The management of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia with the once-daily alpha 1 blocker, terazosin

The once-daily alpha 1 blocker terazosin was administered to 36 men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who had previously been scheduled for transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). At 3 months, terazosin at 5 mg q.d. produced improvements in symptom scores, peak urinary flow rates, mean urinary flow rates, and residual urine. These improvements were maintained at 6 and 9 months. Terazosin also proved to be well tolerated, with no cases of hypotension or erectile dysfunction. We conclude that terazosin is effective in relieving obstructive urinary symptoms of BPH and that it allows many patients to be placed in a "holding pattern," allowing surgery to be delayed until the disease progresses. The use of terazosin also increased the capabilities of our urologic clinic. By reducing the urgency of surgery, it allowed us to schedule TURPs more conveniently and thereby accommodate more prostate surgery within the limited resources of our clinic. As a result, the use of terazosin saved considerable CHAMPUS dollars that would otherwise have been lost to the system.