Kidney Stones

If you have more than one kidney stone, especially if you have a family history of stones, you are more likely to have kidney stones again. But you can take steps to help prevent them:

• Drink more fluids. Try to drink enough water to keep your urine clear, about 8 to 10 glasses of water per day. Slowly increase how much you drink, perhaps adding one more glass of water a day until you are drinking 8 to 10 glasses a day. This slow increase will give your body time to adjust to the extra fluids. You are drinking enough water when your urine is clear or light yellow. If it is dark yellow, you are not drinking enough fluids. If you have kidney, heart, or liver disease and have fluid restrictions, talk with your doctor before increasing how much you drink.
• Change your diet. This may be helpful, but it depends on what is causing your kidney stones. Your doctor may do more tests before deciding whether changing your diet will help reduce your risk for developing another stone. The results of these tests may suggest that it could be helpful to do one or more of the following:
  • Increase how much fiber you eat. Fiber includes oat bran, beans, whole wheat breads, wheat cereals, cabbage, and carrots.
  • Eat less beef, pork, and poultry.
  • Eat a moderate or high amount of calcium-rich foods, such as dairy products. Getting your recommended amounts of calcium, combined with a diet low in sodium and protein, may decrease your risk of kidney stones.
  • Try not to drink grapefruit juice. Drinking grapefruit juice may increase your risk for developing kidney stones.
  • Avoid foods that are high in oxalate, such as dark green vegetables, nuts, and chocolate.
  • Try not to add salt when you cook or eat. Try removing the salt shaker from your table.

For more information on diet and kidney stones, see:

Kidney stones: Preventing kidney stones through diet.

Medicine

If you get more kidney stones despite drinking more fluids and making changes to your diet, your doctor may give you medicine to help dissolve your stones or to prevent new ones from forming. You may also receive medicine if you have a disease that increases your risk of forming kidney stones. Which medicine you take depends on the type of stone you may have.

For more information on the medicines used to dissolve kidney stones and prevent new ones from forming, see the Medications section of this topic.