Dear Dr. Roach: I鈥檓 87 and have an enlarged prostate. When I get the urge to urinate, which is often, I have to go at once. Do you think that taking a bladder-control medicine would interfere with the Cardura (doxazosin) I鈥檓 taking to keep my urine duct (urethra) open? It鈥檚 getting to be a big problem. Hope you can help me. C.B.
Both men and women can have urinary urgency (the sensation of needing to go right away), and sometimes this can lead to accidents.
In women, the problem usually is attributed to bladder spasm, and in men it may be attributed erroneously to the prostate. Of course, it is possible to have both prostate problems like benign enlargement of the gland and bladder spasm, but often the problem in men is solely the bladder.
Some people need treatment for both, and there are no interactions I could find between doxazosin and bladder spasm agents like Detrol (tolterodine) or Ditropan (oxybutynin).
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Dear Dr. Roach: I recently purchased two new pairs of prescription eyeglasses that are in plastic frames. Forty-eight hours after I began wearing the first pair, the bridge of my nose became very red, and small, flat blisters appeared. The same behind both ears 鈥� anywhere the plastic touched my skin. It healed with cortisone cream, and a week later I tried the other pair. This time, the reaction came within about 14 hours and involved swelling of my nose as well as the blistering and bright redness. What causes this 鈥� an allergy or some sort of chemical burn? The area was itchy yet felt like a burn and peeled after the cortisone treatment brought the blistering down. N.W.
This sounds like a case of contact dermatitis, probably related to the chemicals used in the manufacturing of the plastic. Some people are just sensitive to the many chemicals used. However, I am increasingly seeing bad reactions to manufactured goods, especially to those made overseas. Not every country has the same safeguards we have in place in North America.
Some of these chemicals are volatile and disappear after a short while. It鈥檚 possible that washing the glasses in hot, soapy water would remove them. However, in your case, the reaction was so strong that I would avoid that brand in the future.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to [email protected] or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.
