June 2007, Vol. 8, No. 9, Pages 1337-1344
Finasteride and doxazosin alone or in combination for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia
Jeetesh Bhardwa
1, Miles Goldstraw
1, Sevasti Tzortzis
2 & Roger Kirby
1,31The London Clinic, 149 Harley St, London, W1G 6BW, UK
2Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, B15 2TH, UK
3The Prostate Centre, 32 Wimpole St, London, W1G 8GT, UK
† Author for correspondence
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is an increasingly prevalent condition affecting > 50% of men > 65 years of age. Although it is a condition that is unlikely to be life threatening, it can significantly affect quality of life with distressing lower urinary tract symptoms. Increasingly, medical therapy is being used as first-line treatment for men with moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms. Two main pharmacological classes of drugs are used: 5α-reductase inhibitors and α-1 selective blockers. Both these classes of drugs have shown good tolerability and clinical efficacy. This article examines the potential benefit of the use of combination therapy. In particular, what is the evidence for using doxazosin and finasteride therapy together?