Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Prostatitis - Medications
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
Treatment of prostatitis usually begins with antibiotics and possibly other medicines to relieve symptoms. If you begin to get better, you may have to continue taking antibiotics for 2 to 3 months. During this time, be sure to take the antibiotics as prescribed. If you do not begin to get better while taking medicines, your doctor may want you to have more tests.
Medication Choices
Acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis
Antibiotics are central to treating acute or chronic bacterial prostatitis. Your doctor may prescribe certain antibiotics based on your medical history, symptoms, and other factors such as your age. Other medicines may also be used to help control symptoms, including:
- Medicines to reduce pain, fever, and inflammation. These include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen, or acetaminophen.
- Stool softeners, to prevent or eliminate constipation.
Chronic bacterial prostatitis may require long-term antibiotics, especially if the symptoms return. Some men need treatment with low doses of antibiotics over a long period to control infection and prevent repeated urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Chronic prostatitis/pelvic pain syndrome, inflammatory and noninflammatory
Chronic prostatitis/pelvic pain syndrome, inflammatory and noninflammatory, are usually treated first with antibiotics based on the possibility that an infection was missed during testing. But experts advise against long-term treatment with antibiotics unless an unusual bacterial infection is suspected.
Medicines that may be used to treat chronic prostatitis/pelvic pain syndrome, inflammatory or noninflammatory, include:
- Antibiotics. If the symptoms begin to improve, it is possible that an undiagnosed infection is responsible for the symptoms.
- Medicines that reduce pain and inflammation.
- Medicines that relax muscles throughout the body (muscle relaxants) or that relax muscles in the prostate (alpha-blockers).
- Medicines that slow the growth of the prostate (finasteride).
- Medicines that reduce anxiety (anxiolytic drugs). These medicines also may relax the muscles around the prostate and make it easer to urinate. These medicines work best when combined with counseling.
What To Think About
Prostate stones (prostatic calculi) can make chronic bacterial prostatitis more difficult to cure. If you have prostate stones, they may need to be surgically removed.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: December 4, 2009 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Christopher G. Wood, MD, FACS - Urology, Oncology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network