Medication

Surgery is the best option for gallstones if they are recurrent in nature accompanied by frequent attacks. The only known drugs for gallstones are CDCA (chenodeoxycholic acids) and UDCA (ursodeoxycholic acids), but they take a long period before the gallstones dissolve completely. The associated risk of gallstones coming back is also present. Sometimes, chemicals are injected through a catheter which helps dissolve the stones quicker, but there is an associated risk of toxicity.

Cholecystectomy is the name of the commonly used surgical procedure for recurrent gallstones. Medicines are not generally an option for people with sudden inflammation of the gallbladder or in case of large and hard-to-dissolve calcification.