UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: My patient's urine is green?!

Category: Toxicology

Keywords: green urine (PubMed Search)

Posted: 11/30/2017 by Hong Kim, MD
Click here to contact Hong Kim, MD

Question

 

Different chemical, food or pharmaceutical agent exposure can change the color of the urine.

What could cause this patient's urine to turn green?

Answer

Green or greenish-blue color urine can result from exposure to follow substances:

  1. amitriptyline
  2. anthraquinones
  3. chlorophyll breath mints
  4. flavin derivatives
  5. blue food dye
  6. indigo blue
  7. magnesium salicylate
  8. methocarbamol
  9. methylene blue
  10. phenol
  11. propofol
  12. triamterene

The picture came from a patient who received methylene blue after being diagnosed with methemoglobinemia (65%).

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