What should you know about dark brown black stool?

Black-looking stool can follow dark foods, iron, or bismuth-containing medicine. Bleeding higher in the digestive tract may turn stool black as blood is digested, often giving it a sticky or tar-like texture and a strong smell. Gastritis, Helicobacter pylori infection, and peptic ulcer are possible sources of upper digestive bleeding, but the stool appearance alone cannot identify the cause.

Note the colour, texture, smell, timing, and any recent food, supplement, or medicine changes. Contact a healthcare professional promptly if the stool is repeatedly black, tarry, or unexplained. Tell them about stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, or medicines such as anti-inflammatory painkillers. Do not discontinue prescribed treatment unless a clinician tells you to.

Go to urgent care if black stool occurs with fainting, severe weakness, confusion, breathlessness, vomiting blood, severe abdominal pain, or cold clammy skin. Those features may signal substantial bleeding. Arrange prompt medical review for recurring dark stool, especially with paleness, unusual tiredness, or increasing stomach discomfort.

Ask whether the stool could represent melaena, whether a medicine or supplement explains it, and which tests may be appropriate. Share when the change began, whether it is sticky, how often it occurs, and whether you have had gastritis, Helicobacter pylori infection, or peptic ulcer symptoms.