Prelief and Kidney Stones?

[unknown user]

Does anyone know if Prelief exacerbates kidney stone formation? I have two small (<5 mm) stones in my right kidney, discovered last month. I was taking calcium/magnesium citrate supplements to try to reduce the amount of oxalates going to my kidneys, but I stopped when I found out I had IC. Does anyone know how adversely cal/mag CITRATE pills affect IC?

I am trying to figure out if my pain is being referred from my bladder (due to the IC) or if oxalate crystals are irritating it via my urethra? I wasn't on the cal/mag long - perhaps a couple weeks.

[ICLori]

Hi, Emily, don't know the answer to the other questions, but I was told by my uro that it was actually good to take calcium supplements to prevent stones because he said if you take enough calcium, it binds the oxalates and they go out through the bowels. But if you don't take enough calcium, you lose calcium from the bones, which then goes out through the kidneys, and binds with the oxalates there. Haven't looked anything up to see if this uro knew what he was talking about, but I trusted him. He told me to stop eating oxalates, to drink a lot, lot, lot of water (stay really well-hydrated to help prevent stones) and to take at least the minimum RDA each day of calcium. He said they used to advise staying away from calcium, in the belief that calcium in the diet contributed to stones, but that they've recently learned it's just the opposite, that these stones often form when there is not enough dietary calcium.

But be sure to double-check this info with your own doc in case my doc was giving me bum advice.

Blessings,
Lori

[prbetty]

Dear Emily:


Each Prelief tablet contains 65 mg of elemental calcium as calcium glycerophosphate.

There are two schools of thought regarding the role of calcium and stones. The one you are familiar with is that more calcium = more stones. Recently we have come across the opposite view, that getting the recommended amount of calcium can actually help prevent stones. Most stones contain calcium, usually combined with oxalates, compounds found in many plant foods. Paradoxically, calcium binds oxalates in the intestines and decreases their absorption, thus reducing the formation of stones. But it depends what kind of stones you get, so talk to your doctor and follow his counsel.


For further on this subject, please visit this ADA website link:

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_4118_ENU_HTML.htm

Betty Corson
Customer Service
AkPharma Inc
1-800-994-4711

[unknown user]

yes, I've read up on the role calcium may take on kidney stones. But I've also read that calcium from natural food sources like dairy and broccoli is the kind that is good for you (as it is the kind that binds with oxalates in the intestine), and can prevent stones, while the kind of calcium in most supplements is less digestable and can lead to a greater likelihood of stone formation.

[prbetty]

You are correct; however Prelief (calcium glycerophosphate) is different than other calcium supplements as it provides calcium and phosphorus in the same ratio as dairy and milk.

Here is another relevant link:

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/328/12/833?ck=nck

Betty