Kidney stones

Symptoms Physical
#1

Hi guys,

I am just back from the hospital. I couldn t pee right for two days, plus i was having awful pain on my back sides. So they found two kidney stones, one on each side. Thank god the stones are small and the treatment is to drink loads of water. In the hospital i had to drink 8 cups in a row for the ultrasound and right after that i was able to pee right. I am feeling so much better now. Nobody in my family has a history of kidney stones, NOBODY. My levels of uric acid have been coming eleveted for a while now on blood tests and i am sure this is from finasteride too, because also no one in my family has this.
So this post is to warn you all, drink a lot of water! Sometimes we watch the diet, exercise, but end up forgeting the extra water. The doctor told me i was not drinking enough water.

#2

Kidney stones occur naturally in the population, it is possible you could have acquired them irrespective of Finasteride use. There is no way to prove kidney stones as a result of Finasteride use, especially years after quitting. I’m not aware of any links between the two in the research that I’ve read.

Interestingly a co-worker recently got kidney stones out of nowhere at my work. He was not on any prescription meds either.

Per your doctor, this could be the reason why…

#3

The reason i link this to finasteride is because of the elevated uric acid in my blood tests. It always comes elevated above normal in my blood tests since i took finasteride. And it had never ocurred before fin (it always came normal, low, within range). I did i check up bloodwork yearly before fin. From wikipedia: “In many instances, people have elevated uric acid levels for hereditary reasons.” And that is not the case with my family. Elevated uric acid is related to ammonium acid urate kidney stones. Of course not drinking a lot of water was a factor. But i take my dad and my mother as references to how my metabolism was and possibility of having diseases … they live very undisciplined lifestyles [drink moderately (mom) drink a lot more(dad), smoke, excessive salt, sugar, no exercise]. Yet, they are in perfect health, at age 60 (normal weight, and no health problems other than a ocasional headache or heartburn). I was very much like that. Now i watch my diet, don’t eat white sugar, very reduced salt (almost nothing), nothing processed, only natural foods, regular mild exercise, don’t smoke, half the age… and i still get kidney stones… I absolutely blame this on Finasteride, because i am very much like my dad phisically, he is 61 never had this s***.

This doctor was from the emergency room, he didn t see my blood tests, he saw only the ultrasound. He does not know i have PFS. I will discuss the relationship of elevated uric acid in the blood and the stones with my primary doctor.

#4

Please do. Here’s some info in the meantime.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uric_acid#Causes_of_high_uric_acid

#5

It’s obviously difficult to pin the blame solely on your finasteride use but it would not surprise me. I think we are all going to struggle with serious health problems later on in life because of this. We already have guys with bone/ joint problems, rotting teeth, poor memory. I sleep like a post menopausal woman and can barely remember my favorite music artists.

Imagine some of when we are older? it’s fucking scary!

#6

I am pretty sure I am in the same boat… well, I have not yet been diagnosed with kidney stones, BUT I think I have gout. And it just woke me up from my sleep (shooting pain in foot at base of big toe), so since I’m up at 3 am (a common occurrence for the past year or so), I figured I would hop on here – which I haven’t done in ages – and see if this is yet another thing I can thank finasteride for.

I know that there is no way to prove fin is the cause of this – ever since I moved to Napa Valley a few years ago, I’ve been drinking 1-2 glasses of wine almost every day, which could be a factor. And, like you, I probably don’t drink enough water. Otherwise, however, I have none of the risk factors associated with gout: healthy weight, exercise, and there’s no history of it (or any kidney problems) on either side of my family.

I think my uric acid levels have been creeping up on me over the years, without me even realizing it… I have noticed joint problems (sprained/swollen ankles, knees; arthritis in one finger), night sweats (sometimes smells like urine – not a good sign!), and even a full-body rash that mysteriously appeared. I also suddenly have developed many dark moles all over my body (don’t know what could have caused that) Suddenly I fear my kidneys are falling apart, and that worries me a lot. I have a doctor’s appointment on Friday morning for all of this.

The funny thing is, every time I have gone into the doctor and mentioned these things, they don’t even bother doing any sort of blood test or lab work, because I’m “young” (I’m 33) and “appear healthy.” I think I’m going to demand a liver panel and kidney workup (albumin? creatine? uric acid? Not sure what they test) this time, just to see what is going on…

Again, not sure this can be solely attributed to finasteride… but I’m not ruling out that it could have been a factor. Dehydration and alcohol are likely the main culprits, but on the other hand I drink less and eat healthier than most of my friends and family, and I’m the only one I know who is experiencing this condition and these symptoms (I have the feeling they have been happening for years, but I’m worried because suddenly it feels like my kidneys are just shutting down.)

I don’t know that it’s a coincidence that many of the symptoms on this forum can be attributed to liver and/or kidney problems – it’s possible people are actually experiencing problems with their body’s filtering system, and that’s what’s actually causing many of these other issues.

I’ll keep you guys posted, and I’m crossing my fingers that I don’t have major kidney problems. (unfortunately, it looks like I may have to drastically alter my diet and possibly give up alcohol altogether. I can deal with that, but it’s tough when you’re a wine lover and live in Napa!)

As for the high uric acid levels: I am currently drinking a glass of baking soda water (1/4 teaspoon sodium bicarbonate in 8 ounces water); it definitely seems to help as a home remedy to lower acidity in my system and relieve some of the gout symptoms… I just try to avoid doing too much because I don’t want to overdo the sodium. I’ve also heard cherries or cherry juice/extract can be good, so I plan on buying a bunch of dried cherries or possibly pills… and I am going to look into chanca piedra / phyllanthus niruri, which is an ayurvedic herbal remedy which I’ve heard does wonders for dissolving/expelling stones … and some scientific studies have backed this up, showing it aids excretion of calcium / crystals: “results show that Pn has an inhibitory effect on crystal growth, which is independent of changes in the urinary excretion of citrate and Mg, but might be related to the higher incorporation of GAGs into the calculi” ( ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12010223 )

#7

Hi Guru,

At one point i was afraid of developing gout too, as i had joint pain and high uric acid. Then i read about gout and learned you can avoid purine rich foods and it may help. I changed my diet and got rid of the joint pains. I have yet to test my uric acid levels again. But i d advise you to stop the wine, it is definitely a factor for gout. Good luck buddy.

#8

yes also i have a little stone on my right kidney… and of course some pain if i listen the beat of my body.