Are magnesium salts or pyridoxine (vitamin B 6 ) effective therapies for calcium nephrolithiasis?
Both of these agents have been proposed as ways to lower urine oxalate excretion—magnesium because it can bind dietary oxalate and lower intestinal absorption, and pyridoxine because it is a cofactor for a key enzyme that can lower endogenous oxalate production.
There are no controlled trials to prove that these therapies are effective in lowering urine oxalate or preventing calcium stone recurrence.
However, a subset of patients with primary hyperoxaluria, an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by severe hyperoxaluria, nephrolithiasis, and CKD, may significantly lower urine oxalate excretion when treated with pyridoxine.
