This isn’t dehydration—it’s pyridium (phenazopyridine), a common medication your doctor may prescribe for urinary tract infections that turns it a bright orange color. Used to relieve symptoms of burning, urgency, and discomfort during UTIs, pyridium can dye the urine and even stain pads, underwear, or lab surfaces. As lab scientists, we know it on sight—and no, it’s not hematuria. Just meds doing their job. 🔬 Always review the urinalysis results before releasing results on urines like this. |

This is urine, not orange Gatorade 🤯👀 That bright orange color is caused by Pyridium (phenazopyridine), a urinary tract analgesic often prescribed to relieve burning, urgency, and discomfort with UTIs. Pyridium works by exerting a topical analgesic effect on the urinary tract lining, and one of its most noticeable side effects is intensely orange or reddish urine. In the lab, Pyridium is important to recognize because it can interfere with urine dipstick results.The strong dye can cause false