Kidney Stone Recurrence: How to Prevent Another One

When you’ve had one kidney stone, a hard deposit of minerals and salts that forms in the kidneys and can cause intense pain. Also known as renal calculi, it’s not just a one-time problem—about half of people who get one will have another within five years. That’s not luck. It’s a sign your body’s chemistry is out of balance, and unless you fix it, you’re just delaying the next attack.

Hydration, the simple act of drinking enough water to keep urine light yellow or clear. Also known as fluid intake, it’s the single most effective way to stop kidney stones from returning. Most people don’t drink nearly enough. If you’re peeing less than 2 liters a day, you’re in the danger zone. You don’t need fancy drinks. Just water. Plain, cold, or room temperature. Sip it all day. Set a reminder if you have to. Skip the soda, especially colas with phosphoric acid—they feed stone growth. And then there’s dietary changes, adjusting what you eat to reduce the minerals that form stones. Also known as stone-prevention diet, it’s not about starving yourself. It’s about swapping out the wrong choices. Too much salt? That’s a red flag—it makes your kidneys dump more calcium into urine. Too much animal protein? That raises uric acid and lowers citrate, both of which help stones form. You don’t need to go vegan, but cutting back on red meat, processed meats, and salty snacks helps.

Some people need to watch oxalate-rich foods like spinach, nuts, and beets, but only if tests show you’re an oxalate hyperabsorber. Most folks don’t. Don’t cut out calcium unless your doctor says so. Low calcium intake actually increases stone risk because calcium binds oxalate in the gut before it reaches the kidneys. Get your calcium from food—yogurt, cheese, leafy greens—not supplements, which can backfire.

What about supplements? Citrate supplements like potassium citrate can help, but they’re not for everyone. If you’ve had more than one stone, your doctor should have done a 24-hour urine test. That’s the only way to know what kind of stone you make and why. Without that, you’re guessing. And guessing is how you end up back in the ER.

Stones don’t come back because you’re weak or unlucky. They come back because the same conditions that made the first one are still there. The fix isn’t surgery. It’s daily habits. Drink more water. Eat less salt. Move more. Skip the processed junk. These aren’t suggestions—they’re your armor against the next wave of pain.

Below, you’ll find real-world advice from people who’ve been there—how they stopped stones from returning, what worked, what didn’t, and the small changes that made all the difference.