The Color of Your Urine and Its Meaning

Urine has been a useful tool of diagnosis since the earliest days of medicine.

Urine color and the consistency and odor of your urine are all indicators of how your body filters toxins and, you guessed it, how much water you drink, among other things.

As the kidneys do their job of filtering out excess vitamins and proteins, all of the water-soluble toxins filter into your urine to leave the body. If everything is normal and healthy, urine color should be a pale yellow to gold. This hue comes from a pigment your body makes called urochrome. Very dark honey or brown-colored urine could be a sign that you’re dehydrated and need to get more fluids immediately. It may also be a warning sign of liver problems, so please give us a call if it doesn’t get better after a day or so.

Other Colors You May See in your urine:

Pink/Red: Some foods like carrots, beets, and rhubarb can turn your pee a pinkish-red color. Pink or red pee can also be a side effect of medications like the antibiotic rifampin or a drug used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) called phenazopyridine. Red or pink could also mean there is blood present in the urine. You should always check with your doctor at University Urology if your pee is pink or red. It doesn’t always mean there’s a problem, but it can be a sign of kidney disease, a UTI, or a tumor.

Orange: When your pee is the color of an orange soda, it’s probably because of meds like high-dose vitamin B2, the UTI drug phenazopyridine, or the antibiotic isoniazid. It could also be a sign that you’re dehydrated or that there’s a problem with your liver or bile duct. Again, this could be a warning sign and you should give us a call.

In closing, please give us a call at 212-686-9015 any time you see a change in your urine that doesn’t seem linked to new medications or a recent meal — especially if the change lasts more than a day, or if it comes with a fever, back or side pain, vomiting, feeling very thirsty, or discharge. We will get you into the office and test your urine to see what’s going on and make sure you are at your healthiest.