最后更新: 2026 年 8 月 28 日

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.

What stones are made of

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.

Approximately one in ten kidney stones is uric acid and potentially dissolvable
About one stone in ten is uric acid — which is why the type has to be established before planning around dissolution.

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

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 肾结石为何会形成.

Laboratory stone analysis, the definitive way to establish kidney stone composition
Analysis of the stone is definitive — which is why a passed stone should never be thrown away.

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.

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,以及 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

需要当天就医的症状

在泰国遇到紧急情况时,请拨打 1669.

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.

预约咨询

Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone 的出诊地点: Bangkok Hospital Headquarters 以及在春武里府的 Samitivej Sriracha Hospital,时间为 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.

无法亲自就诊的患者(包括国际患者)可使用曼谷医院远程医疗服务——请提前通过电子邮件联系泌尿外科安排,邮箱: bhquro@bdms.co.th。Samitivej Sriracha 医院仅提供现场就诊服务。费用方面的咨询由医院答复,本网站不负责解答。 An acute attack of stone pain goes to hospital, not to email.

免责声明: 本内容由 Bangkok Hospital Headquarters 的委员会认证泌尿外科医生 Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone 撰写并审核,仅供健康教育之用。本内容不构成针对任何个人的医疗建议、诊断或处方,也不会通过私人消息渠道或社交媒体提供任何建议、诊断或处方。Dr. Soarawee 未开设任何公开社交媒体账号;任何以他的名义提供私人咨询的账号均为欺诈账号。在泰国遇到紧急情况时,请拨打 1669.

医学撰写与审核:Soarawee Weerasopone 医生(Pom 医生)——曼谷医院总院认证泌尿科医师,自 2016 年起从事泌尿外科临床工作。进修:台湾长庚纪念医院机器人手术学(2019 年) · 临床观察员:东京顺天堂大学附属医院泌尿内视镜学(2022 年) · 研究学者与临床观察员:美国贝勒医学院斯科特泌尿外科系(2025–2026 年)。.

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