# Why do oral medicines color one's urine?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 23, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274 "2013-07-23T01:59:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2013, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/1 "2013-07-23T01:59:31Z")
I’m sure it’s not a dye. That would surely have been digested or processed in one’s tract before it reached the blood and kidneys. I used to take a urinary antiseptic that produced a dark, coffee-colored urine. Now, I’m taking Livoline for my fatty liver. Color is a mountain dew yellow.
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2013, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/2 "2013-07-23T02:31:06Z")
Dyes are not necessarily digested and processed. Many will pass straight through and color the urine. Once, when I was a little boy, my mother was quite in a panic when my urine became pink. It turned out it was the harmless dye in some pink candy ([seaside rock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_%28confectionery%29)) I had been eating. However, there is probably no one answer to this. Many, even most, oral medicines do not color the urine. In other cases there may be colored breakdown products that are excreted. In other cases it may be a dye that has been added for some reason, although I do not suppose medicines are as often dyed as candy is.
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### Author:  [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/3 "2013-07-23T02:39:36Z")
assuming you’re talking about livolin forte, it contains a fairly large amount of riboflavin (vitamin B2) which does give your urine a bright greenish-yellow tint.
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### Author:  [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/4 "2013-07-23T03:31:19Z")
^
Uro-ignorance fought! Yep, Livolin forte (for three months, meaning no beer for that long.)
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### Author:  [@chris3g](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chris3g)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/5 "2013-07-23T03:38:01Z")
Some components of the medication might be eliminated through urine unmodified, other might be metabolized (transformed) by various enzymes before they are eliminated through urine.
An example might be better at illustrating it
\*\*\*Pill Alpha has many components, A being one of them.
A -\> B -\> C -\> D (the active molecule that does its job -\> Z(colorless, eliminated by urine) + Y (Orange, by urine) + X (Purple, by biles, through the hepatobiliare system).
So by taking the blue pill, you get to pee orange, due to enzyme magic!\*\*\*
Or another case might be
\*\*\*Pill Beta is green, because it’s mostly made up of component A (green), with a bit of B (purple)
When pill Beta goes through your GI tract, your body break it down and absorbed it. It gets to be broken down, eventually, to colorless basic components such as amino acids or glucose. B is eliminated through urine unmodified.
Presto, purple urine.\*\*\*
…now, if only real life mediation is this colorful…:mad:
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### Author:  [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/6 "2013-07-23T15:34:56Z")
Urostat or urinary pain relief, generically, makes the urine very dark orange and stains the bowl and the underwear, FYI.
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### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/7 "2013-07-23T18:23:49Z")
> [@the\_diego](#):
>
> I’m sure it’s not a dye. That would surely have been digested or processed in one’s tract before it reached the blood and kidneys. . .
I ate a blue-frosted cupcake once at an office party. One of those store-bought ones with a small mountain of brightly-dyed frosting on top. Suffice it to say, the next morning brought vivid visual proof that blue dye is NOT eliminated by the digestive process. Just turns it bright kelly green!
Now I have to find a way to work “Presto! Purple urine!” into a conversation.
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/8 "2013-07-23T19:24:38Z")
> [@the\_diego](#):
>
> I’m sure it’s not a dye. That would surely have been digested or processed in one’s tract before it reached the blood and kidneys.
Try drinking some beet juice. That will convince you otherwise.
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### Author:  [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/9 "2013-07-23T21:13:53Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#):
>
> Try drinking some beet juice. That will convince you otherwise.
And scare the heck out of you! Repeatedly, if you’re me.
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### Author:  [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-oral-medicines-color-ones-urine/664274/10 "2013-07-24T00:33:35Z")
Garbage in, garbage out.