What Grey Poop Means and What To Do About It

Noticing grey poop may come as a surprise, but it’s not always an emergency. Grey poop occasionally happens when you take certain medications for long periods. More frequent grey-colored poop could be a sign of an issue with the liver, gallbladder, or bile ducts.

It’s important to get a timely diagnosis from a healthcare provider for grey poop that persists for more than a few days. Treatment will vary based on the underlying cause but might involve lifestyle changes, medications, or surgical procedures.

Grey poop describes poop that is light grey, chalky, or pale in color. This symptom can look slightly different for each person and vary based on the underlying cause.

When you experience grey poop, you’ll notice that your stool is much lighter than usual. Your poop might vary in shade from off-white to grey. Some people describe grey poop as appearing like the color of clay.

Grey poop can vary in both intensity and duration. It’s possible to have grey poop for days or weeks. Depending on the cause, grey poop may also present with other symptoms like yellow eyes and skin (jaundice), swelling in the legs, nausea and vomiting, and changes in urine color.

While shades of brown are considered to be normal for stool color, it’s not necessarily uncommon for your poop to change color occasionally and temporarily due to a health issue, medication side effect, or dietary cause.

Grey poop or pale-colored stool is usually the result of having a lack of bile (a digestive fluid produced by the liver) in the stool. This can happen when you experience a liver, bile duct, or gallbladder condition or when you take certain medications.

Bile Duct and Gallbladder Conditions

The bile ducts and gallbladder are part of the body’s biliary system, which helps with digestion. If there is a blockage or disease that prevents bile from flowing through the digestive system, grey-colored poop may occur.

This commonly occurs when a person develops gallstones, which are hard, pebble-like masses of bile that form in the gallbladder and can become lodged in the bile duct.

Other issues that can lead to bile blockage include bile duct cysts, bile duct strictures (a narrowing of the bile ducts), and birth defects that cause structural issues in the biliary system. Gallbladder, bile duct, and pancreatic cancers can also prevent the flow of bile into the small intestine and change your stool color.

Liver Dysfunction

Anything that affects the function of your liver can cause your poop to appear grey, pale, or clay-colored.

When the liver isn’t functioning properly, the production and release of bile—which gives poop its brown color—is affected. If your liver isn’t producing enough enough bile, your poop may appear light tan or grey-tinted.

Several different liver conditions can cause low bile production, including:

• Liver cirrhosis: Cirrhosis describes serious damage and scarring to the liver, which interferes with the liver’s ability to function properly. This damage may happen with a liver injury, excessive alcohol consumption, and viral hepatitis infection.
• Liver cancer: This cancer occurs when tumor cells develop abnormally in the liver. It doesn’t always cause symptoms immediately, but some people may experience appetite loss and stomach pain in addition to grey poop.
• Viral hepatitis: This condition leads to inflammation in the liver and is caused by one of five hepatitis viruses, known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, or E. It can either be chronic (long-lasting) or acute (appear suddenly and go away on its own).

Medications

Certain medications can lead to liver damage—and greyish poop. This is more likely to happen when medications are taken in large quantities or high doses over a long period. Some common medications that may harm the liver include:

• Antacids, due to large amounts of aluminum hydroxide
• Barium sulfate, which is used for some X-ray tests
• Over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen
• Antibiotics, such as amoxicillin
• Heart medications, like statins
• Certain herbal and dietary supplements, such as anabolic steroids

Check with a healthcare provider before suddenly stopping any prescribed medications.

If you notice that your poop is chalky grey, white, or clay-colored for more than a few days, it’s best to see a healthcare provider.

Your provider will determine the underlying cause before starting treatment for grey poop. They’ll likely ask about your medical history and current symptoms, such as how long you’ve been experiencing grey poop and whether you’re taking any medications.

From there, they may order certain tests, including:

• Blood tests: Your provider will take a blood sample to check for signs of infection, inflammation, or abnormal liver function.
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP): This procedure allows the healthcare provider to view and examine the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, or pancreas for infection, inflammation, disease, or damage.
• Imaging tests: A computed tomography (CT) scan, abdominal ultrasound, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan allows a medical provider to examine the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts more closely and check for blockages or abnormalities.

Depending on the outcome, you may be referred to a gastroenterologist, a medical doctor who specializes in the digestive system.

Treating grey poop will vary based on the exact diagnosis. The goal of treatment is generally to restore your poop to a “normal” shade of brown while managing the underlying cause.

In many cases, treatment may include lifestyle modifications. Tactics like eating a nutritious diet low in fat, limiting the amount of alcohol you drink, and incorporating more physical activity into your daily routine are often recommended to manage liver issues—and restore your stool color.

Underlying causes of grey poop that may require more substantial treatment include hepatitis, which is treated with antiviral medications, and liver cancer, which may require chemotherapy or radiation. Surgery may be recommended for severe liver damage, gallstones, or structural issues within the bile ducts.

Several tactics can minimize your risk of developing liver issues, which can help prevent grey poop from happening in the first place.

Experts often recommend the following strategies to protect liver health:

• Limit alcohol consumption
• Get the hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccinations
• Avoid smoking
• Eat a low-fat diet
• Stay hydrated
• Reduce your intake of sugary beverages
• Exercise regularly
• Practice safe sex
• Avoid sharing personal items like razors

Liver disease can sometimes be genetic. If you have a family history of liver conditions, consider regularly discussing risk factors and specific prevention tactics with a healthcare provider.

Grey poop may be the sign of a medication side effect or underlying health condition, like liver disease or gallstones. When disease or damage prevents the liver from producing and releasing the digestive fluid bile, it can result in grey-colored poop.

Treatment for grey poop will vary based on the diagnosis but may include lifestyle modifications, medications, or surgical procedures. Check with a healthcare provider if you notice grey poop for more than a few days—especially in babies and young children.