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For Spouses/Partners

Tools and Tips for Spouses/Partners

If your partner has benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), you may notice them waking up several times in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. You may notice your spouse making frequent trips to the bathroom and you may notice your spouse avoiding public situations because he's worried about having an accident.


You may be asking yourself — How can I help?

What You Can Do

  • Get informed. Learning more about the condition can help you both understand his symptoms. You can visit our Resources section for answers to common questions.
  • Bring it up. Some men may not want to talk to their doctors about a urinary condition because of embarrassment or other reasons. Having the conversation with him first may make him feel more comfortable.
  • Help him prepare for his doctor appointment. Being prepared with a list of questions and concerns can make sure he gets the most out of his appointment.
  • Have him use the BPH Symptom Checklist tool. This quick interactive checklist can help him assess his current symptoms. It can be printed out and brought to the doctor for his next appointment.

Important Safety Information About AVODART

AVODART is for adult men only. Women should not take or touch AVODART due to risk of a specific birth defect. If a woman comes in contact with leaking AVODART Capsules, she should wash the contact area immediately with soap and water.

Do not take AVODART if you are allergic to dutasteride, finasteride, or any of the ingredients in AVODART.

AVODART may cause rare and serious allergic reactions, including swelling of your face, tongue, or throat, and serious skin reactions, such as skin peeling. Get medical help right away if you have these serious allergic reactions.

Your healthcare provider may check you for other prostate problems, including prostate cancer, before you start and while you take AVODART. A blood test called PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is sometimes used to see if you might have prostate cancer. AVODART will reduce the amount of PSA measured in your blood. Your healthcare provider is aware of this effect and can still use PSA to see if you might have prostate cancer. Increases in your PSA levels while on treatment with AVODART (even if the PSA levels are in the normal range) should be evaluated by your healthcare provider.

AVODART may cause serious side effects including a higher chance of a more serious form of prostate cancer.

Only your healthcare provider can tell if your symptoms are due to BPH or a more serious condition like prostate cancer. See your doctor for regular exams.

Do not donate blood until at least 6 months after stopping AVODART.

The most common side effects of AVODART include trouble getting or keeping an erection (impotence), a decrease in sex drive (libido), ejaculation problems and enlarged or painful breasts. Dizziness and an increase in drug-related ejaculation disorders also occurred with combination therapy (AVODART and tamsulosin).

Some types of medicines should be used with caution when taken with AVODART, such as ritonavir.

Before you take AVODART, tell your doctor if you have liver disease.

While some men have fewer problems and symptoms after 3 months of treatment with AVODART, a treatment period of at least 6 months is usually necessary to see if AVODART will work for you.

Click here for complete Prescribing Information for AVODART.

Complete Prescribing Information for AVODART is provided in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). To view these documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader; if you do not have it, follow the link to download a copy.

If you are unable to or do not wish to download Acrobat Reader, but still wish to receive complete Prescribing Information, please click here.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Important Safety Information About AVODART

AVODART is for adult men only. Women should not take or touch AVODART due to risk of a specific birth defect. If a woman comes in contact with leaking AVODART Capsules, she should wash the contact area immediately with soap and water.

Do not take AVODART if you are allergic to dutasteride, finasteride, or any of the ingredients in AVODART.

Additional Important Safety Information continued below.

AVODART
Savings Card

You may be
eligible to save
up to $15.

BPH SYMPTOM CHECKLIST

Be prepared for your
next doctor's visit.