Tea colored Urine???

[OneLove2019]

Anyone ever get like brown coffee or tea colored urine that just went away suddenly? That happened after I took amoxicillin for an ear infection ( I am on prednisone and MTX). Next morning woke up to cola colored urine. Went to the emergency room on the in case I had blood in my kidneys and test were clear...? Confused.

[PMRpro]

healthline.com/health/side-...

Dark urine is one of many side effects seen with amoxicillin and if it persists it must be investigated. It is due to the action of the amoxicillin in the liver and/or kidneys but mostly settles down unless you have liver or kidney disorders which your doctor would know before prescribing it.

You were right to ask for medical advice but a call to the GP would probably have been enough - and cheaper???

[OneLove2019 in reply to PMRpro]

It was over the 4th of July Holiday and my doc was out otherwise I would have... I wasn't sure what to do, hubby was worried and fam and friends was saying to go in...

[PMRpro in reply to OneLove2019]

Then fair enough - I'm sure they were kind enough to reassure you?

[OneLove2019 in reply to PMRpro]

Who the docs or my buds? The doctors were wonderful, they told me to always come in with that kind of stuff, no matter what, esp while taking MTX. Also said it could be a one-off, happens sometimes when the kidneys get irritated once for some reason. Friends/Fams were concerned as well -- I have a great support group in that regard. I am very lucky.

[PMRpro in reply to OneLove2019]

The docs - glad to hear they reacted well. Some get a bit dismissive but they sound great.

[OneLove2019 in reply to PMRpro]

I think mine was young and yet not jaded...give him time LOL...

[PMRpro in reply to OneLove2019]

True!!!

They have just had an article on the UK news about doctors in the UK refusing to work overtime (on top of a full week's duty) because if they earn £1000 and it takes them to the next tax bracket they have to pay £1300 more tax. And they wonder why! Think that might make me jaded too!

[OneLove2019 in reply to PMRpro]

Oh indeed, goodness!

[eekt in reply to PMRpro]

It's when a consultant's NHS pension pot goes over £1.1 million it gets tricky .

A salary of over £110,000 is subject to a cap on pension contributions...accidentally go over, and it could end in a big tax bill

'Some doctors have been forced to remortgage their homes to pay hefty tax bills arising from their pension contributions while others are doing more work in the private sector because earnings there do not affect their NHS pensions.

' (and the taxation it attracts)

The mind boggles that someone earning £100k+ with a £1m pension fund could have to remortgage xxx

[PMRpro in reply to eekt]

Well - we never got within a day's journey of THAT!!!!!

[eekt in reply to PMRpro]

Edited in some more as I just can't get my head round it...poor things, having to remortgage the chateaux because they've earned quarter a million in overtime or private fees.. xxx

[PMRpro in reply to eekt]

I suppose if you had a big enough tax bill - remember there are all those school fees too. And sending your baby bunnies to med school these days is probably well over £20K per bunny per year. More when you finace their car ...

[eekt in reply to PMRpro]

Or buy them a flat in Edinburgh!

Apologies, OneLove, for hijacking your post...certain foodstuffs will give a one-off colouration in urine, cranberries, beetroot, etc...hoping all is ok xxx

[OneLove2019 in reply to eekt]

No apology needed my friend, enjoying the conversation

[anon8080 in reply to eekt]

I think that’s a little unfair - these people have worked hard all their working lives and Capita lost all their data, meaning their pensions contributions were not properly calculated or completely lost. There are examples of doctors who had to retire with ill health (eg cancer) and didn’t receive any pension for up to a year because of the company’s mess ups. Most doctors who work overtime don’t even get paid for it.

[eekt in reply to anon8080]

NHS consultants are paid for any work over the 10 sessions a week of 'scheduled activities' (4 hours) they are contractually obliged to put in. GPs are paid per 4hr 10 minute session and a minimum of 50% of that time is in consultations....that's nearly 4 1/2 hours a day doing whatever they do when not seeing patients

The current issue with consultants working to rule is not to do with lost data, but with a new cap on pensions taxation liability on earnings over £110k meaning it's very difficult for some to know when they breach that cap when doing overtime and/or private work, as the calculation is based on total income eg from chateaux rental as well.

