If my stool is black, what should I do?

Black, tarry, or sticky stool can signal bleeding in the upper digestive tract and should be assessed promptly. Iron tablets, bismuth-containing medicines, and some dark foods can also change stool colour. The texture, smell, accompanying symptoms, and recent medicines help a clinician judge the cause.

Bleeding can be altered as it travels through the digestive tract, producing stool that looks very dark, sticky, or tar-like. Gastritis and a peptic ulcer are possible causes, and Helicobacter Pylori Infection can contribute to ulcer disease. A harmless colour change is more likely when stool is dark but formed and follows a known food or medicine, although appearance alone cannot safely rule out bleeding.

Note when the colour changed, whether it is tarry, and any tablets or supplements you have taken. Contact a clinician promptly for new black stool, particularly if no food or medicine explains it. Do not stop prescribed blood thinners or anti-inflammatory treatment without advice; tell the clinician exactly what you use. They may examine you and arrange tests to look for blood loss or digestive causes.

Go to urgent care now for black stool with vomiting blood or material like coffee grounds, dizziness, fainting, severe weakness, breathlessness, confusion, cold clammy skin, or significant abdominal pain. Repeated black stools also need urgent assessment. A person can lose blood without obvious pain, so do not wait for symptoms to become severe before seeking help.

Could my medicine or food explain the colour? Does the stool look like digested blood? Do I need blood or stool testing? Could gastritis, an ulcer, or Helicobacter Pylori Infection be involved?