What is BPH?

If you have BPH it means that your prostate gland is swollen. It can press on the tube that urine passes through, on its way out of your body.

This can lead to problems such as:

• feeling like you need to pass urine more often, especially at night
• feeling that you must pass urine right away
• finding it difficult to start passing urine
• when you pass urine the flow of urine is weak
• when you pass urine the flow stops and starts
• feeling that you cannot empty your bladder completely.

In some men, BPH can lead to more serious problems, such as:

• urinary tract infections
• a sudden inability to pass urine
• the need for surgery.

What else should you know about BPH?

• BPH is not cancer and does not lead to cancer, but the two conditions can be present at the same time.
• Before you start Finasteride 5 mg Tablets, your doctor will do some simple tests to check whether you have prostate cancer.

Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about this.

Do not take Finasteride 5mg Tablets:

• if you are a woman (because this medicine is for men)
• if you are allergic (hypersensitive) to finasteride or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in Section 6).

Do not take Finasteride 5 mg Tablets if any of the above apply to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Finasteride 5 mg Tablets if:

• your partner is pregnant or planning to become pregnant. You should use a condom or other barrier method of contraception when taking Finasteride 5 mg Tablets. This is because your semen could contain a tiny amount of the drug and may affect the normal development of the baby’s sex organs
• you are going to have a blood test called PSA. This is because Finasteride 5 mg Tablets can affect the results of this test.

If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Finasteride 5 mg Tablets.

Mood alteration and depression

Mood alterations such as depressed mood, depression and, less frequently, suicidal thoughts have been reported in patients treated with Finasteride 5 mg Tablets. If you experience any of these symptoms contact your doctor for further medical advice as soon as possible.

Children

Finasteride 5 mg Tablets should not be used in children.

Taking other medicines

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. Finasteride 5 mg Tablets do not usually affect other medicines.

Taking Finasteride 5 mg Tablets with food and drink

Finasteride 5 mg Tablets can be taken with or without food.

Pregnancy and breast feeding

• Finasteride Tablets should not be taken by women.
• Do not touch crushed or broken Finasteride Tablets if you are a woman who is pregnant or planning to become pregnant (whole tablets are coated to stop contact with the medicine during normal use). This is because this medicine may affect the normal development of the baby’s sex organs.
• If a woman who is pregnant comes into contact with crushed or broken Finasteride Tablets, speak to your doctor.

Driving and using machines

Finasteride 5 mg Tablets are not likely to affect you being able to drive, use tools or machines.

Finasteride 5 mg Tablets contain

• Lactose. This is a type of sugar. If you have ever been told by your doctor that you cannot tolerate or digest some sugars (have an intolerance to some sugars), talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine.
  Those patients on a sodium controlled diet should be aware that each tablet contains 6.6mg of sodium.

Taking this medicine

• The usual dose is one tablet each day.
• Take this medicine by mouth.
• Your doctor may prescribe Finasteride 5 mg Tablets along with another medicine (called doxazosin) to help control your BPH.

If you take more Finasteride 5 mg Tablets than you should

If you take too many tablets by mistake, contact your doctor immediately.

If you forget to take Finasteride 5 mg Tablets

• If you forget to take a tablet, skip the missed dose.
• Take the next dose as usual.
• Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.

If you stop taking Finasteride 5 mg Tablets

Your condition may show an early improvement after taking Finasteride 5 mg Tablets. However, it may take at least six months for the full effect to develop. It is important to keep taking Finasteride 5 mg Tablets for as long as your doctor tells you, even if you do not feel any benefit straight away.

Allergic reactions:

Stop using Finasteride 5mg Tablets and immediately contact a doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• swelling of face, lips, tongue or throat, difficulty swallowing and breathing difficulties (angioedema)
• skin rashes, itching, or lumps under your skin (hives).

Other side effects may include:

• you may be unable to have an erection (impotence)
• you may have less desire to have sex
• you may have problems with ejaculation, for example a decrease in the amount of semen released during sex. This decrease in the amount of semen does not appear to affect normal sexual function.