Pentosan: When and How Do I Take It?
Pentosan comes in the form of a gelatin capsule. This pentosan capsule is taken three times a day. It is recommended that you take your pentosan capsule with water, either one hour before or two hours after a meal.
Pentosan should be taken at the same time each day to maintain an even level of the medicine in your blood. It is not considered a pain medication -- like
acetaminophen (
Tylenol®) or aspirin; it will only reduce the pain if you take it consistently. For pentosan to work properly, you have to take it as prescribed.
The dose of pentosan your healthcare provider recommends will vary depending on a number of factors, including
- Other medical conditions you may have
- Other medications you may be currently taking.
Most people start with pentosan 100 mg, three times a day.
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
(The pentosan side effects listed below are NOT a complete list of possible side effects of pentosan. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of pentosan side effects with you.)
As with any medicine, there are possible side effects with pentosan. However, not everyone who takes pentosan will experience side effects. When people do develop pentosan side effects, though, in most cases they are minor, meaning they require no treatment or are easily treated by their healthcare provider.
Common side effects of pentosan (occurring in 1 percent to 4 percent of people) can include, but are not limited to:
- Hair loss
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Headache
- Blood in the stool
- Unexplained rash
- Bruising
- Indigestion
- Abdominal pain
- Increases in liver enzymes
- Dizziness.
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