The gallbladder, a pear-shaped sac under the liver, stores and concentrates bile and releases it into the intestine to aid in fat digestion, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Cholelithiasis, the formation of gallstones, takes place slowly and without symptoms. However, If the gallstones cause inflammation or block one of the gallbladder's ducts, the patient will experience severe pain, nausea and vomiting. Treatment usually consists of surgical removal of the gallbladder, but medications also play a role in the care of some patients.
Pain Medication
Some patients have asymptomatic gallstones -- gallstones that do not cause pain or other symptoms, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. Those who have pain, however, usually require treatment in the hospital with intravenous pain medications. Meperidine or ketorolac relieve severe pain but may cause drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. To manage these side effects, the physician may order additional intravenous medication to relieve the nausea and vomiting. Morphine relieves severe pain with fewer side effects, but surgeons use it less frequently in patients with gallbladder disease.
Oral Medications
Physicians offer oral dissolution therapy -- medication that dissolves gallstones -- to approximately 30 percent of patients with gallstones, according to the UMMC. These drugs consist of bile acids, substances produced by the body that work by reducing cholesterol production and dissolving it in bile so that it does not form gallstones, according to MedlinePlus. Appropriate only for patients with small stones who will not or cannot have the gallbladder surgically removed, the medications cost thousands of dollars a year and may damage the liver. Patients take the drugs ursodiol or chenodiol by mouth for as long as 2 years. Side effects may include diarrhea, nausea, constipation, vomiting, indigestion, runny nose, cough, sore throat, hair loss, and pain in the joints, muscles and back, according to MedlinePlus. Patients who are losing weight rapidly may also take ursodiol to prevent gallstones from forming.
Injectable Medication
Contact dissolution therapy involves injecting an organic solvent, methyl tert-butyl ether, also called MTBE, into the gallbladder to dissolve gallstones, according to the UMMC. A flammable liquid used as an additive to unleaded gasoline, MTBE dissolves gallstones within 5 to 12 hours, but causes severe burning pain. The procedure is hazardous and difficult to perform, and requires a level of technical experience found only in research hospitals.
