Doctors reveal exactly what it means when your pee turns brown, red, green and even BLUE

If you ever looked back at the toilet after using the bathroom, you may have noticed your urine appearing lighter or darker than normal.

It’s common knowledge that lightly colored or clear urine is a sign that you’re well-hydrated, while a darker color may indicate that you need to drink more water. This is because fluids dilute urine’s yellow pigments. 

Ashley Pountney, a physician assistant in urology at the Mayo Clinic, told DailyMail.com: ‘When you drink less, the yellow color becomes stronger.’

However, your pee might not be yellow at all. Ms Pountney revealed that urine can turn brown, red, green, or even blue. 

And while at times this could be because you loaded up on too much asparagus or started taking a new medication, the changing rainbow in your toilet bowl could reveal that you’re exercising too much, you have a urinary tract infection (UTI), or you could be suffering from issues like internal bleeding or liver blockages.

‘Keep in mind that colors can look slightly different to different people. For instance, what looks red to you might look orange to someone else,’ Ms Pountney said.

‘Talk with your healthcare team if you have concerns and in particular if you have painful urination or dark orange urine, which can be a sign that your liver isn’t working correctly.’

Here is what your pee says about your health. 

Red or pink

Urine that’s red or pink can be worrisome. According to Ms Pountney, this is because it’s a sign of hematuria, otherwise known as bleeding in the urinary tract. 

This is commonly caused by conditions like an enlarged prostate, kidney stones, and cysts, as these issues can rupture blood vessels by putting pressure on the urinary tract. 

Men with an enlarged prostate – a small, walnut-shaped organ between a man’s bladder and rectum – may also have difficulty peeing, need to pee more often, or experience incontinence.

Kidney stones and cysts can also lead to severe pain and difficulty urinating. 

However, bleeding is not always a serious medical issue. Ms Pountney pointed to drugs like Isoniazid and Rifampin, which are used to treat tuberculosis, as they can lead to increased bleeding. 

And the blood thinner Warfarin, taken by about 20million Americans, also leads to increased chance of bleeding.

Additionally, Ms Pountney noted that not all red urine is a sign of blood. ‘Beets, blackberries, and rhubarb can turn urine red or pink,’ she said. 

Orange

If your pee is orange, it could be from anti-inflammatory medications you’re taking.

These include over-the-counter treatments like phenazopyridine, which is sold under the brand name AZO. AZO is used to relieve symptoms of UTIs and yeast infections, which are caused by overgrowths of bacteria and fungi in the urinary tract. 

This medication contains an orange-red dye, which can change urine color. 

‘Constipation medicines can turn urine orange, as can medicine that lessens swelling and irritation, and some chemotherapy medicines for cancer,’ Ms Pountney said.

These include Sulfasalazine, which is used to treat conditions inflammatory conditions like ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis. It has also been shown to turn sweat and tears orange.  

Additionally, supplements could be the culprit. ‘Some vitamins, such as A and B-12, can turn urine orange or yellow-orange,’ Ms Pountney said. 

These contain beta carotene, a pigment that makes foods like carrots orange. This means that eating a substantial amount of carrots can also make your pee orange.

However, orange urine could also indicate a more serious issue. ‘Orange urine can be a sign of a problem with the liver or bile duct, mainly if you also have light-colored stools,’ Ms Pountney said.

‘Dehydration also can make your urine look orange.’

Blue or green

Believe it or not, your pee can turn blue and green. 

Ms Pountney said that one common cause is dyes used in medical testing. 

One common example is methylene blue, a water-based dye which is used in scans and surgeries to find conditions. 

It’s also used to treat methemoglobinemia, a rare blood disorder that makes it difficult for red blood cells to carry oxygen to tissues and other cells. 

Common signs of methemoglobinemia include pale skin, fatigue, weakness, headache, nausea, vomiting, extreme drowsiness, loss of consciousness, and rapid breathing. 

‘Some medicines for depression, ulcers and acid reflux can turn urine greenish-blue,’ Ms Pountney said.

These include amitriptyline, a common antidepressant, Reglan, which is used to treat nausea, and Cimetidine, an over-the-counter acid reflux medication.

Ms Pountney also noted that the rare genetic disorder familial benign hypercalcemia can cause children to have blue urine. 

Dark brown

If your pee is brown, it could be a sign that you’ve been loading up on veggies and legumes.  

‘Eating lots of fava beans, rhubarb, or aloe can cause dark brown urine,’ Ms Pountney said. 

Additionally, she noted that some medications, ‘including those used to treat and prevent malaria, constipation, high cholesterol and seizures,’ as well as antibiotics and muscle relaxants, can darken urine.

Some of the most common examples of these include the anti-convulsant Dilantin, the over-the-counter laxative Senna, and Parkinson’s medication Levodopa. 

‘Some liver and kidney disorders and urinary tract infections can turn urine dark brown,’ Ms Pountney said. 

For example, a blockage of the bile duct – passages that carry bile to areas of the digestive system like the liver and gallbladder – can darken urine. 

Though bleeding around the urinary tract can lead to red or pink blood, Ms Pountney noted that internal bleeding could darken it to brown or cola-colored. 

And if you exercise too much, it could lead to muscle injury that causes waste to build up in the body, darkening your pee.