Risks associated with drug treatments for kidney stones

Introduction: Renal stones are one of the most painful medical conditions patients experience. For many they are also a recurrent problem. Fortunately, there are a number of drug therapies available to treat symptoms as well as prevent future stone formation.

Areas covered: Herein, we review the most common drugs used in the treatment of renal stones, explaining the mechanism of action and potential side effects. Search of the Medline databases and relevant textbooks was conducted to obtain the relevant information. Further details were sourced from drug prescribing manuals. Recent studies of drug effectiveness are included as appropriate.

Expert opinion: Recent controversies include medical expulsive therapy trials and complex role of urinary citrate in stone disease. Future directions in research will involve new medical therapies for stone prevention, for example new drugs for hyperoxaluria.