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About Prostatitis Signs & Symptoms Causes

Screening/Detecting Risk Factors Complications

Treatment (Conventional) Treatment (Complimentary)

The main treatment for bacterial prostatitis (category 1 and 2) is antibiotics to cure the infection. If you have acute prostatitis, you may need to be hospitalized for a few days to receive antibiotics intravenously. Some of these treatments may also be tried for chronic nonbacterial prostatitis. However, there's no strong evidence that antibiotic therapy is useful for nonbacterial or category 3 prostatitis.

Medications Antibiotics

Antibiotics are usually the first choice of treatment for category 1 and 2 prostatitis. Your doctor will likely begin right away with an antibiotic that fights a broad spectrum of bacteria. He or she will also proceed with testing to determine the exact bacteria causing your infection. Once the exact bacterium is identified, your doctor can prescribe a specific antibiotic that is more likely to kill the particular bacteria present.
 

• How long you take antibiotics depends on how well you respond to the drug. If you have category 1 prostatitis, you may need medication for a few weeks. Category 2 prostatitis is more resistant to antibiotics and takes longer to treat. You may need to continue taking medication for as long as six to 12 weeks. In some cases the infection may never be eliminated, and you could have a relapse as soon as the drug is withdrawn. If this happens, you may need to take a low-dose antibiotic indefinitely.
   

• Some doctors may prescribe an antibiotic for category 3 prostatitis to see if symptoms improve. For unknown reasons, some men with this condition seem to benefit from a continuous low dose of an antibiotic

Alpha blockers.

If you're having difficulty urinating, your doctor may prescribe an alpha blocker — an oral medication that helps relax the bladder neck and the muscle fibers where your prostate joins your bladder. This may help you urinate more easily and empty your bladder more completely.

Pain relievers.

Sometimes an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as aspirin or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, others), can make you more comfortable. Keep in mind, however, that taking too much of any of these medications can cause serious side effects including abdominal pain, intestinal bleeding or ulcers.

Muscle relaxants.

Spasms of the pelvic muscles can accompany prostatitis. A combination of a muscle relaxant medication and other medications used to treat prostatitis may be helpful.

Physical therapy.

Special exercises and relaxation techniques can improve symptoms of prostatitis in some men, perhaps because tight or irritated muscles can contribute to the condition. Common techniques include:

• Exercise. Stretching and relaxing the lower pelvic muscles — sometimes with the addition of heat to make the muscles more limber — may help relieve your symptoms. A physical therapist can show you which exercises will benefit you the most and how to perform them. You can then do the exercises yourself at home.

• 
  Biofeedback. This technique teaches you how to control certain body responses, including relaxing your muscles. During a biofeedback session, a trained therapist applies electrodes and other sensors to various parts of your body. The electrodes are attached to a monitor that displays your heart rate, blood pressure and degree of muscle tension. You'll see changes on the monitor and learn to control these changes on your own.  

• 
  Sitz baths. Named from the German word "sitzen," which means "to sit," this type of bath simply involves soaking the lower half of your body in a tub of warm water. Warm baths can relieve pain and relax the lower abdominal muscles. Few treatments are easier or as relaxing.

• 
   Prostate massage. Some men have found that having their prostate massaged helps relieve congestion by unplugging the small ducts blocked by inflammation. The massage is performed using a gloved finger, similar to what is done during a digital rectal exam. This procedure is used less commonly today than it once was.

Surgical procedures

Surgical removal of the infected part of the prostate is an option in a few severe cases when other treatments don't work. The chances of responding to a major surgical procedure for any type of prostatitis are quite low. For this reason most doctors are very hesitant to perform surgery for these conditions and generally discourage surgery even as a last resort.

Other treatments Finasteride (Proscar), a drug that lowers hormone levels in the prostate, and microwave thermotherapy (heat therapy) have been used successfully in a few men with prostatitis, but there's little long-term experience with these treatments.

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