What should you know about dark brown almost black poop?

Colour can change after eating very dark foods or taking iron-containing products or bismuth medicines. Black stool that is sticky, tar-like, unusually foul-smelling, or mixed with weakness is more concerning because blood exposed to digestive juices can become dark as it passes through the upper digestive tract. Gastritis, Helicobacter pylori infection, and a peptic ulcer are among conditions that can cause upper digestive bleeding; these links provide more detail.

Think back to recent foods, supplements, and medicines, and note when the colour changed. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without advice. If the stool remains nearly black, looks tarry, or has no clear dietary or medicine explanation, arrange prompt clinical assessment. A clinician may ask about abdominal pain, vomiting, dizziness, bowel changes, and medicines that can irritate the stomach.

Seek urgent care for black tarry stool with faintness, marked weakness, confusion, shortness of breath, repeated vomiting, vomiting blood, severe abdominal pain, or cold clammy skin. These symptoms can accompany significant blood loss. Even without them, seek medical advice promptly when dark stool repeats or appears alongside tiredness, paleness, or worsening stomach pain.

Ask whether the appearance could be melaena, whether your medicines or supplements can darken stool, and whether you need stool or blood testing. Mention the first change, how often it has happened, its texture, associated symptoms, and any history of gastritis, Helicobacter pylori infection, or peptic ulcer.