What about Hytrin for PFD?

[Stephanie2004]

I'm thoroughly convinced that my pain is coming from PFD. My brother had similar troubles last year, with chronic prostatitis that was eventually diagnosed as tight pelvic muscles. His doctor prescribed a gradually increased dosaged of the blood pressure medication Hytrin, which he said also has the effect of relaxing pelvic muscles. My brother also took Prozac and had PT in the form of "prostatic massages."

Nothing I've read about PFD lists hytrin as a treatment, but my brother swears that the Hytrin is what cured him. After six months of chronic pain, it finally went away completely and he tapered off the medicine.

Has anyone else had success with it? Should I press my doctor to try it?

[ICNDonna]

Hytrin is a medication that helps relax the muscles to allow urination. My husband takes a low dose full time. I honestly don't know if it would help with PFD, but I do know that without it, my husband cannot urinate at all.

Donna

[green_the_fish]

Hi Steph. I tried to go a search for Hytrin, but the hits kept saying that it was for chronic prostatitis. I'm also curious to know if females can use this to treat pelvic floor dysfunction.

[ICNDonna]

Even though the primary use of hytrin is for chronic prostatis, it's how it helps that makes it effective for females as well. It acts by relaxing the muscles to allow urination.

Donna

[Stephanie2004]

My understanding of Doctors Wise and Anderson, in A Headache of the Pelvis, is that they believe chronic prostatis is really just one of many manifestations of tight pelvic floor muscles. I think they're saying the the tension in those muscle can cause wide variety of symptoms that are diagnosed in different ways, depending partly on what the doctor's background is.

So if the medicine relaxes the muscles, isn't that what we're after? I wonder why it's not listed as a typical treatment?

[bunnymoomoo]

if it is a blood pressure medicine, maybe it just has an inadvertant effect of relaxing muscles. help blood circulate properly in that area ... seems to me that it is prescribed for males? stephanie, have you tried more orthodox muscle relaxers such as valium?

~ best wishes ~

[Stephanie2004]

I haven't tried anything yet. When I saw my doctor a week and a half ago, and tried to introduce the topic, she put me off until I come in for a recheck on something else next week. I'm hoping that she will prescribe something that will help, because the pain is really terrible. Does valium help relax the pain away? My mom took valium for back pain, and she always seemed so spaced out on it. My brother says that the hytrin made him drowsy and dizzy initially, but that went away quickly, while the relaxing effect remained.

[bunnymoomoo]

i think any sort of muscle relaxant can make you spacy @_@ i think back on the movie Sixteen Candles and the older sister taking a "muscle relaxant" for cramps! um anyway, i've read a lot about giving a low dosage of valium for those who have very tense pelvic muscles. it might help to see a gynecologist who is familiar with PFD or possibly get a referral to a physical therapist who can help you with this.