The Edinburgh flat was an oblique reference to one of my local GP's having to work until 60 (despite wanting to retire much earlier) as she had two offspring studying med and felt the need to provide for their accommodation while doing so

I'm in no doubt whatsoever it takes immense input to get through ten or twenty years of medical training, however - like when you put your car in the garage and you expect it to be fixed by a qualified mechanic - a patient should be expected to receive quality care from a doctor earning six figures....and very many on this forum don't

I've had to obtain a court order to get legal info from my GPs because the 'managing partner' really can't be bothered and prefers to spend most of his time at home in Cyprus...you see why it gets my goat up? xxx

Oops sorry OneLove xxxx

[Jmiller623]

Maybe bilirubin in your urine. Caused by the breakdown of red blood cells aka hemolysis. This screams G6PD to me though which is a common deficiency that causes hemolysis and dark urine. Most people figure it out after amoxicillin or sulfa drug. Check out the drug list to see if it’s matched up before.

Maybe....maybe not? Could also be transient hemolysis from lupus that comes and goes with stressors. If your urine looked fine though, I wouldn’t stress until it’s consistently dark. Make sure your GP knows.

[OneLove2019 in reply to Jmiller623]

What is G6PD exactly?

[Jmiller623 in reply to OneLove2019]

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. G6PD is a enzyme that helps prevent free radicals and oxidation from affected red blood cells. Some drugs stress this pathway and since it acts like a funnel/rate limiting step it can become overwhelmed quickly. And then waa laah your overstressed red blood cells pop open.

Hope this helps. You can also google it. Probably be better than this brief explanation.

[OneLove2019 in reply to Jmiller623]

Ewww popped open blood vessels--oy, the visual. Thank you--yeah I looked it up--confusing --and most info seemed geared at parents with kids suffering from the deficiency--must be a primarily childhood disorder?

[Jmiller623 in reply to OneLove2019]

Your red blood CELLS not vessels. Not trying to be rude just reassuring you. When the cells pop open, it releases bilirubin which you then pee out. Makes urine look brown. Cell breakdown happens slowly in all of us but those with a deficiency a stressor such as medication, infection makes it happen at a super fast rate. More common in Mediterranean and African descent. Less symptoms in women because it’s an X linked mutation and we gots 2 of those. Men only have one so if they have the mutation, they get the disease pretty bad.

It’s easy to test for. Just let your GP know.

[OneLove2019 in reply to Jmiller623]

Do'h, I meant cells sorry -- and thank you--I will--got to see my rheumy soon anyway for routine tests... I appreciate the info!

[NeuronerdDoaty]

kidneytherapychina.org/chro...

We always check kidney function immediately for this. Go get a another urinalysis done please. It can be hard to detect at first. They need to send it to a lab to view under a microscope not just send through a machine. Stones in bladder, gallbladder or kidneys can cause this. Not enough bile production can cause this.

[OneLove2019 in reply to NeuronerdDoaty]

Hummm--I am going to see my Rheumy soon--she will likely run a test...

[tanzarell]

Hi no problems here for awhile up until a few weeks ago. I'm exceedingly tired, weak. At my wits end.

[OneLove2019 in reply to tanzarell]

Are you on MTX?

[cpops]

Hi, some drugs can discolour your urine and I think Amoxicillin may be one of them. If it has resolved on discontinuing the drug then I would not worry about it (unless you have any other unwanted residual effects).

[Kentish_Man]

Dark urine can also be caused by not hydrating enough. For me, I get a whole range of colours in my urine. From pink, caused by blood in my urine to dark brown and also bright yellow.

Your GP or specialist should be informed even if it is just nothing. Sometimes it is good to be reassured.

[OneLove2019]

Thanks, Kent-ish... I agree with you and will be seeing my Rheumotolgist soon...