Urine changes can happen for different reasons and typically involve changes in the color, smell or consistency of your urine. Often harmless, these changes can be caused by your diet or medications. However, urine changes can also be caused by conditions like urinary tract infections, liver failure and kidney stones.
Normal pee (urine) is yellowish in color, ranging from clear yellow to slightly orange. The color of your pee relates mostly to how much liquid you drink. All pee has a slight odor that can vary with your diet.
Changes in urine can refer to:
Sometimes these changes are temporary and harmless. They may be the result of eating certain foods or taking some medicines or vitamins. For example, asparagus or beets can harmlessly change the odor and color of urine.
Other times, a serious medical condition can cause changes in urine.
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The symptoms of changes in urine are very easy to see or smell. They typically include:
The color of your pee depends on how hydrated you are. If you drink a lot of fluid, your pee should be clear to yellow. If you’re dehydrated, your pee is usually darker yellow or slightly orange. Other than how much fluid you drink, medication and foods can also affect the colors of your pee. But, pee that’s red or dark brown may point to an underlying health condition.
Your pee naturally has a smell that’s unique to you. But, certain foods can alter the smell of your pee. If your pee takes on a sulfur smell, it may just mean you ate something like asparagus or you need to drink more water. Your pee should return to its normal smell within 24 hours or so. Strong-smelling or fishy-smelling pee that lasts longer than a day or two may be a sign that something else is going on.
Pee is typically clear. If your pee looks cloudy or foamy, it could indicate an infection or underlying medical condition. Like other urine changes, monitor how your pee looks to see if it’s temporary. Peeing very quickly can make your pee foamy, as can eating certain foods. But if this issue persists — especially if you experience leg swelling — you should talk to your healthcare provider. It could be due to excess protein in your urine, a potential sign of kidney disease.
Foods, medications and certain medical conditions can change your pee.
The most harmless changes in urine color or smell come from things you eat:
Certain medications may change the color of your urine. Check the label or talk to your healthcare provider to see if this is a possible side effect. For example:
A lot of medical conditions cause your pee to change color or look different. Some of those are:
Just because you notice these changes doesn’t mean you have these conditions. But if you notice these symptoms last longer than a few days, especially when combined with other symptoms like burning with urination, fever/chills, unexplained fatigue or pain, you should tell your healthcare provider.
Infections will commonly have other symptoms besides a strong odor to your pee. These symptoms can include:
Anyone can experience changes in urine. They’re more frequent in women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB), since a change in urine is a common symptom of urinary tract infections. Adults experience changes in their urine slightly more often than children. Older adults and adults with a family history of kidney or bladder stones are also more prone to experience changes in urine.
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Your pee may turn darker and appear dark brown (like tea or cola) when you have kidney disease or kidney failure.
Contact your healthcare provider if you have changes in the color, smell or look of your urine that last more than a few days and don’t seem related to any diet or medicine changes. Your provider will begin your appointment by asking you to describe the changes. This includes asking:
These questions will help determine if an underlying condition could be causing the changes in your urine.
Your provider may order a urinalysis to see if your pee shows anything irregular. A sample of your pee is sent to a lab where a healthcare provider tests it for blood, protein or bacteria. They may also order a blood test to check for possible kidney damage, diabetes or a buildup of liver enzymes.
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If your healthcare provider believes changes to your pee are due to a health condition, they’ll treat that condition to get your pee back to a more typical color, smell or look. Most changes to your urine aren’t due to a health concern and should return to normal within a day or two.
Changes in urine are usually harmless and shouldn’t be a cause for concern. But sometimes, they’re a sign of an underlying problem like a UTI or infection. The good news is that your pee can give clues to your provider about certain underlying medical conditions. For this reason, it’s a good idea to let your provider know if changes to your pee last longer than a few days or if you also have any other symptoms.
Foods and medications cause most changes in the color, odor or consistency of urine, especially when they occur without any other symptoms. But serious medical conditions are also possible causes. Seek medical attention if:
The following foods are known to change the color of your pee:
Certain foods are known to make your pee smell different. Asparagus is the most well-known food to give your pee a strong odor. Other foods that may give your pee a unique smell include:
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Changes to your pee are usually harmless and related to how much water you drink, what you eat or what medications you take. But, certain changes can mean you have an underlying health condition like kidney disease or an infection. Watch to see if your pee changes back to its usual color, smell and appearance within a few days. Contact your healthcare provider if it doesn’t return to normal or if your pee contains blood (red or brown pee). If you also have symptoms like abdominal pain or needing to pee more often, it may indicate a problem that needs treatment by a healthcare provider.
Last reviewed on 09/28/2023.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy