Kidney stones — advice for adults
How to manage the pain of a kidney stone at home, and when to come back.
You have renal colic — pain caused by a kidney stone. Many small stones pass on their own within a few weeks. Here is how to manage at home, and when to come back.
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
A stone blocking the kidney together with an infection is a surgical emergency.
- A high temperature with shivering, and pain in your back or side
- You feel confused or dizzy, your heart is racing, or you are breathing fast
- You feel faint, or you collapse
- Sudden severe tummy or back pain that is different from your stone pain
Come back to the ED or contact the service named above the same day.
- Pain that is not controlled by the pain relief you were given
- Being unable to keep fluids or medicines down, or repeated vomiting
- Passing little or no urine
- A fever without shivering, or burning when you pass urine
- You only have one working kidney, or a transplanted kidney
- You have not passed the stone, or heard about follow-up, by the date you were given
Most small stones pass on their own, often within 1 to 3 weeks. The size of your stone and the plan for follow-up are written in Your care details above — larger stones are less likely to pass and may need a procedure. Take the pain relief regularly rather than waiting for the pain to build. Anti-inflammatory medicines work well for stone pain unless you have been told not to take them. Drink normally to keep your urine pale — you do not need to force large volumes. If you were given a sieve or asked to catch the stone, keep it and bring it to your follow-up appointment.
Caring for yourself
- Take the pain relief you were given regularly. Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen work well, if you can take them.
- Drink normally to stay hydrated — you do not need to force down large amounts.
- Keep moving about when you can, which may help the stone to pass.
- You may be asked to sieve your urine to catch the stone for testing.
- Keep any scan or urology follow-up appointment.
What to expect
As the stone moves down, you may notice:
Small stones often pass on their own within a few weeks.