Urology

Why Is My Pee Green? 10 Potential Causes

Written by Sophie Vergnaud, MD | Reviewed by Farzon A. Nahvi, MD

Updated on July 21, 2026

kaisersosa67/iStock via Getty Images

Key takeaways:

Urine should be pale yellow, clear, and odorless.
Changes in the color of your urine — like green, orange, brown, or red — can be a clue to underlying health issues.
The most common cause of green urine is medication. Certain foods and food dyes can also cause it. In rare cases, green urine can be a sign of a bacterial urinary tract infection or a liver problem.

You’ve probably noticed that the color and smell of your urine can change depending on your level of hydration and how long it has been since you last urinated. Certain foods can also affect the way your urine looks. And if you’ve ever had a urinary tract infection (UTI), you’ve likely noticed a change in the appearance of your urine, too.

Green pee isn’t a common symptom, so it may be alarming if it happens to you. But most of the time, green pee isn’t serious. Here are 10 causes of green urine — and only 2 of them are really cause for concern.

10 causes of green pee

Some medications can turn your pee different colors. There are seven medications that can turn your pee green. The color change is due to a chemical reaction. A blue pigment from the medication mixes with the natural yellow color of urine and makes it look green or bluish-green.

In many cases, the color change happens because of something called a “phenol group” in the chemical structure of the medication. When your body breaks it down, it produces blue pigments. These mix with the yellow pigments (called urochrome) in your urine, and the end result is green pee.

Medications that can turn urine green

Here are some medications that can make your urine look green:

Promethazine (Phenergan): Promethazine is an antihistamine that treats allergies and nausea.
Cimetidine (Tagamet): Cimetidine is an antacid that treats gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and heartburn.
Metoclopramide (Reglan): Metoclopramide is an anti-nausea medication.
Amitriptyline (Amitril): Amitriptyline is an antidepressant that’s also used to treat fibromyalgia.
Indomethacin (Indocin): Indomethacin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).
Propofol (Diprivan): Propofol is an anesthetic used in surgery.
Methylene blue: Methylene blue is a water-based dye used in scans, surgery, and in the treatment of methemoglobinemia, a rare blood disorder.

Other causes of green urine

Medications aren’t the only thing that can turn your urine green. Other causes of green pee include:

Food dyes: Artificial green or blue food dyes can make your urine look green.
UTIs: When the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) causes a UTI, the result can be green urine.
Liver problems: Sometimes a person with liver disease and a certain genetic mutation can have a buildup of biliverdin in their body, which can make urine appear green.

How to prevent green urine

Green urine isn’t very common, so it may be hard to prevent it. But there are some steps you can take to make green urine less likely.

To prevent green urine:

Drink plenty of water.
Take steps to prevent UTIs, including peeing after sex and wiping from front to back.
Talk to a healthcare professional if you have any symptoms of liver disease.
Avoid foods high in artificial food dyes, like cake frosting or green candies.

If you’re taking a medication that’s known to cause green urine, pay attention to the color of your pee. But if your urine changes color, don’t stop taking your medication on your own. Talk to your healthcare professional before making any medication changes.

What urine color can tell you about your health

Reviewed by Brian Clista, MD | December 4, 2025

Urine should be a pale, clear yellow color. When you’re dehydrated, your urine may turn darker and have a stronger smell. This is your body doing its job to avoid wasting fluid.

But if your urine stays dark yellow, orange, brown, red, or is tinged with blood, it could be a sign that there’s something else going on.

In addition to the color of your pee, here are some other things to pay attention to:

How often you need to pee
How much you pee
How your pee looks (for example, whether it’s cloudy or foamy)
How your urine smells (like strong, unpleasant, or sweet)

If you see a noticeable or consistent change in any of these characteristics, it’s best to see a healthcare professional. Oftentimes, a simple urine test can figure out if something is wrong.

Green urine myths

Some people report that asparagus gives their urine a greenish tinge. But there isn’t hard science to back this up. More commonly, people notice a typical asparagus smell in their urine.

Some people also think that vitamin B complex can turn urine green. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) does have a yellow-green, fluorescent pigment. But this causes urine to look bright or neon yellow — not green.

When to get medical attention

Most causes of green pee aren’t harmful. If your urine is green because of a known medication effect, there’s usually nothing to worry about. And if some colorful cupcakes were the cause, it should return to normal on its own.

There are only two causes of green pee that are considered serious, and both are very rare:

UTIs caused by the bacteria P. aeruginosa can cause urine to have a bluish-green tinge. This happens because the bacteria produce a blue pigment called pyocyanin. But this is very uncommon.
People with liver disease or liver cancer who also have a certain genetic mutation, can have green urine. In this case, they may also develop a green color to their skin.

Get medical attention if your urine is green and you:

Have burning with peeing
Are peeing more often than usual
Have stomach pain
Develop green color to your skin
Have a history of liver problems

Do you need to treat green urine?

You don’t need to treat green urine. But you might need to treat the underlying cause of green urine.

If a UTI or liver problem is causing your green urine, you’ll need treatment for that condition. If your urine is green because of something you ate or a medication you’re taking, there’s usually nothing to do. The color should fade within a few hours or when you stop taking the medication.

If you’re not sure if you need treatment, reach out to a healthcare professional.

Frequently asked questions

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) doesn’t directly cause green pee. But CKD can lead to foamy or bloody urine. People with CKD have a higher risk of developing UTIs, especially if they need to use a catheter. A UTI caused by the bacteria P. aeruginosa can turn urine a bluish-green color.

Yes, you may have green pee with certain illnesses. But this isn’t very common, and the change in urine color won’t be your only symptom. Your pee may be green if you have a UTI caused by P. aeruginosa. Some people with liver disease or liver cancer can have green-tinted pee and skin.

The bottom line

Most cases of green urine are nothing to worry about — especially if the color change is brief or started after you began a new medication. Food dyes can change the color of your urine, and that’s OK. But if the color change persists, it’s best to get a medical evaluation. A healthcare professional can run some simple tests to see if it’s a sign of something else going on.

why trust our exports reliability shield

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Sophie Vergnaud, MD

Sophie Vergnaud, MD, is the Senior Medical Director for GoodRx Health. A pulmonologist and hospitalist, she practiced and taught clinical medicine at hospitals in London for a decade before entering a career in health education and technology.

Edited by:

Alex Eastman, PhD, RN

Alex Eastman, PhD, RN, is a California-based registered nurse and staff medical editor at GoodRx, where he focuses on clinical updates and Latino health.

Reviewed by:

Farzon A. Nahvi, MD

Farzon Nahvi, MD, is an emergency medicine physician and author of “Code Gray: Death, Life, and Uncertainty in the ER.” He works at Concord Hospital in Concord, New Hampshire, and teaches at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

Our editorial standards

Meet our experts

References

Pelchat, M. L., et al. (2011). Excretion and perception of a characteristic odor in urine after asparagus ingestion: A psychophysical and genetic study. Chemical Senses.

Prakash, S., et al. (2017). Green urine: A cause for concern? Journal of Anaesthesiology, Clinical Pharmacology.

GoodRx Health has strict sourcing policies and relies on primary sources such as medical organizations, governmental agencies, academic institutions, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. Learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate, thorough, and unbiased by reading our editorial guidelines.