thai food, etc. Not even decaf coffee, because that too contains some caffeine.
4. I take Quercetin, Algonot, Prostatonin, Magnesium, twice a day. When I need to, I take some Advil.
5. I work out frequently, but always do a lot of stretching, and I sit in the hot tub aftwerwards.
6. I really watch my diet -no red meat, very little junk food.
7. I ejaculate at least once every 4 days.

I am pleased to say, that after 3 months of misery, my symptoms have subsided about 80-90%. Yesterday I was perfect. The penis pain and irritation was the toughest thing to get rid of. It just takes a lot of time.

Though I'm not a doctor, I don't believe this is a condition that is caused by bacteria. I think it is either an auto-immune disorder, or a nerve disorder. I work in the computer field, and sit a lot during the day -this causes irritation, kind of like a "backache of the prostate."

[fred]

Hi Carlton,
Thanks for your great message! After reading it I felt that I finally have someone I can relate to, your story was very encouraging for me. I am going to order the Quercetin, is the Algonot only available to order on the internet? Also, where can I get Prostatonin? I will be calling my doctor this week and ask him about the Flomax. I will keep you posted on my progress, of course the first thing I am going to do is give up the coffee and chocolate, 2 of my biggest downfalls! Thanks again for you message, it has given me much hope.
Fred

[Scott Miller]

Carlton and Fred,
It sounds that I have similiar symptoms to what you both have experienced. I have been to FOUR urologists and have been on Cipro, doxycycline and Flomax (2 weeks) with no results. Urinalysis, cystoscopy, and STD testing has been negative. I am in contant pain with most of it being in the penis. One of the worst symptoms I have is that the tip of my penis is very sensitive and seems to be irritated and red all the time. After ejaculation my penis hurts and "shrinks" up.

Fred, Do your symptoms sound like these? I really related to your pain you described in your first message.

Carlton, I find that exercise seems to agitate my penis. The sensitivity of the tip hinders me when I run, etc. Do you fight through the irritation for the first couple of months? Are you permanently on Flomax or is it a temporary thing? What is ejaculation every 4 hours supposed to do?

-In pain
Scott

[fred]

Hi Scott,
It sounds like we both have been through most of the same tests. Yes, I also have the pain that you described, sensitive, redness and irritation a tip of my penis, which seems to be constant. I am going to try what Carlton said in his message and see how that works out. Like I told Carlton, this problem seems to be getting the best of me, depression, etc. How long have you been going through this?
Fred

[Carlton Higgins]

Remember that Flomax takes over 4 weeks to take its full effect. For the first three weeks, it was barely helping me at all, and I thought "this is a joke." The BAM! A HUGE difference in urgency, frequency, and nocturnal urination. I am on week 6 of Flomax, and virtually symptom free of prostatitis after being absolutely miserable for close to 3 months. Also remember that Flomax treats the symptoms of prostatitis but does not treat the cause.

Prostatonin is simply an herb complex (African Plum Tree Bark, and Nettle Root) -you can get these supplements anywhere.

Algonot is Glucosamine and Chondroitin, along with some Quercetin which helps with inflammation. Again, you can get these seperately.

Now that my symptoms are under control, I exercise daily and feel no irritation. The only thing I would be careful of is bike riding, and really heavy weight lifting. I used to simply work through the pain.

And that's ejaculation every 4 days, not hours LOL! I certainly wouldn't recommend every 4 hours!

[fred]

Hi Carlton,
LOL, I thought Scott made an error when he wrote "every 4 hours" instead of "every 4 days"! I have a question about Flomax, will it help for Non-Bacterial Prostatitis? Thanks.
Fred

[Carlton Higgins]

Yes, it will help with non-bacterial prostatitis, since that is what I have (or so the doctors suspect).

Remember that it helps with frequency/urgency, but will not treat the prostate directly. For this we need to use other supplements, drugs, and go on a restricted diet.

[Scott Miller]

Fred,
I first noticed symptoms about a yr. ago. I have virtually not changed any of my habits until recently so it doesnt suprise me that my symptoms have persisted. I have taken Carlton's advice and procured all the necessary vitaman supplements. Hopefully, these will help in the next several months. In December, I arranged a stand up desk at work so that I no longer sit down all day. I'de rather have my feet hurt than my ass! Good luck with the battle. It seems we are beginning the vitamans at the same time. Please post a message if you find any progress.

