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Kidney stones can be painful. While some kidney stones are small and pass harmlessly out of the body, others can lead to complications like infections and kidney damage.

In some cases, it may be OK to treat kidney stones at home. It depends on whether the kidney stone is blocking the urinary tract, and how much pain it’s causing.

Learn when and how you can treat kidney stones at home, and when you should call a doctor for treatment.

What Are Kidney Stones?

Kidney stones are hard masses that form from crystals in the urine. They can be as tiny as a grain of sand or as big as a golf ball. Sometimes they stay in the kidney, but often they travel through the urinary tract.

If a kidney stone is small enough, you may not even know you have one as it passes through the urinary system.

However, a large kidney stone can cause significant pain. It can also block the flow of urine, causing a harmful backup.

The most common type of kidney stone is calcium oxalate stones.

Calcium naturally binds to a substance called oxalate. Ideally, calcium binds with oxalate in the stomach and intestines before moving to the kidneys. Then, the substances leave the body without forming stones.

However, if calcium and oxalate combine in the urine, they can form kidney stones, especially if there’s not enough liquid to dilute them.

Kidney stones are common in adults. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that 1 in 10 people will have a kidney stone at some point in their lives. They affect more men than women.

What are Kidney Stone Symptoms?

If you’ve had them before, you may recognize the symptoms of kidney stones.

Typical symptoms of kidney stones are:

• Bloody urine.
• Chills.
• Constant need to urinate.
• Fever.
• Nausea.
• Pain in your lower back or side (flank pain).
• Vomiting.

What Are Risk Factors for Kidney Stones?

There’s no single cause of kidney stones, but some people are more likely to get them.

Risk factors include:

• Dehydration.
• Eating a high-protein and/or high-salt (sodium) diet.
• Genetics.
• Obesity.

How Can I Stop Kidney Stone Pain?

To get quick relief from kidney stones, try these methods:

• Drink a few glasses of water.
• Lie down with a heating pad on your middle to lower back.
• Take an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever, such as ibuprofen (Advil® or Motrin®) or naproxen sodium (Aleve®).

How Can I Treat Kidney Stones at Home?

Some people treat kidney stones at home using remedies like apple cider vinegar, pomegranate juice, and dandelion tea. But these drinks have not been clinically proven to dissolve kidney stones.

If you feel a kidney stone coming on — or want to prevent future stones from forming — try these proven methods.

Drink lots of water

The absolute best kidney stone home remedy is simple: Drink more water. Liquid helps flush the stones through your urinary tract. Aim for at least 12 8-ounce glasses of water per day if you’re trying to pass a stone.

If possible, catch the stone in a strainer when it passes. Your doctor may want to examine it to determine what kind of kidney stone you have.

After the stone passes, keep drinking lots of water to help prevent more stones from forming. If you’re well-hydrated, your urine should be pale yellow. Dark or very yellow urine is a sign of dehydration.

Cut back on other drinks

Drinking coffee, tea, alcohol, and soda can increase dehydration. Water is the best drink to flush out kidney stones.

Add lemons to your water and food

To boost the health benefits of your drinking water, add lemon juice, which contains the chemical citrate. Citrate may help break up small kidney stones as well as prevent them from forming in the first place.

To get the benefit, add 4 ounces of lemon juice to your water throughout the day. You can also spritz lemon juice on fish, chicken, salads, and other veggies.

Take over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers

To help relieve the discomfort of kidney stones, you can take an NSAID. They include OTC pain medications like ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®), acetaminophen (Tylenol®), and naproxen (Aleve®). Follow the package directions for the correct dosage.

Avoid salty foods

A high-sodium diet increases the chances of kidney stones forming.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day. But if you’re susceptible to kidney stones, you should limit sodium to 1,500 mg per day.

Cutting back on salt won’t immediately help your kidney stone pass. However, it can help prevent more kidney stones from forming.

Cut back on animal protein

A meat-heavy diet raises your risk of getting kidney stones. Replace some servings of meat, fish, poultry, and eggs with high-protein plant-based foods, such as beans, edamame, and tofu.

Eat the right amounts of foods with calcium and oxalate

If you have a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones, ask your doctor about how you should adjust your diet.

To help prevent kidney stones from forming, it’s important to include foods containing calcium in your diet as part of your meals. That way, the calcium binds to the oxalate in your digestive tract and prevents it from forming stones in your urine.

Calcium-rich foods include:

• Beans.
• Cheese.
• Green, leafy vegetables.
• Milk.
• Yogurt.

Avoid eating too many high-oxalate foods.

Oxalate-rich foods to avoid include:

• Almonds
• Beets
• Chocolate
• Peanuts
• Rhubarb
• Spinach
• Sweet potatoes

When Should I See a Doctor for Kidney Stones?

Sometimes a kidney stone home remedy isn’t enough. You need to see a doctor right away if you have:

• Blood in your urine.
• Severe pain.
• Trouble urinating.

Your doctor can treat larger kidney stones with medicine or, in some cases, surgery.