Green Urine!? Foods, Medications, And Health Conditions That Make You Pee Green

So, you're peeing green urine? That alone is quite enough to dispel your previous impression of green as an "all natural" color! In fact, you're probably worried that there's something seriously wrong with you. 

Spoiler alert: while green urine is definitely not normal, it should not scare you nearly as much as some other pee colors. You're not dying. At least, not because of anything related to the green urine. You still want to get to the bottom of what is going on with you, though. Today, we're going to take a closer look at the possible causes of green pee. 

What Does My Urine Color Say About My Health?

Looking at your pee up close might be a little yucky, but observing your urine color can let you know that you're dehydrated, overhydrated, experiencing liver or kidney issues, or that you are suffering from another health condition that sometimes discolors your urine. Strangely colored pee can also be the result of ingesting certain foods (rhubarb and fava beans, I'm looking at you!), taking nutritional supplements, or taking medications. 

Unless it's an absolute emergency, however, everyone with a reliable internet connection will almost certainly consult "Dr Google" before heading to their actual doctor. In some cases, they'll find out that the strange symptom they were worried about now has a perfectly logical explanation. Green urine almost always falls under this heading. 

Why Is My Urine Green? 

Before we get to discussing possible causes of green urine, you may want to be aware that the pigment urochrome, also called urobilin, is what gives healthy and normal urine its yellow color. Since this pigment will still be present when other components are added to the equation, that affects the final color. Green urine is frequently actually caused by blue pigment, but since blue and yellow make green, truly blue urine is rare. It can occur though, as the result of the very same things that also make pee green.

Green Urine: What Have You Been Eating?

While plenty of foods and drinks create orange, red, or pink urine, green urine is only caused by a very few food items. They are:

• Asparagus, which can also tint your urine dark yellow or blue. 
• Artificial food dyes, whether blue or green, can make you produce green urine. 
• Black licorice, when eaten in large quantities. Licorice will also give your bowel movements a darker color. 

Should you recently have consumed anything that is known to create a green urine color and you haven't dealt with green pee before, there is no need to panic. Simply quit consuming the offending items and see if your urine color returns to normal after you relieve yourself a few times. If it does, there is no need to call your doctor. 

Possible Causes Of Green Urine

Green Urine: If You're Taking Medication, It's Probably A Side Effect

Numerous medications contain artificial dyes that can discolor your urine, a possible side effect that will be listed on your drug's package insert and that your healthcare provider may even have warned you about. These dyes aren't bad for your health, but they do enter the kidneys only to be expelled through the bladder when you urinate. 

Medications that can give your urine a blue or green hue include Rinsapin, an antibiotic used to treat staph infections, Viagra, which has a blue coating and Amitriptyline (Vanatrip, Elavil, Endep), a tricyclic antidepressant. Indomethacin (Indocin), which may be prescribed to people with bursitis, arthritis, tendonitis, gout, and other medical conditions, can also cause green urine. Another possible culprit is the sedative propofol (Diprivan), which is often given to people who are about to receive general anesthesia. 

Medical Conditions That Can Cause Green Urine

There are indeed medical conditions that can cause green urine. While orange urine, for example, can be a sign of liver disease, rest assured that the conditions that count green pee among their symptoms really aren't serious. Where pseudomonas bacteria are the cause of a urinary tract infection, they'll produce a blue pigment that will give your urine a green and sometimes blue tint. The presence of pus, again the sign of an infection, can likewise lead to green urine. Though a UTI is a pain, it's only a real health worry if you do not have access to antibiotics. 

The hereditary condition familial benign hypercalcemia, also called blue diaper syndrome, is the only illness that is specifically known to cause blue urine. In some cases, that blue tone may fall more to the green end of the spectrum as well however, especially considering that different people interpret colors slightly differently. As the name suggests, this conditions involves an excess of calcium, and it isn't dangerous. 

In Conclusion

While green urine may give you a terrible fright, it is not associated with any dangerous medical conditions and is most often caused by foods or medications. Having said that, if you are persistently peeing green, and you are worried, you should still contact your doctor, make an appointment, and try to get to the bottom of your green urine problem together. If nothing else, knowing what is behind your strangely colored problem will give you peace of mind. 

A note for female readers and male "siting urinators", who don't see what leaves their body in real time: before you do get in touch with your doctor, make sure to catch a urine sample in a clear and absolutely clean cup to ascertain whether your urine itself is green, or whether it could possibly have turned green on contact with a cleaning product in your toilet bowl.