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Proscar vs Flomax

Finasteride  ·  Tamsulosin

Two treatments for an enlarged prostate: one shrinks the gland slowly over months, the other relaxes the muscle and works within days.

At a glance

ProscarFinasteride
FlomaxTamsulosin
Brand names
Proscar / Propecia
Flomax
Drug class
5-alpha reductase inhibitor
Alpha-1 blocker
Route
Oral
Not listed
Marketed by
Organon
Sanofi
First FDA approval
19 Jun 1992
15 Apr 1997
US shortage
Not in shortage
Not listed

Key differences

What each one treats

ProscarFinasteride

PROSCAR, is a 5α-reductase inhibitor, indicated for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate to ( 1.1 ): Improve symptoms Reduce the risk of acute urinary retention Reduce the risk of the need for surgery including transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and prostatectomy. PROSCAR administered in combination with the alpha-blocker doxazosin is indicated to reduce the risk of symptomatic progression of BPH (a confirmed ≥4 point increase in American Urological Association (AUA) symptom score) ( 1.2 ). Limitations of Use : PROSCAR is not approved for the prevention of prostate cancer ( 1.3 ). 1.1 Monotherapy PROSCAR ® is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate to: - Improve symptoms - Reduce the risk of acute urinary retention - Reduce the risk of the need f…

FlomaxTamsulosin

An oral daily capsule used to treat difficulty urinating caused by an enlarged prostate.

How each one works

Proscar5-alpha reductase inhibitor

12.1 Mechanism of Action The development and enlargement of the prostate gland is dependent on the potent androgen, 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Type II 5α-reductase metabolizes testosterone to DHT in the prostate gland, liver and skin. DHT induces androgenic effects by binding to androgen receptors in the cell nuclei of these organs. Finasteride is a competitive and specific inhibitor of Type II 5α-reductase with which it slowly forms a stable enzyme complex. Turnover from this complex is extremely slow (t ½ ~ 30 days). This has been demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro . Finasteride has no affinity for the androgen receptor. In man, the 5α-reduced steroid metabolites in blood and urine…

FlomaxAlpha-1 blocker

An oral daily capsule used to treat difficulty urinating caused by an enlarged prostate.

Read more

Proscar profile Flomax profile All comparisons
This is not medical advice, and not a recommendation of one drug over the other.

Which medicine is right for a given person depends on their diagnosis, other conditions, other medicines, kidney and liver function, pregnancy, and cost or reimbursement — none of which this page knows. Two drugs in the same class are not automatically interchangeable. Never start, stop or switch a prescription medicine on the basis of a web page; that decision belongs to you and your clinician or pharmacist.

Class and summary text is written by the Priya Life Science editorial team. Label, mechanism, route, manufacturer and approval data come from the U.S. FDA via the openFDA API; shortage status from the FDA Drug Shortage Database. Approvals, indications and brand names differ between the US, EU/Ireland (EMA/HPRA) and other regions — a drug approved in one may not be approved, or may carry a different name, in another.