many men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (bph) have no symptoms. when symptoms (known as lower urinary tract symptoms or luts) occur they may range from mild and barely noticeable to serious and disruptive. the amount of prostate enlargement is not always related to the severity of the symptoms. some men with only slight enlargement have serious symptoms and some men with a great deal of enlargement have few symptoms. your symptoms may become worse during cold weather or as a result of physical or emotional stress. some medicines can make your symptoms worse. these include over-the-counter cold medicines such as diphenhydramine hydrochloride ( benadryl for example) pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (such as sudafed ) oxymetazoline spray (such as afrin ) and prescription medicines such as antidepressants water pills (diuretics) testosterone (gels implants or injections) and pain medicines (narcotics). the symptoms of bph may involve problems emptying the bladder or problems with bladder storage. symptoms related to bladder emptying include: difficulty starting a urine stream (hesitancy and straining). decreased strength of the urine stream (weak flow). dribbling after urination. feeling that the bladder is not completely empty. an urge to urinate again soon after urinating. pain during urination (dysuria). symptoms related to bladder storage include: waking at night to urinate (nocturia). frequent urination. a sudden uncontrollable urge to urinate. these symptoms are not always related to prostate enlargement and can be caused by other conditions. bph symptoms are often balanced between the two types of symptoms. if symptoms come on rapidly or if you have more of one type of symptom than the other type you may have another condition. other conditions that may cause similar symptoms include urinary tract infections prostatitis prostate cancer diabetes heart failure and neurologic diseases. you can use the interactive tool: how bad are your urinary symptoms from bph? to evaluate how bad your symptoms are and later to judge how well your treatment is working. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
what are the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia bph?