If you are very symptomatic, or sick, you may need to be admitted
to the hospital to be treated with intravenous antibiotics.
If your symptoms are not severe, antibiotics taken in a pill
form can be effective. The antibiotics may be prescribed from
two weeks to a month, and it is very important that you take
the pills for the length of time prescribed by the doctor.
Many men have the tendency to want to stop taking the medication
when they feel better, or when their symptoms have gone away.
This may result in the infection returning, or becoming a
chronic problem. Analgesics or pain medications may be prescribed
to relieve pain and discomfort.
Also treated by antibiotics, but they are required for one
to three months. Again, it is very important that you take
the pills for the length of time prescribed by the doctor.
As these forms are not caused by bacteria, antibiotics will
not help. Medications that relax the tissue of the prostate
called alpha-adrenergic blockers may be prescribed. More natural
methods may be suggested such as:
- warm baths
- diet changes (avoid caffeine, alcohol,
- spicy or acidic foods)
- relaxation exercises
- frequent ejaculation
- acupuncture
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If your prostatitis is caused by an abnormality of your anatomy,
for example, if the urethra is narrowed and is not letting
the urine flow out of the body freely, surgery may be an option.
Microwave thermotherapy is an experimental technique that
heats the prostate, and is used as a treatment alternative
for TURP (see benign
prostatic hyperplasia). Thermotherapy has also been used
in some cases of refractory non bacterial prostatitis, however,
it's effectiveness is not known. Experimental results suggest
that many men (up to 70%) may be helped by trans urethral
thermotherapy when all other methods have failed. These results
are preliminary and need to be verified before one can be
certain of the effectiveness of this treatment. This procedure
is not covered by OHIP, and the cost for the procedure is
$2500.00 at The Prostate Centre.
Surgical treatment for prostatitis is only recommended in
certain situations, and is not considered the first method
of treatment. It should only be considered an option after
discussed fully with your doctor.
- prostatitis is not sexually transmitted.
- not all treatments are completely effective, and the doctor may need to modify treatment, or change it according to your response.
If you require more information, please call The Prostate
Centre at 416-946-2100.
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