Experiences with

Tamsulosin

Tamsulosin belongs to a group of medicines called alpha blockers.

It's used to treat men with symptoms of an enlarged prostate (benign prostate enlargement). It's also occasionally taken to treat kidney stones and prostatitis.

Alpha blockers reduce blood pressure by relaxing your blood vessels so blood can pass through them more easily.

Tamsulosin helps to reduce the symptoms of an enlarged prostate gland by relaxing the muscle around the bladder and prostate gland so you can pee more easily.

This medicine is available on prescription and you can also buy the brand Flomax Relief from pharmacies. It comes as tablets and capsules.

If you buy tamsulosin from a pharmacy, see a GP within 6 weeks of starting your treatment to make sure it's OK for you to carry on taking this medicine.

Tamsulosin is sometimes combined with other ingredients to treat bladder problems and enlarged prostate. Brand names include Vesomni (with solifenacin) and Combodart (with dutasteride).

Who can take tamsulosin

Most adults aged 18 years and over can take tamsulosin.

This medicine is not usually taken by children under 18 years old, unless a specialist children's doctor prescribes it.

Who may not be able to take tamsulosin

Tamsulosin is not suitable for some people. To make sure this medicine is safe for you, tell a doctor if you:

• have ever had an allergic reaction to tamsulosin or other similar medicines, such as alfuzosin, doxazosin, prazosin or terazosin
• have orthostatic hypotension – a type of low blood pressure that can make you feel dizzy or light-headed when you stand up
• have severe liver or kidney problems
• are having eye surgery for cataracts or glaucoma
• ever faint while peeing or immediately afterwards (micturition syncope)

Dosage

The usual dose of tamsulosin for enlarged prostate and kidney stones is 400 micrograms, once a day. The word microgram is sometimes written with the Greek symbol μ followed by the letter g (μg). A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg).

How to take it

Take your tamsulosin capsules or tablets with a drink of water while either sitting or standing. Swallow them whole. Do not break, chew or crush them.

If you can, take tamsulosin in the morning, after breakfast or the first meal or snack of the day. This is because the highest levels of medicine are in your body 6 hours after you take it. This will give you the most benefit during the daytime when you're most likely trying to pee.

It's best to take it at about the same time each day.

How long to take it for

How long you take it for depends on why you're taking it.

For an enlarged prostate, if tamsulosin is helping your symptoms, you can continue to take it long term. Your doctor may check every few months that you're still having relief from symptoms.

For kidney stones, your doctor may tell you to stop taking it if your kidney stones have gone or if the medicine is not helping you. Your doctor may check every few months that you're still having relief from symptoms.

Talk to a doctor if you want to stop taking tamsulosin. Stopping suddenly could make your symptoms come back.

If you're bothered by side effects, the doctor may be able to prescribe a different medicine.

If you forget to take it

If you miss a dose of tamsulosin, and you remember on the same day, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until the next day, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the usual time.

Do not take 2 doses to make up for a forgotten dose.

If you forget doses often, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine.

If you take too much

Taking too much tamsulosin can decrease your blood pressure and increase your heart rate. If this happens to you, lying down might help return your blood pressure and heart rate to normal.

• you take more than your recommended dose of tamsulosin

Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111

If you need to go to A&E, do not drive. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring the tamsulosin packet or leaflet inside it, any remaining medicine, and any other medicines you take.

Common side effects

These common side effects of tamsulosin happen in more than 1 in 100 people. They're usually mild and only last a short time. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Serious side effects

Tell your doctor or call 111 straight away if:

• you faint, or pass out for a short time

• you get any new swelling developing under your skin's surface, in your mouth, or on your face, lips, tongue or throat – this could be a symptom of angioedema
• you get a painful erection that lasts 2 or more hours

In rare cases, tamsulosin may cause a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

These are not all the side effects of tamsulosin. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

Tamsulosin and pregnancy

Tamsulosin is not usually recommended in pregnancy. This is because there is not enough information to say whether it's safe for your baby.

If you're taking tamsulosin and you're pregnant or trying to get pregnant, talk to a doctor about whether it's still right for you.

The doctor will be able to recommend the best treatment for you and your baby.

Tamsulosin and breastfeeding

If your doctor or health visitor says your baby is healthy, it's OK to take tamsulosin while you're breastfeeding, but talk to your doctor or pharmacist first.

It is not known how much tamsulosin gets into breast milk, but it's likely to be a small amount and not enough to cause side effects in your baby. You may be offered a different treatment that we know more about.

If you notice that your baby is not feeding as well as usual, seems unusually sleepy, or looks much paler than usual, or if you have any other concerns about your baby, then talk to your health visitor, midwife, pharmacist or doctor as soon as possible.

Tamsulosin and fertility

Some men report problems when they ejaculate when taking tamsulosin such as little or no semen.

If you or your partner are taking tamsulosin and you're trying for a baby, speak to a doctor.

Cautions with other medicines

There are some medicines that affect the way tamsulosin works.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking:

• any other alpha blockers such as doxazosin, alfuzosin, prazosin or terazosin – these may cause a decrease in your blood pressure
• other medicines for high blood pressure – when taking tamsulosin they can lower your blood pressure too much
• medicines for erectile dysfunction such as sildenafil, tadalafil or vardenafil
• medicines that may decrease the removal of tamsulosin from the body – for example ketoconazole, for fungal infections, and antibiotics such as erythromycin or clarithromycin
• medicines that may increase the removal of tamsulosin from the body – for example diclofenac or warfarin
• other medicines that can lower your blood pressure – this includes some antidepressants, muscle relaxants like baclofen, medicines for chest pain like nitrates, and medicines for Parkinson's disease like co-careldopa or levodopa

Taking tamsulosin with painkillers

Do not take tamsulosin with diclofenac. It's OK to take paracetamol, codeine and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen while you're taking tamsulosin.

Mixing tamsulosin with herbal remedies and supplements

There's not enough information to say that complementary medicines and herbal remedies are safe to take with tamsulosin. They are not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.

Related links

HealthUnlocked contains information from NHS Digital, licensed under the current version of the Open Government Licence