Key takeaways
Tamsulosin (Flomax) and finasteride (Proscar) are both used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), but they work in different ways. Tamsulosin is an alpha-1 blocker that relaxes the muscles in your prostate and bladder to improve urinary symptoms. You need to take it 30 minutes after the same meal each day. On the other hand, finasteride is a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor that shrinks the prostate by lowering the levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It can take up to 6 months to see the full effects of finasteride. Both medications are available as lower-cost generics. Tamsulosin can cause dizziness and abnormal ejaculation, whereas finasteride might lead to sexual side effects like the inability to have an erection and lower sex drive. Additionally, finasteride requires regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests to monitor for prostate cancer.
