POTABA - effectiveness, interaction & questions

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newguy

To stop the thread getting off topic, I've decided to post my potabo posts here. I doubt this thread will see much action, as potaba is an old treatment and one of the most difficult to tolerate. However, it's useful for it to have its own area for discussion, to stop is clogging up other threads.

George - Am I right in thinking that Potaba is also known as Paba? If so, it's commercially available from sites like iherb too, though vast quantities would be required. I agree with your analysis that pentox is certainly preferable. Pentox should form the core of every peyronies regimen. I have personally never taken potaba, and appreciate that many more people suffer side effects than with pentox. Some people appear to naturally have the type of constitution that can deal with these things though. Beyond the PAV cocktail, I wouldn't blame people for considering it if they find that they can abide it.

If there is a scenario where a patient is fighting against an "take vitamin E and come back in 6 months" attitude though, then it makes sense to solely centre on pentox. There is now enough evidence for pentox for it to be rather insulting if a urologist fails to prescribe it.

George999

Potaba is PABA that has been modified slightly and turned into a patent medicine.  How much of the modifying was done to achieve increased therapeutic performance and how much was done to make the product patentable is not really clear.  There are quite a few guys who have tried PABA and felt that it was effective.  You do have to scarf down large quantities of it though.  This is where you expose yourself to potential side effects and even problems beyond that as in liver disease.  All of which are also associated with Potaba itself.  But if nothing else worked, I would certainly consider Potaba.  At this point I am far from being that desperate and I would strongly encourage anyone who can avoid it to make sure they do.  - George

Jackieo

Newguy:
I would like to chime-in on the Potaba discussion.  As you know, I am on Potaba...6 months now.  For whatever reason, the top two Peyronie's Uro's in Seattle both prescribe Potaba.  Neither will consider writing a prescription for Pentox.  I was prescribed 6 pills Potaba (crushed) twice daily which I took w/ food at breakfast and at dinner without any side effects.  I was told by several forum members that this dosage is on the "light" side so I asked my Uro to up the dosage.  We went to 6 pills three times daily after which I developed stomach bleeding (similar to my reaction to aspirin).
It is hard to argue now with either Uro's protocol based on my improvement:  https://www.peyroniesforum.net/index.php/topic,466.msg22062.html#msg22062
If I messed up (and you are interested) you can go to "Improvements".

Anyone else on Potaba who wants to compare notes contact me.  Otherwise, I have been taking my dose of Potaba w/ L-Arginine and Taurine.  Right or wrong, I read that the L-Arginine is an effective "transport" for the Potaba because the Potaba has a "short life".  JackieO

Jackieo

slowandsteady

It's a very small molecule, so the possibility of transdermal might exist. It looks like PABA derivatives have been used as transdermal delivery enhancers (R).

Another source says
QuoteMuch of the absorbed PABA remained unmetabolized and in the skin, as might be expected for an effective sunscreen agent.

jackp

When first diagnosed with peyronies in 1995 my urologist put me on 400iu of vitamin e three times a day and potaba.

The potaba I took was in packets that I mixed in water. I do not remember the dosage but took it about 18 months. I had no side effects. Just remember it tasted bad.

Jackp

Tim468

For what it's worth, I took tons of Potaba back when I was diagnosed at about 21 - no help. I also on a hunch rubbed PABA sun block on my penis for a very long time (no help, though I can report no sunburns during that time).

Of course, like Old Man, when you have had this for a long time, you are usually going to be a walking billboard for failed therapies. They work for some folks - but not me.

Tim
52, Peyronies Disease for 30 years, upward curve and some new lesions.

Old Man

Tim:

Amen! Many times over. My final solution, so far, has been the VED therapy. Continued maintenance with the VED seems to keep my penis healthy and no symptoms have occurred since the VED protocol was followed.

Old Man  
Age 92. Peyronies Disease at age 24, Peyronies Disease after
stage four radical prostatectomy in 1995, Heart surgery 2004 with three bypasses/three stents.
Three more stents in 2016. Hiatal hernia surgery 2017 with 1/3 stomach reduction. Many other surgeries too.

