Patient/caregiver was instructed upon therapeutic uses and indications of finasteride use as follows:
- In males, prostate is a gland of walnut size, surrounding the urethra and located just below the neck of the urinary bladder.
- In some individuals, especially senior males, prostate could get enlarged due to various reasons, which is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
- This enlargement of prostate can compress the urethra passing through the prostate, obstruct the free flow of urine, and can result in symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, such as, difficulty initiating stream of urine and obstruction to the urine flow out of the bladder with consequent urinary retention in the bladder. This retention of urine in the bladder can cause urge for frequent urination.
- Finasteride is a drug used to treat the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Use of finasteride can help reduce the hyperplasia/enlargement of the prostate. This shrinking of prostate will relieve the compression on the urethra, thus relieving the obstruction to urine flow. Unobstructed urine flow can help better bladder emptying and prevent retention of urine in the bladder, which helps with reducing the urge for frequent urination.
- Finasteride can also help with regrowth of some scalp hair and thereby helps with male pattern hair loss.
