Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesWhy Poop Changes ColorWhen to See a ProviderDiagnostic Tests
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Why Poop Changes Color
When to See a Provider
Diagnostic Tests
While it is less common, a medical condition, such as a problem with the gallbladder, could also be the cause of orange poop.
Causes of Orange Poop
There are several common and benign (harmless) reasons for passing orange poop that are not a cause for worry.
With orange poop, it’s more likely that the color change is due to food or medication than a health condition. Still, any concerns about your poop color should be brought to your healthcare provider’s attention.
1. Food
Eating certain foods can cause your poop to turn orange. Foods that can cause orange poop include:
2. Medication
Certain medications can also cause your poop to appear orange. Examples include:
3. Supplements
Supplements containing beta-carotene (which is sometimes found in vitamin A) can also cause your poop to turn orange.
4. Digestive Problems
In most healthy people, orange poop is most often the result of eating one or more of the foods or supplements listed above.
Still, if you have orange poop it’s important to note what’s going on with the rest of your body. This is because some medical conditions cause stool to turn the color orange.
If your stool is orange, it could mean that it is not being exposed to enough bile salt or is not absorbing enough.Bileis yellowish-green, and when it reacts with the natural enzymes present in the bowel, it turns the stool brown.
Stool can come in a variety of colors. What is considered a “normal” stool color is unique to each person and is often a spectrum rather than one color all the time.
While color changes can be surprising, they are not always concerning. Some color changes, however, can indicate a serious problem. For example, black stool can indicate bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract.
Orange poop can be a sign of a health condition, but having one orange bowel movement with no other symptoms is most likely not a cause for concern.
When to Call a Healthcare Provider
One orange poop isn’t something to be too worried about because it’s most likely from a food or supplement and not from an underlying medical condition.
When you cannot trace the color change to one of these reasons, it’s time to see your healthcare provider.
Also, make an appointment for an evaluation if you have ongoing orange poop or if any of these symptoms accompanies it:
Your healthcare provider will ask about your diet, especially orange or red foods, and then determine if other tests are needed to find out what’s causing the orange stool.
The tests a healthcare provider runs are dependent on the symptoms that are happening along with the orange stool. Blood tests and stool tests might be some of the first tests done.
If your provider is concerned you may have a digestive condition, they may refer you to a gastroenterologist, a specialist in digestive disease. A gastroenterologist may order other tests based on the problem, such as a computed tomography (CT) scan if a gallbladder problem or bile duct blockage is suspected.
Summary
If any other symptoms occur along with the orange color, or if it lasts more than a day or two, it’s time to look into possible medical causes. Call a healthcare professional if you have any pain, diarrhea, constipation, or other symptoms such as dizziness or weakness.
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eljaaly K., Alshehri S.Cefdinir-induced red stool and purple discoloration of nutritional formula: A case report.J. Infect Chemother.2020;26(2):286–288. doi:10.1016/j.jiac.2019.08.014Smile S.Case 2: Persistent skin discolouration in a child with autism spectrum disorder.Paediatr Child Health.2016;21(2):67–68.Trishna Sharma MBBS M, Md RL.Cefdinir induced red stool-harmless antibiotic side effect awareness for parents.Biomed J Sci Tech Res. 2020;27(3):20857-9. doi:10.26717/BJSTR.2020.27.004514Enck P, Aziz Q, Barbara G, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome.Nat Rev Dis Primers.2016;2:16014. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.14Yamabe A, Irisawa A, Shibukawa G, et al.Inflammatory bile duct obstruction during the healing stage of severe acute pancreatitis.Intern Med. 2017;56(9):1037-1040. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.56.7859Additional ReadingNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Your digestive system and how it works.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eljaaly K., Alshehri S.Cefdinir-induced red stool and purple discoloration of nutritional formula: A case report.J. Infect Chemother.2020;26(2):286–288. doi:10.1016/j.jiac.2019.08.014Smile S.Case 2: Persistent skin discolouration in a child with autism spectrum disorder.Paediatr Child Health.2016;21(2):67–68.Trishna Sharma MBBS M, Md RL.Cefdinir induced red stool-harmless antibiotic side effect awareness for parents.Biomed J Sci Tech Res. 2020;27(3):20857-9. doi:10.26717/BJSTR.2020.27.004514Enck P, Aziz Q, Barbara G, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome.Nat Rev Dis Primers.2016;2:16014. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.14Yamabe A, Irisawa A, Shibukawa G, et al.Inflammatory bile duct obstruction during the healing stage of severe acute pancreatitis.Intern Med. 2017;56(9):1037-1040. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.56.7859Additional ReadingNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Your digestive system and how it works.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Eljaaly K., Alshehri S.Cefdinir-induced red stool and purple discoloration of nutritional formula: A case report.J. Infect Chemother.2020;26(2):286–288. doi:10.1016/j.jiac.2019.08.014Smile S.Case 2: Persistent skin discolouration in a child with autism spectrum disorder.Paediatr Child Health.2016;21(2):67–68.Trishna Sharma MBBS M, Md RL.Cefdinir induced red stool-harmless antibiotic side effect awareness for parents.Biomed J Sci Tech Res. 2020;27(3):20857-9. doi:10.26717/BJSTR.2020.27.004514Enck P, Aziz Q, Barbara G, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome.Nat Rev Dis Primers.2016;2:16014. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.14Yamabe A, Irisawa A, Shibukawa G, et al.Inflammatory bile duct obstruction during the healing stage of severe acute pancreatitis.Intern Med. 2017;56(9):1037-1040. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.56.7859
Eljaaly K., Alshehri S.Cefdinir-induced red stool and purple discoloration of nutritional formula: A case report.J. Infect Chemother.2020;26(2):286–288. doi:10.1016/j.jiac.2019.08.014
Smile S.Case 2: Persistent skin discolouration in a child with autism spectrum disorder.Paediatr Child Health.2016;21(2):67–68.
Trishna Sharma MBBS M, Md RL.Cefdinir induced red stool-harmless antibiotic side effect awareness for parents.Biomed J Sci Tech Res. 2020;27(3):20857-9. doi:10.26717/BJSTR.2020.27.004514
Enck P, Aziz Q, Barbara G, et al.Irritable bowel syndrome.Nat Rev Dis Primers.2016;2:16014. doi:10.1038/nrdp.2016.14
Yamabe A, Irisawa A, Shibukawa G, et al.Inflammatory bile duct obstruction during the healing stage of severe acute pancreatitis.Intern Med. 2017;56(9):1037-1040. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.56.7859
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Your digestive system and how it works.
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