George999

If you look over the Wikipedia article on PABA, you find that PABA is considered mainly a nutrient for intestinal bacteria like e. coli, and does not have any significant direct effect on humans.  In fact sulfa drugs act by inhibiting bacterial access to PABA and thus causing folate starvation.  But this, in itself, is interesting, because intestinal bacterial flora have a huge impact in terms of modulation of the human immune system.  According to a 2005 article in UroToday,  Potaba is effective via "an anti-inflammatory and an anti-fibrotic effect due to stabilization of tissue serotonin-monamine oxidase activity and also a direct inhibitory effect on fibroblast glyocosamine secretion".  Whether this capability extends to PABA is unclear.  But PABA has been used for treating irritable bowel problems which would seem to indicate an anti-inflammatory effect of some sort.  How much is related to the care and feeding of healthy bacterial flora and how much to Potaba type response is, again, an open question.  - George

parajack

Jackieo...

I have about 3 pounds of Potaba in two containers just prescribed a few months ago...( one is unopened )....  I would gladly give it to someone who thought it might help them rather than toss it in the trash.....

Let me know if you're interested...

Jack

Jackieo

Quote from: parajack on December 19, 2009, 02:08:40 PM
Jackieo...

I have about 3 pounds of Potaba in two containers just prescribed a few months ago...( one is unopened )....  I would gladly give it to someone who thought it might help them rather than toss it in the trash.....

Let me know if you're interested...

Jack
Jack:
I am interested.  I did, however, just fill a 90-day prescription so it is not urgent.  I will send you a PM to exchange contact info.  Thanks, in advance.
JackieO
Jackieo

despise

Quote from: George999 on November 22, 2009, 05:34:27 PM
If you look over the Wikipedia article on PABA, you find that PABA is considered mainly a nutrient for intestinal bacteria like e. coli, and does not have any significant direct effect on humans.  In fact sulfa drugs act by inhibiting bacterial access to PABA and thus causing folate starvation.  But this, in itself, is interesting, because intestinal bacterial flora have a huge impact in terms of modulation of the human immune system.  According to a 2005 article in UroToday,  Potaba is effective via "an anti-inflammatory and an anti-fibrotic effect due to stabilization of tissue serotonin-monamine oxidase activity and also a direct inhibitory effect on fibroblast glyocosamine secretion".  Whether this capability extends to PABA is unclear.  But PABA has been used for treating irritable bowel problems which would seem to indicate an anti-inflammatory effect of some sort.  How much is related to the care and feeding of healthy bacterial flora and how much to Potaba type response is, again, an open question.  - George

tissue serotonin?  

Bart2

Hey guys,

Can I ask what the verdict is on Potaba to stimulate a discussion? I am just wondering someone on here stated that Potaba runs circles around Vitamin E, so do people suggest taking this over vitamin E?

Although Peyronie's Disease Institute seems like a walking advertisement for wasting money on things that may not work, they highly advocate their ballanced vitamin E (Integral Vitamin E factor 400/400 which has all 8 family members of vitamin E) and not just the single d-alpha-tocopherol, often in the synthetic or esterified form which is often used in studies. I think in the accounts of improvement thread on this site a person posted that they tried synthetic vitamin E to no avail, but then saw some positive results when they switched to this product advertised on PDI website (I hope they are not spamming for the site). I am interested in incorporating vitamin E into my treatment regimen, and I am curious as to what people think of it and these theories on synthetic vs. natural product differences?. Many thanks,

Bart  

jackp

Bart

Back when my peyronies started in 1995 my doctor put me on Potaba and Vitamin E. The Vitamin E was 400IU 3 times a day. At that time I just used the off the shelf stuff.  

In my case it helped the curve but not the other side effects, loss of size, loss of night time erections, severe ED,  Venous Leakage and Corporal Fibrosis.

I stopped the Potaba after about 18 months but continued the Vitiamin E until I had heart stents in 2006.

I can truly say that the only thing that helped after 18 months was the VED after the heart stents. The VED brought back a lot of health and size for my penis. It helped keep me healthy and active until my implant 10/08. The VED protocol is credited with a better than expected outcome from implant surgery.

IMHO the only thing that helps with peyronies in the VED and peyronies with severe ED the only thing that helps is an implant. Now I can function normally again.

My 2 cents worth.

Jackp

Old Man

Bart:

In the early stages of my worst case of Peyronies Disease (have had several cases), my uro put me on 24 Potaba tablets per day - 6 four times a day. After taking 13 bottles of 1,000 tablets, there were no actual effects noted. I was in the same condition as before starting the Potaba. So, my uro and I decided there were no benefits in taking any more so it was discontinued.

You should read all the posts on the forum to get a better overall picture of what the med has or has not done for others. IMHO, the benefits are not worth the side effects that some guys have experienced. Gastro problems have been one of major objections shown by many guys on the forum.

So, do your homework before embarking on a regimen of Potaba.

Old Man
Age 92. Peyronies Disease at age 24, Peyronies Disease after
stage four radical prostatectomy in 1995, Heart surgery 2004 with three bypasses/three stents.
Three more stents in 2016. Hiatal hernia surgery 2017 with 1/3 stomach reduction. Many other surgeries too.

George999

Quote from: bart15 on December 24, 2009, 01:52:00 AMI think in the accounts of improvement thread on this site a person posted that they tried synthetic vitamin E to no avail, but then saw some positive results when they switched to this product advertised on PDI website (I hope they are not spamming for the site).

Bart,  I'm the guy that wrote that and I still would recommend natural full spec E over the synthetic kind which some research indicates is not even assimilated well be the human body.  There are a lot of full spec E products out there other than the one PDI carries that are just a good and a lot less expensive.  Now Foods Gamma E, GNC Isomer E, and there are others as well.  BUT, the mileage you get out of Vitamin E will be EXTREMELY LIMITED.  Potaba is indeed more beneficial, BUT its extremely expensive and difficult to manage.  The number one best oral treatment at this point is Pentoxifylline.  It is dirt cheap, easy to take, almost no side effects or drug interactions, and is well understood and its use has been studied for decades.  Thus it is extremely safe.  You can hardly loose with it.  But you do need to find a physician willing to prescribe it to you.  Personally, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't fool around.  I would do what is known to work.  Pentox, VED, traction, even surgery if necessary and if you decide its appropriate.  There are a lot of doctors (and a lot of non-doctors as well) recommending useless or next to useless treatments for Peyronie's that will easily empty your wallet while your condition just deteriorates and narrows your future options.  Don't fiddle with this, demand a treatment that actually works and if your doctor won't help you with that, find another doctor that will.  Go to the resources area and download the PDFs authored by the experts (Lue and Levine) and learn what works and what doesn't.  - George

Bart2

Thanks for the responses everyone. I just wanted to take vitamin E (and possibly D3 although I cannot find this apparent Brasilian study documenting its effects) as part of my greater treatment regimen. I visited a local uro and I am actually going to be using a VED (I will probably purchase the vitality 3 cylinder one rather than what he recommends), pentox, and L-arg. I will also combine pycnogenol for the L-arg. Additionally, because I am undiagnosed fully (The uro didnt' decided whether it is peyronie's or congenital) I will also try the traction device as well (FastSize probably). I will also add a thermotex wrist heating pad that one member on here told me slips over the traction device easily which I will wear to provide the hyperthermia. It has the appropriate temperatures as stated in that Italian study and delivers light therapy that penetrates tissue up to 2.6 inches I believe at one of the wavelengths so I will try this. Anyways, all will be done conservatively.

Thus, I just wanted to bring up the vitamin E (And even D3) to just see if it is worthwhile in combining with all these extensive plans? I'll have the pentox and L-arg, which when combined with the light therapy should do good in terms of increased blood flow and flushing out toxins, but I can't really see these vitamins hurting my case. I will check the prices at GNC since shipping costs for vitamin E from PDI are pretty high. Thanks again everyone,

Bart

Bart2

Oh, and as it can be seen, I really never considered taking POTABA (especially after reading that it's expensive and hard on the GI tract) but I did not see any vitamin E threads and since someone stated that POTABA runs circles on Vitamin E, thought this would be the thread to post it in.

George999

Bart,  I currently take 800IU of full spec vitamin E per WEEK.  I consider vitamin D much more important to general health.  I have been taking around 9,000IU of vitamin D for going on three years now, and it has proven immensely helpful.  No flues or colds and a significant positive effect on my cholesterol.  But to do vitamin D correctly, you need to get a doctor's help and get tested so you know where you blood levels are.  There is lots of information on the Vitamin D Council and Grassroots Health websites.  - George

Lancaster

Quote from: George999 on December 25, 2009, 11:03:49 AM
Bart,  I currently take 800IU of full spec vitamin E per WEEK.  I consider vitamin D much more important to general health.  I have been taking around 9,000IU of vitamin D for going on three years now, and it has proven immensely helpful.  No flues or colds and a significant positive effect on my cholesterol.  
- George

You have been taking V-D for three years now?  Nice to hear about it's positive effect on your cholesterol and cold/flu, but your peyronie's came back while you were taking high dose vitamin-D.  What is the conclusion to be drawn here?

JWL

From what I've read, Potaba is one of the ONLY oral therapies (or therapy of any kind) to demonstrate statistically significant effects on Peyronies in a proper clinical trial.  The study I read, however, did not indicate that it can "improve" the curvature, only prevent the curvature from worsening during the acute phase.  In the study I read, of all participants in the experimental group (those actually taking the POTABA), not one experienced a worsening of curvature, while of those in the control group (taking the placebo), about 50%--the usual standard number given--experienced their deformity getting worse throughout the acute phase.

I read this, I believe, in Dr. Levine's book on Peyronies, which I got from the library.  Will try to find an online link for the article, though, and post it.

So yeah, to summarise: Potaba: no use for those beyond the acute phase of the disease, and of demonstrated limited use in preventing deterioration for those in acute phase.

cowboyfood

Quote from: JWL on April 05, 2010, 11:13:18 AM
From what I've read, Potaba is one of the ONLY oral therapies (or therapy of any kind) to demonstrate statistically significant effects on Peyronies in a proper clinical trial...

A recent study involving a clinical trial of Pentox shows that it helps prevent and reduce curvature in patients diagnosed with Peyronies Disease.  It's posted on the forum somewhere, so search for it and give it a read.

CF
Currently:  L-Arginine (2g), Vit D3)

George999

Pentoxifylline beats Potaba on every count.  It is more effective, far less expensive, far easier to take, fewer side effects, safer, the list goes on and on.  But Pentoxifylline is an off patent generic whereas Potaba is an on patent high profit product and thus has a lot of marketing power behind it and thus gets pushed by most urologists.  I was offered Potaba initially by my uro and refused it in favor of Pentoxifylline.  I am glad that it did.  Potaba would have most likely been a waste of time and money.  I am now off the Pentoxifylline and doing well with no progression in the Peyronies issue which is the best one can expect since there is nothing at this point that can reliably reverse it.  There ARE things that can stop its progression though and Pentoxifylline is at the top of the list in that regard.  - George

ComeBacKid

Everything George just said is right, after taking pentox my condition reversed and got better!  Pentox is the best option I've found after ten years of trying just about everything guys.

ComebacKid

newguy

I agree. George is spot on here. Potaba has probably helped a few men, but it doesn't have as much positive research behind it as pentox. The side effects also mean that you wouldn't be able to take it for as long as pentox, which is relatively easy to tolerate for most men.  

Tim468

Is POTABA really not yet off-patent? I had it prescribed for me in 1975 and it didn't help in the least. But after at least 17 years medical patents go off, I thought.

Tim
52, Peyronies Disease for 30 years, upward curve and some new lesions.

George999

Thanks for the correction on that point Tim.  I was unaware that there was a generic option to Potaba, but apparently there is and you are apparently correct that it is in fact off-patent.  I will try to go back and correct my posts.  The generic drug is "Aminobenzoate Potassium".  However, my doctor did not mention the availability of a generic option but instead provided me with marketing material for "Potaba".  - George

Afterthought:  I have gone back and done a bit of research on this.  While Potaba is definitely off patent, I was unable to find any sources for a generic.  All that seems to be available is the original patent brand name medication.  And the prices that I am seeing are running about twice the price of Pentoxifylline PER PILL.  Lowest price for Pentoxifylline is 17 cents per pill whereas I am seeing a low of around 34 cents per pill for Potaba.  So even if Potaba is off patent, if there are no generic competitors, you see the problem.  Also there is the issue that one takes three Pentox pills per day as opposed to how many Potaba pills?  Lots!

Rockout

Hello Everyone!

First post, I looked for an answer to my question but did not see it on the forum, if there are posts you wish to direct me to, it would be greatly appreciated.

I am 45yrs old, I was diagnosed July 2010 with a moderate dorsal curve that within months developed into a left curve as well. No pain at all. I was given a script for Celebrex for the past six months.

My current daily vitamins are as follows:
Centrum multi-vitamin
Omega 3 400 EPA + 200 DHA
D (Can't remember dosage)
E (800)
Probiotic
Valtrex (500mg daily) for Herpes suppression

My Urologist recommends against surgery and I concur. He is now putting me on Potaba 12g/day.

Is that a good course of action given where I am at in the process?

My biggest issue with Peyronies has not been sexually but in day to day living. As a result of lack of elasticity, I had to switch from briefs to boxers and stop doing a spin class at the gym. I have seen others express concern about pain while wearing jeans, I guess I have that but it is more of a discomfort that results in fidgeting rather than full on pain.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to gaining more insight by exploring other forum posts in the various sections here.

RO

Worried Guy

I'm nearly 3 months into this and am still in a little pain.  Over the last week it has seemed to have gone off a little.  I guess i feel discomfort when driving or moving about.  I'm a surveyor so spend a large amount of the day walking.  When it first started i was in agony and had to put ibuprofen gel on to my penis and also take pain killers. I'm glad it is not so bad as the pain is a constant reminder that there is something bad happening.  Have you thought about adding l arginine or Coq10?  L arginine is pretty cheap but CoQ10 can cost a fair bit. Some people believe CoQ10 can help with pain and L arginine with progression.  I'm going to try VED to fix the curvature in a few weeks and you may want to consider that.  A 15 degree curvature will not stop sex but it has a mental affect and will naturally make it shorter.  I have a 15 degree to the left and I worry it could get larger so want to get on top of this now.  I don't really know much about potaba except it plays hell on the stomach.

Cheers

Ed

newguy

Rockout - I notice that you're missing pentoxifylline and coq10. These both have positive studies supporting them, and may well be useful to you at this time.

You could also try either traction or VED. Surgery is always a viable option (when there is no pain, and the condition has been stable for some time), but it would make sense to dedicate some time to seeing if you can improve your condition without surgery.

Old Man

Rockout:

Just had to add my two cents worth to the potabo question. There are several varieties of the drug too. For what it is worth, I took over 13,000, yes that is right, over 13,000 tablets 6 at a time four times a day. Lost count of the weeks using it too!

The results: Stomach aches, terrible gas pains, foul smelling "exhaust" and bloating problems with absolutely no change in the Peyronies Disease symptoms. During the time I took all those, the price was not too awfully high, but I did have insurance that paid for them.

So, bottom line for me at least, is that they do not work.

Old Man
Age 92. Peyronies Disease at age 24, Peyronies Disease after
stage four radical prostatectomy in 1995, Heart surgery 2004 with three bypasses/three stents.
Three more stents in 2016. Hiatal hernia surgery 2017 with 1/3 stomach reduction. Many other surgeries too.

Rockout

Thanks for the replies thus far - I will need to do some reading on pentoxifylline and coq10.

I already have a script for the Potaba, if I were to fulfill it and give it a shot, would pills or envules be the way to go? Can it be mixed with pentoxifylline and coq10?

rd

Quote from: Rockout on March 01, 2011, 06:28:27 PM
Thanks for the replies thus far - I will need to do some reading on pentoxifylline and coq10.

I already have a script for the Potaba, if I were to fulfill it and give it a shot, would pills or envules be the way to go? Can it be mixed with pentoxifylline and coq10?

Rock,

I have been combining Potaba and Pentox with no problems. I did a online drug interaction search for the two and found there to be none reported. You can always check with a a pharmacist as well. I wasn't able to get a rx for pentox so I ordered it online my uro would only give me potaba. So when I found a place to order pentox online I combined the two. I basically eat pills all day. Below is a list of what im taking

Potaba 6 pills 4 times a day
Pentox/Trental 1 pill three times a day
COQ10 1 pill three times a day
Vitamin D
L-Arginin 3 times a day
Guto Kola two pills a day
Viagra once a day

Worried Guy

I believe you would be fine with Coq10 but pentox may cause more stomach problems.  I would ask a medical professional.  

