Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
"I have been taking Flomax-CR in tablet (pill) form for over two years for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.
After few side effects, it performed as expected, I am able to sleep 5 ~ 6 hours without need to go to the washroom.
However, after a year of taking Flomax-CR, constipation problems with bloated intestine appeared more and more frequently with more and more acute severe pain every time it occurred.
Thanks to my wife, a chemist ,  found the probable cause was found after putting a tablet (pill) in an acid solution to mimic the gastric environment and observing the evolution with time.  The tablet swells to the size of a small marshmallow and doesn&#039;t dissolve even after a month time.
Looking at Flomax on internet, it appeared that it was usually provided as a capsule rather than a tablet.  I consulted with my doctor, then my pharmacist and asked for capsules instead of tablets as well as a laxative to flush my intestine before starting the capsules.
I have been taking capsules for five weeks now without any occurrence of constipation, bloating and abdominal cramps. 
A test was run to compare capsules versus tablets (pills), stimulating the stomach environment and using distilled water as a blank.  The following picture shows clearly the results.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-hlDGSKHrGCYVZHcDJrTjlxZW8

In the acidic environment solution, the capsule dissolves within few hours at room temperature.
The tablet swells to a small marshmallow size (10~15 mm) and sticks to the glass wall of the tube.
Two weeks later, the swelled tablet is still not dissolved and its consistency is similar to non-set epoxy glue.
 
In conclusion, it might be important to me to know ahead the side effects of all the non medical part of a prescribed drug entering the digestive system as much as the active ingredients. 
Constipation and abdominal cramps are listed as possible side effect for Flomax-CR which is a control released tablet. 


Web search shows that Flomax-CR is only available in Canada:


The low rating (3/10) is for Flomax-CR (pills).
I would give a rating (7/10) to Flomax in capsules."