最終更新日: 8月 28, 2026
Patients ask constantly whether a kidney stone can be treated with tablets instead of surgery. For one stone type the answer is genuinely yes — a uric acid stone can be dissolved, not merely passed or prevented. No other common stone can.
The catch is in the first word. This only works if the stone actually is uric acid, which has to be established rather than hoped for.
- 泌尿器センター バンコク病院 タイ オンライン予約 02-310-3009 bhquro@bdms.co.th
- サミティジ・シラチャ病院 チョンブリ 088-022-1445
What stones are made of
- Calcium-containing stones — the large majority, around eight in ten.
- Uric acid stones — roughly one in ten, and the subject of this page.
- Infection stones and rarer inherited types — a small proportion, and managed differently again. Infection stones in particular can grow very large and generally need surgery, so they are worth knowing about.
The earlier version of this article said that calcium stones must be treated surgically. That is not right and has been corrected. Small calcium stones frequently pass on their own, small stones causing no trouble are often simply watched, and recurrence can be reduced substantially by diet and by medication. What is true is that a calcium stone cannot be dissolved — a different statement, and much less alarming. See do all kidney stones need treating.

Why uric acid stones form — and what they say about you
This was missing from the earlier version and it matters more than the treatment does.
Uric acid dissolves poorly in acidic urine. The usual reason someone forms these stones is not that they produce too much uric acid but that their urine is persistently too acidic — and that pattern travels with obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and gout.
So a uric acid stone is worth treating as a piece of information as well as a problem. A man who forms one and has never had his blood sugar or weight addressed has been given a warning and a treatment; taking only the treatment wastes the warning. It also means the stones recur reliably if the underlying pattern is not tackled.
Establishing that it really is uric acid
- Suggestive: persistently acidic urine on testing, and a stone of characteristically low density on CT. Together these are a reasonable basis to try dissolution.
- Definitive: analysis of the stone itself in the laboratory — which requires catching it. If you have ever passed a stone and thrown it away, that is the single most useful thing that has been lost. Strain your urine and keep anything you catch, however small and unimpressive it looks.
For anyone forming stones repeatedly, blood and 24-hour urine testing identifies the metabolic drivers and is what turns treatment of this stone into prevention of the next one. See 腎臓結石ができる理由.

The treatment
The whole approach rests on one idea: make the urine less acidic and the stone dissolves. The target is a urine pH of roughly 6.5 to 7.0, and you may be asked to test your own urine with pH strips at home.
- Urine alkalinisation, usually with potassium citrate. This is the main lever.
- Fluid — at least around 2.5 litres a day, enough that urine stays pale.
- Less animal protein — meat, and organ meats particularly — which both raises uric acid and acidifies urine.
- More fruit and vegetables. On citrus: the earlier version recommended orange juice and lemonade. Lemon juice diluted in water without added sugar is the version that raises citrate without the sugar load, and commercial lemonade and sweetened juices work against the metabolic problem underlying the stones in the first place.
- A uric acid-lowering drug such as allopurinol, where uric acid production is genuinely high or there is gout. It supports the alkalinisation rather than replacing it.
The caution that was not on this page
Potassium citrate is not a benign supplement. It raises blood potassium, which matters a great deal in two situations: impaired kidney function, 、および taking another drug that also raises potassium — several common blood pressure medicines and some diuretics do exactly that. High blood potassium is dangerous and causes no symptoms until it is serious.
Which is why this is a prescribed and monitored treatment with blood tests, not something to buy and start. Stomach upset is also common and often the reason people stop.
What to expect, honestly
- It takes weeks to months, not days, and requires taking the medication consistently. Progress is followed by repeat imaging showing the stone shrinking, alongside urine pH.
- Large stones dissolve less reliably than small ones.
- A stone stuck in the ureter and obstructing the kidney is not managed by waiting for it to dissolve. Obstruction is dealt with first; dissolution is a treatment for stones sitting in the kidney, not for a blockage.
- If it does not work, shockwave treatment or endoscopic laser surgery follow — and uric acid stones, being low density, are among the less suitable for shockwave, so endoscopic treatment is often preferred.
同日に注意が必要な症状
タイの非常事態発生時は、電話してください 1669.
- Fever or shaking chills with flank pain. An obstructed kidney that becomes infected is an emergency requiring urgent drainage — antibiotics alone are not enough. This is the most dangerous thing on this page.
- Severe pain not controlled by the painkillers you have, or with persistent vomiting.
- Passing little or no urine, particularly with a single kidney or a transplant.
- Flank pain in pregnancy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Uric Acid Stones
Can a kidney stone really be dissolved with tablets?
A uric acid stone can. It is the only common type that dissolves, because uric acid is poorly soluble in acidic urine and becomes soluble when the urine is made less acidic — the target being a pH of roughly 6.5 to 7.0. It takes weeks to months and requires consistent treatment and monitoring.
How do I know my stone is the uric acid type?
Persistently acidic urine and a characteristically low-density stone on CT are suggestive. Analysis of the stone itself is definitive, which means catching it — strain your urine and keep anything you pass, however small.
Do calcium stones always need surgery?
No, and an earlier version of this article said so. Small calcium stones often pass on their own, small stones causing no problems are frequently just monitored, and recurrence can be reduced by diet and medication. What is true is that they cannot be dissolved, which is a different and far less alarming statement.
Is potassium citrate safe to just start taking?
No. It raises blood potassium, which is dangerous in impaired kidney function or alongside other drugs that raise potassium, including several common blood pressure medicines — and high potassium causes no symptoms until it is serious. It is prescribed and monitored with blood tests. Stomach upset is also common.
Why did I get a uric acid stone?
Usually because your urine is persistently too acidic rather than because you produce too much uric acid — a pattern strongly associated with obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and gout. Dissolving the stone without addressing that means the next one forms.
相談の手続きをする
ソラウィー・ウィエラスポン博士が患者の診察を行っています バンコク病院本部 そしてチョンブリー県のサミティベート・シーラチャ病院にて 088-022-1445. Bring any previous scans, any stone analysis result, and the stone itself if you have kept one — along with a list of your medicines, since several interact with the treatment.
バンコク病院の遠隔医療は、来院が困難な患者様(海外からの患者様を含みます)を対象にご利用いただけます。泌尿器科宛てに事前にメールでご手配ください。 bhquro@bdms.co.th. サミティベート・シラチャは対面診療のみです。料金に関するお問い合わせは当ウェブサイトではなく、病院にお問い合わせください。. An acute attack of stone pain goes to hospital, not to email.
免責事項 この記事の内容は、バンコク病院本社(Bangkok Hospital Headquarters)の認定泌尿器科医であるソラウィー・ウィーラソポン医師(Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone)が執筆および監修したものであり、教育目的のみを意図しています。これは医学的なアドバイス、診断、または個別の処方ではなく、個人的なメッセージングチャンネルやソーシャルメディアを通じてアドバイス、診断、処方が行われることはありません。ソラウィー医師は公開のソーシャルメディアアカウントを運営していません。彼の名前で個人的な相談を提供しているアカウントはすべて詐欺です。タイで緊急事態が発生した場合は、以下にお電話ください。 1669.
医学的な執筆・監修:ソアラウィー・ウェーラソポーン医師(ドクター・ポム)― 泌尿器科専門医、バンコク病院本院、2016年より泌尿器科臨床に従事。専門研修:ロボット支援手術、長庚紀念医院、台湾(2019年) · 見学研修:内泌尿器科、順天堂大学医学部附属順天堂医院、東京(2022年) · 研究員および臨床見学者、スコット泌尿器科部門、ベイラー医科大学、米国(2025~2026年)。.

ソアラウィー・ウィーラソーポン医師(ドクター・ポム)は、バンコク病院本院の泌尿器科専門医(ボード認定)で、男性の健康、ロボット手術(ダヴィンチXi)、および腎結石治療を専門としています。現在は、ベイラー医科大学スコット泌尿器科にてモヒト・ケラ教授のもと、リサーチスカラー兼クリニカルオブザーバーを務めています(2025〜2026年)。台湾・長庚記念病院にてロボット手術フェローシップ(2019年)を、東京・順天堂大学医学部附属病院にてエンドウロロジーのオブザーバーシップ(2022年)を修了しています。

