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Tamsulosin
Tamsulosin is a drug prescribed to relieve symptoms of an enlarged prostate. It works by relaxing the muscles of the prostate and bladder. However, it cannot cure or shrink an enlarged prostate. Tamsulosin comes in capsule form and should be taken at the same time each day. Potential side effects include abnormal ejaculation, a runny or stuffy nose, and dizziness.
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Tamsulosin hydrochloride (Flomax®) is a prescription medicine that has been licensed as treatment for an enlarged prostate. An enlarged prostate is also known medically as benign prostatic hyperplasia, benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH.
(Click Tamsulosin Uses for more information, including possible off-label uses.)
Brand-name Flomax is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Generic versions are made by various manufacturers.
Tamsulosin is part of a class of drugs known as alpha blockers. It works by blocking alpha-1 receptors. Alpha-1 receptors are found in several places in the body, including the prostate gland.
For the treatment of BPH, blocking alpha-1 receptors helps to relax the muscles of the prostate and the bladder neck (where urine leaves the bladder). Tamsulosin does not shrink the prostate, as some other BPH medications do. However, by relaxing the muscles of the prostate and bladder, it helps to quickly relieve BPH symptoms. While the medication can help with symptoms, it is not a cure for BPH.
Several studies have looked at how well tamsulosin treats enlarged prostate symptoms.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD