Chronic Prostatitis Collaborative Research Network Clinical Trial- Ciprofloxacin and Tamsulosin

Although the cause of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is unknown, physicians sometimes try to treat it with antibiotics or alpha-receptor blockers. In this multicenter, double-blind factorial trial, 196 men with moderately severe CP/CPPS were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of treatment with ciprofloxacin, tamsulosin, both drugs, or placebo. Neither ciprofloxacin nor tamsulosin substantively reduced symptoms. Ciprofloxacin and tamsulosin were not effective treatments for CP/CPPS. Patients had long-standing, refractory CP/CPPS and received trial treatments for only 6 weeks. Patients with new diagnoses who are given longer courses of the trial treatments might respond differently.