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Gallstone Prevention Tips

Want to prevent gallstones in the first place? Here are some tips to help you modify your lifestyle and make healthy decisions.
Maintain a Healthy Weight: To lower your chances of developing gallstones, managing your weight safely is important. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of gallstones, especially for women. Research shows that excess weight can lead to higher cholesterol levels in your bile and affect how well your gallbladder functions.
Exercise Regularly: To lower your risk of developing gallstones while safely losing weight, include regular physical activity in your routine. Try to do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercises like brisk walking or dancing. Also, aim for muscle-strengthening activities such as lifting weights or doing push-ups on two days each week. These exercises not only help with weight loss but also improve overall health and may lower your chances of developing gallstones. Before starting any new exercise or diet plan, please talk with your healthcare provider to make sure it's safe and suitable for you.
Don’t Skip Meals: Eating regular meals helps ensure the gallbladder regularly empties, reducing the risk of gallstone formation. Frequent fasting periods longer than 16-18 hours daily can increase the risk of developing gallstones.
Eat a Balanced Diet: To prevent gallstones, eat more high-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, and whole grains such as brown rice, oats, and whole wheat bread. Consume fewer refined carbohydrates and sugars. Include healthy fats like fish and olive oil in your diet to help your gallbladder function properly. Avoid unhealthy fats commonly found in desserts and fried foods. Studies have shown that fiber supplementation in obese patients undergoing diet-induced weight loss can prevent gallstone formation.
Limit Rapid Weight Loss: Avoid crash diets or rapid weight loss programs, as they can increase your risk of forming gallstones. Losing weight too quickly can cause your liver to release extra cholesterol into your bile, which may lead to gallstone formation. Additionally, fast weight loss can impair the proper emptying of your gallbladder. Discuss the potential risk of gallstones with your healthcare provider if you're considering weight-loss surgery or a very low-calorie diet. Opt for gradual weight loss instead, aiming to shed 5 to 10 percent of your starting weight over six months. This approach reduces your risk of gallstones and supports sustainable weight management and overall health.
Be Cautious with Medications: Some medications, such as hormone therapy or certain cholesterol-lowering drugs, can increase your risk of developing gallstones. If you are prescribed medications that may affect your gallbladder or bile, discuss the potential risks with your healthcare provider. They can help you weigh the benefits and risks of these medications and monitor your health accordingly to minimize your risk of gallstone formation.

Indications

Reltone (ursodiol capsules) is indicated for patients with radiolucent, noncalcified gallbladder stones <20 mm in greatest diameter in whom elective cholecystectomy would be undertaken except for the presence of increased surgical risk due to systemic disease, advanced age, or idiosyncratic reaction to general anesthesia, or for those patients who refuse surgery. Safety of use of Reltone beyond 24 months is not established.

Reltone is indicated for the prevention of gallstone formation in obese patients experiencing rapid weight loss.

Important Safety Information

Therapy with Reltone is for patients with specific situations and gallstone types, and other therapies should be considered when selecting treatment. Dissolving a gallstone with Reltone takes months of therapy. In some patients, gallstones do not completely dissolve. Up to half (50%) of patients whose stones dissolve on bile acid therapy have stones return within 5 years. It has not been established if Reltone is safe to use for longer than 24 months.

Your healthcare provider should check the levels of certain liver enzymes when you first start taking Reltone and at times as you continue taking it. Tell your healthcare provider if you have liver disease.

Reltone will not dissolve gallstones that are:

  • Made up of hardened (calcified) cholesterol • Visible with x-ray (radiopaque)
  • Made up of bile pigments and invisible with X-ray (radiolucent)

Reltone should not be used by people who have a strong medical reason to have surgery to remove the gallbladder. These reasons may include sudden, persistent swelling of the gallbladder (unremitting acute cholecystitis); infected bile ducts (cholangitis); blocked bile ducts (biliary obstruction); inflamed pancreas caused by gallstones (gallstone pancreatitis); or an abnormal connection between organs (biliary-gastrointestinal fistula).

Do not use Reltone if you have an allergy to bile acids.

When Reltone is used for dissolving gallstones, the most common side effects (more frequent than placebo by ≥3%) include diarrhea, indigestion, inflamed throat (pharyngitis), and arthritis. When Reltone is used for preventing gallstones, the most common side effects (more frequent than placebo by ≥3%) include back pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and dizziness.

Using Reltone when pregnant is not recommended. Using the correct dose of Reltone is important, especially for elderly people. It is unknown if Reltone is safe or effective in children.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please see full Prescribing Information enclosed.

Please click here for Prescribing Information of Reltone®

 

REFERENCES:

1. Reltone. Prescribing information. Intra-Sana
Laboratories LLC; 2021.

© 2024 Reltone. All Rights Reserved.

Important Safety Information

Therapy with Reltone is for patients with specific situations and gallstone types, and other therapies should be considered when selecting treatment. Dissolving a gallstone with Reltone takes months of therapy. In some patients, gallstones do not completely dissolve. Up to half (50%) of patients whose stones dissolve on bile acid therapy have stones return within 5 years. It has not been established if Reltone is safe to use for longer than 24 months.

Your healthcare provider should check the levels of certain liver enzymes when you first start taking Reltone and at times as you continue taking it. Tell your healthcare provider if you have liver disease.

Reltone will not dissolve gallstones that are:

  • Made up of hardened (calcified) cholesterol • Visible with x-ray (radiopaque)
  • Made up of bile pigments and invisible with X-ray (radiolucent)

Reltone should not be used by people who have a strong medical reason to have surgery to remove the gallbladder. These reasons may include sudden, persistent swelling of the

gallbladder (unremitting acute cholecystitis); infected bile ducts (cholangitis); blocked bile ducts (biliary obstruction); inflamed pancreas caused by gallstones (gallstone pancreatitis); or an abnormal connection between organs (biliary-gastrointestinal fistula).

Do not use Reltone if you have an allergy to bile acids.

When Reltone is used for dissolving gallstones, the most common side effects (more frequent than placebo by ≥3%) include diarrhea, indigestion, inflamed throat (pharyngitis), and arthritis. When Reltone is used for preventing gallstones, the most common side effects (more frequent than placebo by ≥3%) include back pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and dizziness.

Using Reltone when pregnant is not recommended. Using the correct dose of Reltone is important, especially for elderly people. It is unknown if Reltone is safe or effective in children.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Please see full Prescribing Information enclosed.