Is It Safe To Have Cialis And Flomax For Erection Problem?

Posted on Mon, 25 May 2015

Question: I am 65 years old in excellent general health. Got BPH. Took Flomax for a month which reduced ejaculation volume. Then took both Flomax and proscar. After a month , almost no erections and retrograde ejaculation. Stopped proscar still taking Flomax. I want to take both Cialis and Flomax - alternate days - reduce sexual side effects of Flomax. Is that ok or drug interaction may be dangerous.

Answered by Dr. Anshul Varshney (17 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
You may take.

Detailed Answer:
Welcome To HCM. I am Dr Anshul Varshney. I understand your concern. These problems are common with Flomax and Proscar. You can take Cialis with them. Taking both the drugs have no serious interaction and both can be taken together. However another regimen that can be considered is skipping Proscar on the day you want to have sex and you wish to take Cialis.
Otherwise also it is safe to use them together.
This is my best opinion based on available details. If you have any further query, please ask me.
Stay Healthy.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Anshul Varshney (21 hours later)

Cialis has been approved for BPH also. Can I take Flomax and Cialis on alternate days on a continuous basis? So in 30 days, I will take Flomax on 15 days and Cialis on the other15 days. Can this lead to a dangerous interaction or blood pressure reduction?

Answered by Dr. Anshul Varshney (19 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Avoid Cialis every day.

Detailed Answer:
Hello, i do agree that Cialis has some role in BPH too but we don't recommend to take Cialis on daily basis. Moreover taking it daily is not going to give you any extra advantage over taking it on SOS basis.
So, in my opinion you should take Flomax daily and whenever you wish to have sex, take Cialis that day only.
Also, i should mention here that Cialis has to be taken with precaution in people suffering from cardiac issues.
I hope it helps.
If you have any further question, you may ask me.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Anshul Varshney (7 minutes later)

Flomax daily has reduced ejaculation volume and may cause retrograde ejaculation. Taking every other day will reduce these side effects. Taking Cialis 5 mg also every other day will help with BPH. Are there any drug interaction issues? Why 5 mg Cialis every day is not recommended by you even though that is a FDA approved treatment for BPH ? Thanks.

Answered by Dr. Anshul Varshney (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Can be taken if BPH is the main issue.

Detailed Answer:
Hello. I am not saying that you should not take Cialis for the purpose of BPH. If you want to take it for the purpose of BPH as well as erectile Dysfunction you can take it. But if your symptoms are controlled with Flomax then there is no point in taking an extra drug for the purpose. FDA says that Cialis can be taken if both the conditions coincides. Now every clinician has different experiences in this kind of treatment. My experience says that Cialis should be taken for Erectile Dysfunction and not primarily for BPH.
If you have normal cardiac status at this age you may take both thr drugs. But the way they are recommend and not on alternative days as you wish to take.
My concern is that if your BPH is well controlled with Flomax then you should take Cialis only on the date you want to have sex.
The best way out here is to try my experience and if you don't get erections and your sex life is disturbed you may start with daily dosage of both thr drugs.
I hope it helps.
If you have any further query, please ask me.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Anshul Varshney (3 hours later)

Thank you Doc. That was helpful. I am taking Flomax daily and will take Cialis couple of times a week as needed. I am also taking a natural BPH treatment pill called Prostavar RX . Its ingredients are mainly saw palmetto and beta sitosterol. I am taking this also because 1 tablet 0.4 Flomax was not enough for my BPH. My question is - Is it ok to take this Prostavar RX while taking Flomax daily and Cialis couple of times a week. My Cardiac status and general health are very good. Thanks for your prompt responses.

Answered by Dr. Anshul Varshney (9 hours later)

Brief Answer:
You may take.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Since Palmeto and beta sitosterol are natural forms of treatment for BPH, they should be probably safe. It's difficult for me to comment on them as i have no experience in using them in my patients. It is known to increase the risk of bleeding in persons who are on any blood thinners. Since you have no cardiac issues, so i suppose you are not taking any blood thinners. If it is helping you, you can carry on with it in the moderated doses as advised by your physician.
So, let's start with daily Flomax and Cialis SOS, and see the response. Write to me after 2 weeks of this therapy. You cab re-open this discussion again so that i can review the discussion we had.
If you have any further query, please feel comfortable to ask me, else you may close the discussion and rate it.
Stay Healthy.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Anshul Varshney (6 hours later)

That is very helpful. Proscar helps shrink the prostate. Since I can not tolerate proscar, how will my prostate shrink (Urologist measured it at 40 gm).Is there any other way to shrink it without surgery? Will Flomax work for 1 year or 5 years or 10 years for urinary flow ? Thanks.

Answered by Dr. Anshul Varshney (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Dutasteride

Detailed Answer:
Hello, Flomax has no much definitive role in shrinking the prostate. we use Dutasteride for this purpose. But the drug is started only after confirmation that there is no evidence of Malignancy by evaluating your serum PSA levels.
Flomax is going to work for you until there is sever obstruction caused by the prostate, which may happen in future as the size continues to increase.
So, share my opinion with your doctor about adding Dutasteride to you.
I hope it helps.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar