Hello,
I have been having a difficult time starting to urinate and am worried that there may be a problem with my prostate. I am 40/m with diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol and just had a complete CBC done yesterday and all numbers were normal except for some protein in my urine. I just started Metformin and was wondering if this could be the cause. Please help as I am very nervous.
Metformin has only been associated with urinary retention in much older people who have taken it for 10 years or more, and even then it is a very rare side effect. The protein in your urine is probably from kidney damage from your diabetes. Difficulty starting a urine stream can be caused by many things, especially BPH, cystitis, kidney or bladder stones, prostatitis, etc. A urologist can investigate for you.
Problems in urinating could be associated with prostate disease. Infection or BPH could be the cause. Simple tests for checking such possibilities are urine culture and PSA.
I believe that you are posting in this prostate cancer forum because you may be thinking that your problem is related to cancer; however, symptomatic cancer is rare and is common only in advanced cases. Getting a PSA test would be a good start to untangle the “mystery”. If found to be positive, you could then follow with other more specific tests.
Those would give you the peace of mind you are looking for.
Now I am having burning urination also and my stream is getting weaker. All of this just started within the last week or so when starting the new meds.
Dysuria and other irritative bladder symptoms can have a variety of causes - UTIs, STDs, stones, etc. If you think it's from a drug, and the drug isn't vital, stop taking it for a day or two to see if it goes away. You can't know until a urologist checks you out.
I agree with Allen, you should see an urologist. Your problem seems to be related with an infection that could have origins in your diabetes/kidney diagnosis.
The medication is not the cause for burning sensations or weaker stream.
In any case I recommend you to get a PSA test. This will serve you in future diagnosis.
