Michel Martin C, Miller Kurt, Schneider Tim, Ude Christian, Oelke Matthias
Department of Pharmacology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
Department of Urology, Charité, Berlin, Germany.
World J Urol. 2025 May 8;43(1):283. doi: 10.1007/s00345-025-05560-1.
Many men with lower urinary tract symptoms suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH) opt for self-management with non-prescription treatments. We wished to better characterize these men and understand their motivation and experience.
We conducted an anonymous survey among 477 users of non-prescription treatments for LUTS.
Participating men had a mean age (64.3 ± 7.8 years) and IPSS (17.7 ± 7.9 points) comparable to users of prescription medicines in non-interventional studies, indicating that they were not primarily motivated by mild symptom intensity. They had realistic expectations on efficacy and tolerability. While reasons for preference for a non-prescription treatment varied, 40.0% stated a wish to avoid 'chemical' and, vice-versa, to use 'natural' treatments. The choice of a specific treatment was largely driven by prior experience, but recommendations from a physician or the pharmacy as well as advertisements also played a role. About two thirds of participants reported to be repeat users and purchasing the same product each time. However, less than a quarter of participants appear to use the non-prescription treatment continuously.
Men self-managing their LUTS/BPH are similar to those using prescription drugs based on age and symptom severity. Their main reasons to prefer non-prescription medicines relate to the wish to avoid 'chemical' and the preference for 'natural' treatments. Most of them are repeat users of the same product but use it only intermittently.
许多有提示良性前列腺增生的下尿路症状（LUTS/BPH）的男性选择使用非处方治疗进行自我管理。我们希望更好地描述这些男性的特征，并了解他们的动机和经历。
我们对477名使用非处方治疗LUTS的用户进行了匿名调查。
参与调查的男性的平均年龄（64.3±7.8岁）和国际前列腺症状评分（IPSS，17.7±7.9分）与非干预研究中使用处方药的用户相当，这表明他们并非主要受轻度症状强度的驱使。他们对疗效和耐受性有现实的期望。虽然选择非处方治疗的原因各不相同，但40.0%的人表示希望避免使用“化学”药物，反之，希望使用“天然”治疗。具体治疗方法的选择很大程度上取决于既往经验，但医生或药房的推荐以及广告也起到了一定作用。约三分之二的参与者报告称是重复使用者，并且每次都购买相同的产品。然而，不到四分之一的参与者似乎持续使用非处方治疗。
自我管理LUTS/BPH的男性在年龄和症状严重程度方面与使用处方药的男性相似。他们更喜欢非处方药的主要原因是希望避免使用“化学”药物以及对“天然”治疗的偏好。他们中的大多数是同一产品的重复使用者，但只是间歇性地使用。
