green urine

[xiahe]

sorry if this is gross but i wonder about this lol...i'm a caffeine addict. i looooove starbucks and i drink a lot of those rockstar juiced energy drinks [the mango ones are yummy...i HATE energy drinks but the rockstars are decent]. anyway, i know this isn't good for you because caffeine can cause kidney stones...luckily this hasn't happened to me yet *knock on wood*...the worst i had was a UTI that developed into a kidney infection but that was sex-related. anyway, i've noticed that from drinking rockstars my urine is a yellowish green. i know that urine with a greenish tint means there's an excess of B vitamins, but does anyone know if it means something else?

 

[quinntastic]

Oh honey, caffeine can cause a multitude of problems. You need to cut way back. I used to drink Coca Cola a few times a day and ended up developing "fiber cysts" in my breasts and freaked out because I thought I had cancer.

Anyway, this is what I found online.

Greenish urine

A urinary tract infection, bile problems and certain drugs can cause the urine to turn greenish. A brighter green color is an indication of an excess of B vitamins.

Source: Urine Color as Health Indicator - Strategies for Staying Healthy: School for Champions

I would go to a doctor to get a urinalysis just to be certain, especially if it is bile related.

 

[purrtykitty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by quinntastic Oh honey, caffeine can cause a multitude of problems. You need to cut way back. I used to drink Coca Cola a few times a day and ended up developing "fiber cysts" in my breasts and freaked out because I thought I had cancer.

Ditto for me, too. Had two removed in an incredibly uncomfortable surgery. My doc told me to cut down on caffeine and chocolate (due to the caffeine content in it).

With your urine problem, you should probably get checked out by a doctor. Better to be safe than sorry!

 

[Dreamergirl3]

Whenever I drink a rockstar or redbull, or any energy drink my urine is green too. I think it has more to do with the drinks artificial coloring...but still, you should probably cut back. If you're interested in cutting back or stopping your caffeine consumption this link could be helpful
How to Give Up Coffee and Caffeine Altogether - Dumb Little Man

 

[Simply Elegant]

I would definitely cut back on those drinks. I don't think they're worth all of those problems.

 

[blazeno.8]

I love Starbucks (and the many inde-Coffee shoppies that trump it any day hands down), but I do limit how much I take in. My colored pee though was a result of soft drinks. Coffee can turn it a darker color (alarming to me about the color), but soft drinks like Mountain Dew turned it a greenish tinge. That's when I knew I had to break the habit and make it a treat instead of an every day beverage.

 

[xiahe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by purrtykitty Ditto for me, too. Had two removed in an incredibly uncomfortable surgery. My doc told me to cut down on caffeine and chocolate (due to the caffeine content in it). With your urine problem, you should probably get checked out by a doctor. Better to be safe than sorry!

ick...what exactly did they do during the surgery? or were you under a general anesthetic for it?

 

[COBI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by purrtykitty With your urine problem, you should probably get checked out by a doctor. Better to be safe than sorry!

I am not saying whether you need to go to the doctor or not, but it may be worthwhile to cut out the rockstars and/or a lot of caffeine before going unless you have other pain or discomfort as well. It would seem that going to the doctor or having lab work/urinalysis done would be jumping the gun a bit if you've seen a direct correlation between your consumption of Rockstar and a change in your urine color.

From your post, it is clear that you understand that your intake greatly affects the color of your excretions. You have noticed that the color change occurred when you began consuming rockstar (or more rockstar), so in many ways, it seems to me that your urine color is specifically related to a change in your consumption versus indicative of a change in your body.

I would drop the rockstar for a few days and see if that doesn't clear it up. Then once you are comfortable that it was the rockstar, you can drink it again if you want.

Overreacting (looking for other possible causes when you seem to understand what is going on) is not good for mental health; deal with the obvious (which you stated in your OP) first. If that doesn't change anything, then contact your doctor. Or make an appointment now, but test a "no rockstar" diet between now and your appointment, and you may find you don't need a doctor at all.

Good luck.

EDIT: I went to the Rockstar site, and according to the nutritional facts, a SINGLE EIGHT OUNCE rockstar (mango) has 100% of your daily requirement of B3, B5, B6 & B12. So, if you are drinking "lots of rockstar" every day, that is likely the culprit because as you point out in your OP, excess vitamin B will affect your urine color in this way. Again, if you are drinking the 16 oz. or 24 oz. cans, then you are getting 2-3 times your vitamin B3,4,6&12 in just a single can. Also, all of this caffeine is likely to be causing some dehydration which will also affect urine color; drink more water.

 

[labellavita7]

Usually drinking a lot makes my pee clear.. you need to see a doctor!!

 

[COBI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by labellavita7 Usually drinking a lot makes my pee clear.. you need to see a doctor!!

It totally depends on what you are drinking; different fluids impact your urine differently. In the same way that different foods can cause your feces to be different.

If there was blood in the urine or the OP indicated that she hadn't made any dietary changes, then I would agree: go to the doctor.

But I just hate to see people get worried about some mystery illness when the answer is much simpler, and they already saw the connection themselves (such as the OP noticing it changed with her intake of rockstar.) She states that "i've noticed that from drinking rockstars my urine is a yellowish green." This would indicate that it is more obvious when consumes more rockstar. Why would others believe that there is a medical reason to see a doctor at this point?

There certainly would not seem to be any other indication of a medical issue unless the OP left something out. The easiest way to check is to cut out the rockstar for a couple of days, and then if your urine does not return to a "normal" color range, see the doctor. But at this point, why pay a doctor to tell you to cut out the red bull? Especially if the OP says the same thing to him/her as to us about "i've noticed that from drinking rockstars my urine is a yellowish green." It is likely the Dr. would have the OP to do this before ordering lab work anyway.

My urine can change on any given day based on what I've consumed that day. And some things cause the urine small to be stronger than others.

 

[kimmy]

usually when your urine has a strong colour, it means you need to be drinking more water. however, a doctor will be able to tell you exactly what the cause of the colouring is with a urinalysis.

i would suggest cutting down on the caffiene though, it increases your heart rate...especially energy drinks which is extremely bad for your heart and overall health.