Urine color is not something that people give much thought to—that is, until they glance down one day and notice that their pee isn’t its normal pale yellow. When that happens questions are sure to follow—what does cloudy urine mean?…what does clear urine indicate?…or why is my urine red…orange…brown…green…or some other atypical color?
There are a range of reasons why your urine might have an unconventional color. While this can be a symptom of a serious health problem, it more often is something far less troubling, such as not drinking enough water, something you ate or a medication side effect. Bottom Line Personal asked Cleveland Clinic Urologist Rebecca Campbell, MD, for a rundown of what various urine colors are most likely to mean…
Clear urine is most often caused by overhydration—that is, drinking too much water. If that is the cause, the solution is obvious—cut back a bit on water consumption. While we’re often warned about the dangers of underhydration, consuming much more water than the body needs can cause problems, too. It can dilute the sodium levels in the body’s fluids to lower than their appropriate amounts or in extreme cases even can cause water intoxication, with symptoms that can include nausea and/or confusion. Water intoxication even can be fatal, though that’s very rare.
Other possibilities: Certain kidney problems also can cause unusually clear urine, as can diabetes—diabetics are prone to feeling thirsty, which can lead to excessive water consumption and thus to clear urine.
Dark yellow urine suggests dehydration. The appropriate color for urine is pale yellow—something along the lines of the color of straw. Urine that’s closer to the color of honey or amber is darker than it should be—the darker the urine is, the greater the likely level of dehydration. Here, too, the best solution is obvious—drink a few glasses of water, and your urine color should soon lighten.
Brown urine also can be caused by dehydration—but when urine is so dark that it appears brown rather than dark yellow, that means the dehydration is severe and water is needed immediately. Severe dehydration can cause serious organ damage, including brain damage, and sometimes it’s fatal.
Other possibilities: Certain medications can turn urine brown—these include the antibiotics metronidazole and nitrofurantoin, prescribed to treat bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infections (UTIs), respectively. Brown urine also can be a symptom of any of a number of potentially serious health problems, such as liver disease…rhabdomyolysis, a condition involving rapid muscle breakdown…and porphyria, a rare disorder affecting the skin and nervous system. Contact a doctor if your urine remains brown for more than a day or two…and there’s no reason to suspect severe dehydration…and you’re not taking any medication that lists brown or dark urine among its potential side effects.
Red urine or pink urine is most often caused by the consumption of large quantities of beets, rhubarb, blueberries or other foods that contain lots of pigment or food dye. If food pigment is the cause of red or pink urine, cutting back on the consumption of that food tends to resolve the situation within a day or so.
Other possibilities: If you can rule out food and beverages, then the most likely cause of red or pink urine is blood in the urine—and when that’s the case, it is time to contact a doctor. There is a range of health problems that can cause bloody urine, and some of them are serious. Possibilities include a UTI, an enlarged prostate, kidney stones or a malignant tumor. The use of a prescription blood thinner such as warfarin can result in blood in urine as well.
Orange urine is most often a side effect of the medication phenazopyridine (Pyridium), which is sometimes prescribed for the treatment of UTIs. Orange urine can be a side effect of other medications, as well, such as the anti-inflammatory sulfasalazine (Azulfidine).
Other possibilities: Eating large amounts of carrots or drinking lots of carrot juice can give urine an orange tint, according to some reports, as can eating large servings of foods that contain orange food dye. But it is worth seeing your doctor if your urine is persistently orange and you haven’t been eating lots of orange food or taking a medication that lists orange urine among its potential side effects. Orange urine can be caused by potentially serious liver or bile duct problems.
Cloudy urine often is caused by a UTI or kidney stones. These conditions tend to have additional symptoms as well. Common UTI symptoms include a burning sensation when urinating and/or the need to urinate frequently, for example. Potential kidney stone symptoms include pain in the lower back or the side and/or pain while urinating.
Other possibilities: Cloudy urine can be caused by certain infections and kidney diseases. And occasionally cloudy urine is caused by dehydration. If you are not experiencing additional symptoms that suggest an infection or kidney issue, drink a few cups of water to see if the urine clears up before contacting a doctor.
Blue urine and green urine are rare…but when they do occur, it’s usually due to the consumption of large amounts of foods or beverages that contain blue or green food dye. The unusual tint should clear up not long after that food is removed from the diet.
Other possibilities: Certain medications can turn urine blue or green, including the over-the-counter acid reflux treatment cimetidine (Tagamet) and the prescription painkiller indomethacin (Indocin). An infection by the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause green urine, too, as can certain liver conditions, so see a doctor if you can’t identify any likely culprits in your recent diet or medications.
Milky white urine is not at all common…, but when it does occur, the leading culprit is chyluria—when fluid from the lymph nodes is finding its way into the kidneys and from there into the urine. It is worth seeing a doctor—chyluria sometimes resolves in its own but not always.
