Can Miralax Cause Brown Color Urine?

Posted on Wed, 15 Jul 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 15 Jul 2015 Answered on

Tue, 4 Aug 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Daughter was given Miralax for constipation. She has started to pee brown. I thought it was a urinary tract infection, initially they did think it was a uti and gave me antibiotics. Then two days later I get a call that it is not. Could it be Miralax that is causing her brown pee?

Answered by Dr. Chobufo Ditah (52 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Insufficient fluid intake causes brown urine!

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about this. Brown urine is not a sign of urinary tract infection. Low fluids intake is often the cause of this. Miralax will not cause this but am pretty convinced your daughter has not been drinking enough water. For now, I recommend she drinks a minimum of 1.5liters of water per day. This will help in producing less concentrated urine and relieve her of the constipation.

Constipation is best managed through dietary and lifestyle changes. Eating enough fiber, fruits, vegetables and exercising often as well as drinking much water will help. Also, she should never restrain the urge to empty her bladder whenever possible.

I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thanks for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar