Kidney stones that cannot be flushed out in the urine, but are still considered relatively minor, can be treated with Medical Expulsive Therapy or by dissolving them.
Medical Expulsive Therapy (MET)
Medical Expulsive Therapy can be used for stones measuring between 5mm and 10mm. It involves giving you prescription medication in the form of a tablet, which relaxes the ureter muscles so as to help stones pass out in your urine and to limit pain while the stones move. The medication is taken for 4 to 6 weeks. Drinking plenty of fluids can help with the process.
If you are in a lot of pain, develop an infection or your kidney function starts to suffer, a different treatment would be required.
Dissolving kidney or ureteral stones
If you suffer from uric acid stones (which are acidic), it may be possible to dissolve them. This is done by giving you oral medication that increases the pH value of your urine (making it more alkaline rather than acidic). This causes the stone(s) to decrease in size and may even dissolve them completely.
