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Side effects of FloMax?
My RO prescribed Flomax (tamsulosin) when I inquired as to what his radiation treatment was going to do to my urinary symptoms.
After my first day on this drug, a small area of my gums on one side of my mouth swelled enough to make the spaces between three of the teeth much smaller. The gum there became sensitive to the point I was sustaining damage when I chewed food. Two days later and this sensitivity and swelling had spread over the roof of my mouth almost to the other side. If this keeps up, I thought, I'll have to eat baby food. Since this effect was coincidental with my first exposure to this drug, I called the prescribing RO and talked to a nurse. She said this is not a listed side effect. The RO sent me a message later saying try stopping the drug.
I stopped taking the drug. The process that was happening in my mouth immediately went into reverse. 2 days later I could even chew on food anywhere in my mouth, although the side this started on was a bit more sensitive. More days later my mouth is back to normal.
Anyone else experience something like this?
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Apparently, the doctors/nurses don’t do a basic search in AI to see what is going on. Based on this information, I would talk to the doctor and tell them that you need something besides Flomax if there is a problem with urinary flow.
Yes, swelling of the gums can be a symptom of a serious allergic reaction to Flomax (tamsulosin). This is a rare but possible side effect and requires immediate medical attention.
Signs of a Serious Allergic Reaction
Swelling of the mouth, tongue, or throat can be part of a severe allergic reaction, also known as angioedema. You should stop using Flomax and get emergency medical help right away.
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1 Reaction@jeffmarc I did several searches using AI before calling two doctors. I don't take AI as gospel unless I can visit the source document. I could not find any reference to swelling of gums or the roof of my mouth. The nurses working for the doctors questioned me specifically about difficulty breathing or swelling of the tongue or throat, but I was not experiencing those symptoms and said so. I reported that other than the sensitivity of my gums and roof of my mouth, I felt fine. They both then said they would present my symptoms to the doctors and get back to me. The prescribing doctor recommended no further doses of the drug.
I don't immediately presume the professionals I'm dealing with have no idea what they are talking about, or that they are so incapable they can't even search the internet.
I reported what was happening to me directly to them, and I received good advice. I posted here to see if anyone else had experienced what I experienced, since my symptoms were not listed as far as I could tell as a side effet of Flomax.
@climateguy
Some links to problems
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1592/tamsulosin-oral/details
This article has the exact words that I quoted
https://www.healthline.com/health/drugs/tamsulosin-oral-capsule
I was prescribed Flomax by urology to try to combat urinary retention. Blood pressure crashed to 60/40ish. Cardiology said, "That's enough of that, figure out something else." I did not notice any other effects except the weakness and lightheadedness that goes with a blood pressure drop like that. I was only taking it for a few days, though.
I had a very similar reaction that I would term more side effect than allergic reaction. I had pain, but no swelling. The RO's nurse at the "name brand place" was totally dismissive. My dentist said he was familiar with alpha antagonists causing gum problems from his previous work at the dental school many years ago, but hadn't seen it recently. Apparently, it's not a common reaction and not specifically mentioned in the package insert.
The RO sort of shrugged and suggested daily low dose tadalafil, which has worked just as well. Up once or twice a night, same as before SBRT 16 months ago.
@mjp0512 Flomax (Tamsulosin) is known to lower BP; it’s a common side-effect.
One doctor I heard say that’s the way some of these urinary drugs were discovered - some were initially BP medications and the guys noticed that they also peed better!
None of that, just tension headaches.
I had tooth pain taking Flomax. Switched to silodoxin. Not sure if spelled right. No tooth pain…….