What I Need to Know
about Kidney Stones

What can I do to avoid more stones?

Drink more water. Try to drink 12 full glasses of water a day. Drinking lots of water helps to flush away the substances that form stones in the kidneys.

You can also drink ginger ale, lemon-lime sodas, and fruit juices. But water is best. Limit your coffee, tea, and cola to one or two cups a day because the caffeine may cause you to lose fluid too quickly.

Your doctor may ask you to eat more of some foods and to cut back on other foods. For example, if you have a uric acid stone, your doctor may ask you to eat less meat, because meat breaks down to make uric acid.

The doctor may give you medicines to prevent calcium and uric acid stones.

Try to drink 12 full glasses of water every day.

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Points to Remember

• Most stones will pass out of the body without a doctor's help.
  
• See your doctor if you have severe pain in your back or side that will not go away.
  
• See your doctor if you have blood in your urine (urine will appear pink).
  
• Drink lots of water to prevent more kidney stones from forming.
  
• When you pass a stone, try to catch it in a strainer to show to your doctor.
  
• Talk to your doctor about how to avoid more stones.

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Acknowledgments

The individuals listed here provided editorial guidance or facilitated field testing for this publication. The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) would like to thank these individuals for their contribution.

John Asplin, M.D.
The University of Chicago Hospitals
Chicago, IL

Anne Gaddy
Zacchaeus Free Clinic
Washington, DC

Pamela Grigsby, P.A.
Washington Nephrology Associates
Bethesda, MD

Charlotte Szromba, M.S.N., R.N., C.N.N.
The University of Chicago Hospitals
Chicago, IL

Judith Thomas
American Society of Nephrology
Washington, DC

Gail Wick, R.N., B.S.N.
American Nephrology Nurses' Association
Atlanta, GA

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National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse

3 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892–3580
Email: nkudic@info.niddk.nih.gov

The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1987, the Clearinghouse provides information about diseases of the kidneys and urologic system to people with kidney and urologic disorders and to their families, health care professionals, and the public. The NKUDIC answers inquiries, develops and distributes publications, and works closely with professional and patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate resources about kidney and urologic diseases.

Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside experts.

This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse encourages users of this fact sheet to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired.

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