Carlton,
Thank you for the great advice. We will keep you posted if there is any progress. Oh ya...As you suspected I errored in stating "hours" instead of days. I don't even think Superman could accomplish that one.

[Ralph]

Hi Fred,

If I could add a few things that my help. Try to avoid acidic foods and drinks. This can be very hard to do. Tomato sauce is an example which is a problem for me because I love pasta. Carbonated sodas and teas can also be a source of problems. You can take Prelief which neutalizes the acid in foods. I use it and it works quite well for me. If you like coffee, there is a low acid decaf coffee available which really isn't too bad but expensive. Caffeine is a problem because it is an irritant and also causes urinary retention which, together with CP/CPPS, can really make you uncomfortable. Flomax is an alpha-adernergic blocker specific for the alpa receptors of the bladder sphincter. It is more selective than Cardora which must be increased over one week and can cause your blood pressure to fall. Flomax has a lesser affect on blood pressure. The usual dose is 0.4mg once a day. Hope this helps.

Ralph

[webslave]

Try to avoid acidic foods and drinks. This can be very hard to do.

Or use Prelief, very effective in my experience. get a free sample by clicking "Prelief" in my sig below ...

[faceinthecrowd]

Speaking of Flomax, has anyone had any benefit from taking .8 mg of it per day instead of the usual .4 mg? My doctor said I could try it if I wanted to (at the time I was very frustrated with my situation, desperate for anything to help) Since trying this, I have felt better - but I wonder if that's due to the fact that I also increased my Ditropan. The other problem is that , since I've been on .8mg Flomax, I get extremely dizzy as soon as I lay down to go to sleep. I go in and out of these very intense, often frightening dreams, constantly waking up in a sweat. Also -here's the scariest thing - when I move my eyeballs, I hear some kind of "swooshing" sound, a true auditory illusion I think. So I guess what I'm asking, has there been any report of .8 mg Flomax causing a significant improvement as opposed to .4 mg? thanks

[Ralph]

Some of your symptoms may be explain by hypotensin; that is, your blood pressure is going too low. If you have a blood pressure cuff, take your pressure when you feel dizzy and/or sweaty. If you don't have a BP cuff, buy on at the drug store. The digital models are easy to use and read. It's also a good idea to check your BP anyway. I was feeling very tired on Flomax so now I take it before bed am I feel much better during the day. Ditropan is a good bladder antispasmatic but can cause urinary retention, as all anti-spasmatics can. I get relieve at times with plain Benadryl (50mg) before bed. It also helps me sleep. I use it only when I need it which is rare. Talk to your doc about the Ditropan. If you can go off of it, you may not need 0.8mg of Flomax. 0.4 mg may suffice, but talk to your doc first.

[faceinthecrowd]

Thanks for the tips, Ralph. I had no idea Ditropan could cause retention. Sheesh! There's always a trade off with these drugs, isn't there? Luckily I'm seeing Dr. Pontari in early February, so I'll ask him all about all of this. I was also wondering if you guys had any tips as to what are the best drugs for improving urine flow, other than Flomax. Flomax has helped me with urgency a great deal, but my stream is still very poor. Thanks again.

[Ralph]

Flomax is one of the newer and more selective of the alpha blockers. That means it targets the alpha receptors of the bladder sphincter and causes relaxation, and thus better urine flow. Other alpha blockers (Cardura, Hytrin) will also "block" the alpha receptors of the circulatory system. When these receptors are affected, there is a greater chance of lowering the blood pressure. The alpha receptors on the blood vessels cause the vessels to constrict which in turn will raise the BP. When this function is blocked, and the vessels cannot constrict, then hypotension ( a decrease in BP) will result. The body will not be able to compensate for changes in position. For example, you may get light headed when standing up quickly if you've been laying down. Sweating and nausea are other symptoms of hypotension. Cardura and Hytrin are two other drugs which work very well for urinary retention, but require you to slowly increase the dose, uaually over a week, to a therapeutic level. If you were to take the full dose at once, you would probably pass out. These two drugs are also taken at night. If Flomax isn't quite doing it for you, talk to your doc about these other two. I have talen Cardura and hated it, but it may work for you. My father takes Hytrin and is doing very well on it. Hope this helps a little.

Ralph