My urine is very dark: what should I know?

Less water in the urine makes its natural pigments look stronger. This can happen with sweating, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, or low fluid intake. A very dark brown or tea-like shade raises different questions, including blood, liver or bile changes, muscle injury, and medicine effects. Hepatitis can present with dark urine together with tiredness, nausea, reduced appetite, discomfort in the upper abdomen, or yellowing of the eyes or skin. Colour alone cannot identify the cause.

Drink your usual fluids at regular intervals if you can do so safely, and rest somewhere cool after heat exposure. Check whether you are passing urine less often and note any burning, fever, back pain, weakness, or change in stool colour. Gather the names of medicines, supplements, and recent treatments. If the urine stays very dark, contact a clinician for an assessment rather than relying on home colour checks.

Seek urgent help if you become confused, faint, unable to keep fluids down, severely weak, or pass very little urine. Contact a clinician promptly for brown or bloody urine, yellow eyes or skin, fever, flank pain, severe muscle pain, or dark urine that persists despite normal drinking. Heat-related dizziness, nausea, or weakness also deserves prompt attention.

Ask what tests can distinguish concentration from blood, infection, liver changes, or muscle injury. Tell the clinician when the colour started, its exact shade, recent fluid loss or heat, exercise, injuries, medicines, and every symptom that appeared with it.