Tamsulosin Inadequate In Kidney Stone Passage

The Alpha-1 blocker known as tamsulosin has been proven ineffective in treating patients with ureteral or kidney stones, according to the results found by a multi-center clinical trial funded by the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

“There is no known medication for helping patients pass kidney stones. “We will likely have to change the guidelines regarding which groups of patients should receive the medication”, said  

Dr. Andrew Meltzer, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Patients involved in the six-year study went to the emergency department complaining excruciating pain that is associated with stones.

They were prescribed with taking one tablet of tamsulosin every day for 28 days and only few patients reported stone passage.

Other research analysis states that the drug can work with some group of patients especially those who have distal stones or stones that are larger in size.

Around 10 percent of people suffer from kidney stones and the annual medical costs are estimated to $5 billion.

“We are still looking for noninvasive ways to manage patients who have ureteral stones in order to promote passage and decrease complications and pain,” Meltzer said.

Medical Xpress states that the article, “Effect of Tamsulosin on Passage of Symptomatic Ureteral Stones: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” is published in JAMA Internal Medicine.