Do Pain Medications Cause Kidney Stones?

kidney stoneKidney stones are tiny pieces of mineral or salt in the urine that are incredibly painful when passed. Pain meds are often used to ease discomfort during stone passage. But can these pain medications also cause kidney stones?

What are Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones are considered one of the most painful acute conditions.  They are caused by a variety of things such as:

  • How the body metabolizes various compounds (calcium, for example).
  • Not drinking enough water
  • Other medical conditions like gout
  • Genetic predisposition

As stones are passed from the kidney through the ureters to the bladder, they can be extremely painful.  Stones are often as small as a grain of sand. As they are passed from the kidney they irritate the structures on the way out of the body.

Identifying & Preventing Kidney Stones

Stones are often suspected when there is blood in the urine without any additional signs of infection.  In most cases, once you have a kidney stone you have no choice but to pass it. The only thing you can do is take pain meds to manage the pain during passage. In more severe cases, surgical procedure may be necessary to remove the stone. Analysis of the stone after it is passed can determine a prevention strategy moving forward.

Pain Medications & Kidney Stones

Pain medications are often used to control the extreme pain caused during the passage of a kidney stone.  It is common that people when passing a stone have such severe pain that they go to a hospital.  Powerful opioid and narcotic medications are useful to control the severe discomfort.

Pain medications themselves have not been known to cause kidney stones.  They have been used as an essential tool in the treatment of acute passing of stones.  Treatment is usually only necessary for a few hours to several days with opioid medications.  In rare cases with people who have recurrent stones, frequent use of opioid medication on a temporary basis is necessary. This should only be a temporary solution until a renal specialist can develop a more definitive management strategy.