Worried Guy

RD

How long have you been combining the 2 and have you noticed any improvements?  Did you start early in the progression?

Cheers

rd

I started the potaba proably 2 months after having it(Woke up sept 2 with a lump). The pentox I started about a month ago. Recently I have noticed maybe a slight improvement. I have a dent on the right side not curve. Basically I fill up right to the lump then above the lump nothing. Over the last month I started see a little bit if filling above the lump with a erection, and the tissue around the lump is starting to feel a bit fuller if that makes since. As for pain and discomfort it comes and goes. Also I have noticed sense the start that when flaccid I could see the lump now it doesn't seem as noticeable as before like maybe its improving.

Worried Guy

Yeah that sounds similar to my problem.  I have a large lump on the left and a small one on the right.  I'm very worried if the lumps gets any bigger the head of the penis will stop getting hard.  I have a slight dent and a 10-15 curvature to the left.  Sometimes the lump feels big and sometimes small.  It is weird.  The uro told me it was about 1cm but i think it has grown since then.  I started taking pentox 5 days a go so hopefully it will help after a few months.  I can see the lump when flaccid also.  I just work up and noticed it one day.  I've had plenty of pain with it also.  Do you find yourself checking the lump all the time?  I have to stop doing this as i'm just making it sore and possible worse.

rd

Yeah I kept poking it hoping to feel it reducing in size. I think probably doing it to much. What I started doing is once a week I will take time to feel it and see if anything feels different. No more then once a week and just a quick check. I noticed when I was checking all the time it hurt a lot more. I also have been making sure to get 8 hours of sleep a night, trying to not get stressed about things, and I don't drink any alcohol. I also try not to take in any sweets to reduce sugar intake. I don't eat fast food either. I want to give my body everything it might need to improve what it can on its own.

Rockout

Is Pentox primarily for pain relief? I have seen it referred to as such in a few areas of this forum.

George999

Pentox is generally therapuetic in the treatment of Peyronie's.  It is one of only a handful of oral treatments that have research behind them demonstrating their effectiveness.  Others would be CoQ10/Ubiquinol, Acetyl L Carnitine, and Potaba.  For more information on Pentoxifylline, see these pages:

https://www.peyroniesforum.net/index.php/topic,1004.0.html

https://www.peyroniesforum.net/index.php/topic,772.0.html

https://www.peyroniesforum.net/index.php/topic,723.0.html

- George

Rockout

Thanks for the help thus far!

I am in Toronto Canada. Are CoQ10/Ubiquinol and Pentoxifylline available here and if so, would I need a prescription? I tried Riverpharmacy.ca and they cannot sell to Canadians.

Shame, I just saw my Uro on Monday of this week and he prescribed Potaba, I wish I had found this forum prior to that appointment. I will call my pharmacist today and enquire regarding the availability of CoQ10/Ubiquinol and Pentoxifylline.

If I opted to try Potaba, does anyone have an opinion on tablets verses envules?

George999

Rockout,

#1)  Forget Potaba.  It is "old school" Peyronie's treatment.  While it does work, it requires you to take dozens of tablets vs a few for Pentox.  While Pentox does have side effects, Potaba's are far more common and often more severe.  Potaba is generally more expensive than Pentox.  Potaba is generally less safe than Pentox as it can have bad effects on the liver.  Potaba is less effective than Pentox.

#2)  You have a top Peyronie's expert right in your neighborhood.  You are already on to him in the urologists topic.  I suggest you send a personal message to "mike67" and network with the guys in the Toronto area who are already seeing him.  He WILL provide you access to Pentox.  CoQ10/Ubiquinol is very much available in Canada.  It is expensive so you'll need to shop around.  A number of web vendors offer it.  Unlike Pentox, it does NOT require a prescription in Canada.

- George

Rockout

Thanks George. I managed to get an appointment with my Uro for March 14th. I already have the script for Potaba and have no idea if I will get prescribed Pentox or not. Is there any sense in starting on Potaba now if my intentions were to switch to Pentox in a few weeks?

Thanks for the heads up about Mike67 - I have contacted him.

