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Kidney stones, water & dehydrationCause & prevention of kidney stonesRole of Flomax in kidney stones therapyThe relationship between kidney stones & water is made by an Emory University paper.... The primary cause of kidney stones is dehydration (not drinking enough water). Dehydration causes the salts and electrolytes to form in the urine, creating crystals which grow to become kidney stones.
Interestingly, a prescription drug, Flomax, lists “dehydration” as a side effect.
Prevention, cause of kidney stones
In this case, knowing the cause & prevention of kidney stones is way more effective than treating condition.Briefly, if urine becomes too concentrated with biological sediment, it sets the stage for stone formation. At early stages, small stones may just pass out if, again, there is enough water to flush them out. If not, crystals begin to come together to form stones that obstruct urination. There may be several other causes of kidney stones, like excess protein, infection & too much acid etc. but all of those causes become operative when there is not enough water to prevent crystallization of salts & calcium and elimination of small stones. Flomax & kidney stones
As touched on above, Flomax is often prescribed for persons suffering from kidney stones. It doesn’t work directly on the stone but rather relaxes muscles involved in urination to help pass stones. Unfortunately, using Flomax for kidney stones may actually increase dehydration. That, in turn would place you at risk for more kidney stones, which Flomax would help to get rid of. Obviously, this cycle effect is not the ideal way to tackle this condition & preventing kidney stones with water is most advisable. Best treatment for kidney stonesObviously, make sure to stay hydrated. Drink more water.That is the best prevention. The question of whether increasing hydration could help after stones are formed is more difficult to answer. The best guess is that as long as stones can be passed, extra water may help pass a small stone. Whether it can also dissolve a stone is not known but it certainly can’t hurt to increase water intake & see what happens. Read more on the relationship between Flomax & dehydration.
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