#1

Have any of you that had a swollen prostate, got any relief after taken Rapamycin.
I know there has been a couple of animal studies that showed improvements after given Rapamycin. But are there anyone of you older guys with BPH that have noticed improvements after taking Rapamycin?

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#2

My PSA dropped. Thatā€™s not much help however, since Iā€™m also using tadalafil, while decreasing finasteride to half tabs.

My BPH symptoms might be slightly improved, but again, although its something to note, there is so much variability in my fluid intakeā€¦too many factors to be able to draw any conclusions.

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#3

Been on rapa for 9 months. No discernible change to BPH, which is a PSA of about 4 and having to wake up to pee. I do take dutasteride as BPH is caused by the conversion of Test. to DHT.

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#4

This is an interesting animal study which may answer part of your question:
"Results indicated that rapamycin inhibited the role of androgen in promoting the proliferation of prostate tissue in rats by stimulating autophagy. Compared with the control group, there was no obvious prostate hyperplasia in the rapamycin group. However, autophagy inhibition by 3-MA promoted hyperplasia in the 3-MA-treated rat prostate tissues. In addition, the level of apoptosis in the rat prostate tissues was increased compared with that in the control group.

In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that androgen-induced prostate hyperplasia in rats is not only related to testosterone inhibition of prostate cell apoptosis, it is also possible that testosterone promotes excessive proliferation of prostate tissue in rats. Furthermore, rapamycin may promote the level of autophagy and inhibit the proliferation of prostate tissue in rats, which is not induced by the promotion of apoptosis."

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#5

Interesting study. I am going to start Rapa next month I think. I will take a test before and test again a few months after to see if there has been any positive movement.

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#6

What test were you thinking of taking? There is no blood test for BPH that I am aware of, only digital exam. Though PSA, free testosterone and DHT would be useful to see if rapamycin diminishes conversion of testosterone to DHT, the underlying cause of BPH. BPH is associated with a higher PSA, though not sure if it is direct correlation.

#7

My PSA was 1.6 four months ago, I did a digital test on my groin area, the papers got lost so I donā€™t remember the BPH score, but I will do it again.
However having said that, last 2 months I have starting exercising everyday and I use Metformin 750mg every night, and I feel I have gotten a lot better. The only issue I have is with antihistamine (Zyrtec) that I have to take once a week, within a couple of hours after taking that I feel the prostate area swelling or I feel pressure down there. It goes slowly away in the night time though after the Metformin kicks in.

#8

Rapa didnā€™t seem to help my BPH at all. Iā€™ve been dealing with chronic prostatitis since my early 20s, which has been worsened significantly by BPH when I hit 50 last year. I finally went the ā€œminor surgicalā€ route and had the Rezum procedure done yesterday. It hurt, but it was quick. First they go in through the rectum and inject lidocaine into the prostate to anesthetize it. Then they go in from the front (the real ā€œouchā€ part!) and do 5 or 6 10-second injections of steam into the prostate along the areas where it is pushing on the urethra. Now I just have to deal with a catheter for a few days, then between week 3 and 6 Iā€™ll be peeing out dead prostate cells, so by week 6 and beyond, if all goes well, I should finally be peeing freely again and be off any/all prostate meds for good. Fingers crossed!

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#9

You didnā€™t ever follow up on this. Did it work for you? I have BPH, although itā€™s more or less under control. Like you Iā€™ve had it since my 20s. It flares up every now and then and Iā€™m not sure why. Iā€™d looked various treatments but they all seemed expensive and the results were inconclusive.

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#10

Sorry, I should have followed up. The Rezum procedure definitely did NOT work for me. I endured nearly 4 months of painful urination and healing after the procedure (and had to be catheterized twice because I couldnā€™t urinate at all!) only to end up exactly where I started before the procedure (no longer any pain, just obstructed urine flow, high frequency and urgency).

In retrospect, I should have known better. Iā€™ve had chronic prostate/urinary issues for decades, since my early 20s, so the diagnoses of BPH doesnā€™t even make sense. I was hoping that even if the correct diagnosis is chronic prostatitis, that killing most of the prostate would fix the problem, but instead it seemed to just make my prostate more angry/inflamed. My next stop will be with a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor muscle issues to see if we can make some headway on that front. In the meantime Iā€™m also trying combo finasteride (full dose) along with testosterone replacement therapy in the hope that i can get the benefits of both without the side effects of either.

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#11

Iā€™m sorry that you had to go through that. I can empathize. Iā€™ve researched several treatments, but then balked at the last minute as none of them gave me enough confidence to pull the trigger. I believe that chronic BPH can cause the cell walls of the urethra to thicken, so even if you reduce prostate size you can still have reduced urinary flow and symptoms. Iā€™ve actually seen a pelvic floor specialist after an infection-I was in constant pain- and she worked wonders. It made quite a difference. Itā€™s also possible to improve symptoms with diet. Iā€™ve noticed alcohol and citrus tend to cause mild flare ups. But, as youā€™ve had this for a while Iā€™m sure you know all of this. Anyway, thanks for the follow up. I hope you find some relief.

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#12

Thanks! Yes, alcohol and citrus and spicy foods definitely make things worse. Interestingly, the only time I get an immediate (albeit fleeting) reprieve is within maybe a 5 minute window post-orgasm. For whatever reason, the muscle contractions involved allow me to urinate like an 18 year old and fully empty my bladder as long as I go within that period of a few minutes, before the window closes and things go back to ā€œnormalā€. That gives me hope that physical therapy and pelvic muscle relaxation techniques will help!

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#13

Thank you for charing your experience, much appreciated.

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#14

Davin8r, Thanks for sharing the experience. Did you ever try Flowmax, Proscar or Avodart?

#15

FWIW: I had ā€œGreen Lightā€ laser surgery for BPH over twenty-five years ago and I am still going ā€œstrongā€. While ā€œGreen Lightā€ laser surgery is no better than standard BPH surgery, I personally experienced a reduced amount of pain and recovery time as has been reported by standard BPH surgery users.

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#16

Currently taking silodosin aka Rapaflo 8mg QD (have tried to wean myself off but canā€™t, so it definitely helps). Also taking finasteride aka Proscar 5mg QD, no effect so far after about 2 months.

#17

Davin8r, Itā€™s a decade plus problem for me. I considered Rezum and Eurolift, but decided to try Rapamycin for a year or two first. Cialis is weak, but useful so far and sleep is continually interrupted. Iā€™m also trying periodic Dasatinib (100 mg) + Quercetin (1 gram) 3 days in a row on a quarterly basis as a senolytic, but no help so far. I hope you find relief. If so, please post.

#18

Will do! Iā€™m hopeful the physical therapy will make a difference, but Iā€™ve had my hopes crushed way too many times beforeā€¦

#19

I know youā€™ve already been down the surgical route and it sounds as it it was a nightmare.
I considered this treatment for a short while. Itā€™s predominately used to treat cancer, but as itā€™s ablative it also shrinks the prostate tissue.

I discussed it with one of their doctors and if I had decided to do it they would have treated me. In the end I decided to just get on with it.

#20

Interesting. If youā€™re in the USA, was your health insurance going to pay for the procedure even though itā€™s (apparently?) only approved for cancer treatment, or would you have had to pay out of pocket for it?

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