Medium-dark yellow urine is often an indication that you are dehydrated. Drink 2-3 glasses of water now.
Dark Yellow to Orange
Dark yellow urine might indicate that you have a severe infection, an underlying kidney condition or it could additionally mean that you are dehydrated: Temporary conditions or medication affecting the liver and kidneys can also sometimes cause this effect.
Dark yellow urine can be normal, but it might mean you need more fluids. When your urine appears as a darker shade of yellow, or even brown, it could be a sign that you have low urine volume.
Normal urine color varies, depending on how much water you drink. Fluids dilute the yellow pigments in urine, so the more you drink, the clearer your urine looks. When you drink less, the color becomes more concentrated. Severe dehydration can produce urine the color of amber.
If your urine is dark, think back to what you've eaten. If you've had beets, berries, rhubarb, or fava beans, these can all cause your urine to appear dark. Some medications can cause dark urine. Usually your doctor will let you know beforehand that this is a possible side effect.
When kidneys are failing, the increased concentration and accumulation of substances in urine lead to a darker color which may be brown, red or purple. The color change is due to abnormal protein or sugar, high levels of red and white blood cells, and high numbers of tube-shaped particles called cellular casts.
Some foods and drinks can cause a change in the color or smell of urine. Beets and blackberries can turn the urine red and eating rhubarb can result in a dark brown or tea-like color. Some medications can also cause changes in urine color: Senna, chlorpromazine, and thioridazine can result in red urine.
Clear to yellow urine falls within the normal, healthy range, Clayman says. Odd colors such as blue or orange are usually the result of medications such as certain antibiotics, antidepressants and laxatives. But there are two colors you should never ignore: dark brown and red.
If you are drinking an adequate amount of water but you are still experiencing dark colored urine, it may be an early indicator of liver disease. The urine color may range from brown, amber, or even orange due to the buildup of bilirubin.
Doctors refer to the standard color of your urine as “urochrome.” Urine naturally carries a yellow pigment. When you're staying hydrated, your urine will be a light yellow, close-to-clear color. If you're getting dehydrated, you'll notice that your urine is becoming a deep amber or even light brown.
Darker or brown urine is a symptom of dehydration. In fact, dehydration is the most common reason for dark urine to occur, but it is usually easy to treat. Treating dehydration involves replacing the lost fluids and electrolytes, which people can usually do at home. In mild cases, this will involve drinking water.
Urine that is dark orange, amber, cola-coloured or brown can be a sign of liver disease. The colour is due to too much bilirubin building up because the liver isn't breaking it down normally. Swollen abdomen (ascites). Ascites happens because fluid is retained in the abdomen.
Stage 3: Cirrhosis
During this stage of disease, symptoms become more noticeable: pain and discomfort, fatigue, appetite loss, fluid retention, jaundice, and an itchy feeling around the liver.
General symptoms
But there are a few common signs that often point to some kind of liver issue. These include: yellow skin and eyes (jaundice) dark urine.
If you have diabetes insipidus, you'll continue to pee large amounts of watery (dilute), light-colored urine when normally you'd only pee a small amount of concentrated, dark yellow urine.
Diabetes can cause cloudy urine when too much sugar builds up in your urine. Your urine may also smell sweet or fruity. Diabetes can also lead to kidney complications or increase risk of infections of the urinary tract, both of which can also make your urine appear cloudy.
The darker the colour of the urine, the more concentrated it is. Because people tend to sleep for several hours without having a drink, their urine is normally darker when urinating first thing in the morning.
See your health care provider if you have: Abnormal urine color that cannot be explained and does not go away. Blood in your urine, even once. Clear, dark-brown urine.
Dark urine can be a sign that you haven't been drinking enough and are dehydrated. Darker urine, along with back or belly pain, may also be the sign of a urinary tract infection or even a kidney stone. Other things that can make your urine dark include liver problems like hepatitis or a blocked bile duct.
People with both diabetes and kidney disease may notice: very dark or bloody urine.
Foamy, frothy or bubbly urine.