George999

Thats really up to you.  In my case I was prescribed Potaba and denied Pentox out the gate with my local uro.  With all I already knew about Potaba from this forum, I insisted on a referral to Dr Lue which my local uro (who knows Dr Lue) immediately agreed to.  So even though I had the prescription for Potaba in hand, I never filled it because I knew that Pentox was the real solution and Potaba would only be a messy detour for me.  Having said that, there is at least one guy around here who is actually combining Potaba with Pentox very effectively.  So if one doesn't mind the hassle of taking Potaba, AND IT IS A HASSLE, there should be no problem with taking Potaba and Pentox together.  The only thing with Potaba is you need to make sure your doc knows you are taking it because there are potential liver issues with it meaning it should probably not be taken with other substances that stress the liver and you should be having your liver enzymes carefully monitored.  - George

Rockout

Is the hope in oral theraphy to arrest the Peyronies or have ir recede? In other words, what would be a reasonable expectation of outcome after pursuing a courde of treatment?

chefcasey

I think the most one can expect from oral therapy is pain reduction/elimination and if you're lucky, disease stabilization and perhaps mild improvement if you're really lucky. I don't think I've heard of more than a handful of guys experienceing any resolution in their condistion from oral therapy alone.

George999

I for one have had no problem arresting Peyronie's with oral therapy and have even seen some improvement.  But, you have to understand that the oral therapy has been in the context of painstakingly getting my Vitamin D blood levels way up, taking lots of fish oil and using other strategies to fight inflammation, losing a huge amount of weight and keeping it off, and pulling out all the stops to bring my blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels way below the upper limits.  I am convinced from my own experience that it can be done, but you really have to want it bad.  - George

goodluck

Isn't the over the counter supplement PABA very similar to the prescription POTABA?

I know PABA is relatively inexpensive as I have priced it on line. It is one part of the B complex. However, I am not sure what the typical dose may be for Peyronies, so It could be expensive if the daily dose is high.

I also noted Georges comments below about being carefull of Liver issues while on it.  Most all drugs/supplements etc. do go through the liver and tax it to some extent.  

I know of a very good herbalist in Boston who recommends anyone on a drug long term should take the herb milk thistle daily to protect the liver.

Maybe others can weigh in on this who have more experience/knowlege.  It would be helpfull to know the mechanism of how POTABA works on reversing Peyronies.

George999

Quote from: goodluck on April 22, 2012, 11:39:50 PM
I know of a very good herbalist in Boston who recommends anyone on a drug long term should take the herb milk thistle daily to protect the liver.

Silymarin would certainly be appropriate with high dosages of PABA, but relatively inexpensive basic metabolic testing every six months is also appropriate.  You do NOT want to take risks with your liver.  Most people have no problem, but if you are one who does, it can turn out badly.  Liver damage is every bit as difficult to reverse as Peyronie's and the potential consequences are far greater.  - George

Ptolemy

There isn't much on POTABA on this thread. Below on POTABA from the (Re PENTOX - ALTERNATIVES ???) thread:

Quote from: another_one on November 02, 2012, 03:58:35 PM
Hi everyone,

I've had Peyronies since 2005. I've been using VED since 2007.  My history:

Our Histories - Meet the Forum Members - ARCHIVE - Peyronies Society Forums

I tried TRENTAL from July 2008 for 3 years with no noticeable impact. My cardiologist asked me to discontinue it.

I have relocated from LA to DC and have a new Urologist. He wants me to try POTABA so I've begun 2 tab (500mg each) x 4 times a day. I have no insurance and at the price I paid $338.99 for 45 days at my local pharmacy, I will be reluctant to continue unless I come across something a little more convincing than what I've been reading on this forum.

Basically, my question is, if POTABA is old technology and I received no benefit from TRENTAL, newer technology, am I wasting my money? I would try TRENTAL again, but I'm not overwhelmed by those that have used TRENTAL and have responded. And it appears that those that have tried POTABA have had better luck than those that have tried TRENTAL. I did read the report summary from George999.

I am assuming PENTOX and TRENTAL are the same thing.

Rockout

Ptolemy,

PENTOX and TRENTAL are the same thing.

I am on the following (daily) for two years:
PENTOX 3x400MG
L-Arginine 2x750MG
Ubiquinol 2x100MG

I also did VED for a year every morning and I was on traction (270 hours/Month) for roughly six months. I have discontinued both of these.

My condition is roughly the same as when I started and I am considering giving up the PENTOX.