# Yellow pee

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-pee/457105>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 20, 2008, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-pee/457105 "2008-07-20T00:24:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-pee/457105/21 "2008-07-31T00:04:28Z")

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It’s the B-complex vitamins that will turn your urine bright yellow and give it that “vitaminy” smell. There are also various medications that will do it as well… IIRC certain antibiotics for UTI will make it an unsettling rust color.

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**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\
**Post date:** [July 31, 2008, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-pee/457105/22 "2008-07-31T02:12:23Z")

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[QUOTE=Cosmic Relief]  
It’s the B-complex vitamins that will turn your urine bright yellow and give it that “vitaminy” smell. There are also various medications that will do it as well… IIRC certain antibiotics for UTI will make it an unsettling rust color.  
[/QUOTE]

As I said above, it’s not an antibiotic that does that, it’s Urostat, which is prescribed in UTI’s to provide relief from the burning and urgency sensations.

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**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-pee/457105/23 "2008-08-01T21:48:25Z")

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I don’t recall the specific antibiotic I was on, it was for a pneumonia infection, but when in a dance club restroom that was lit by blacklights, my pee stream flouresced a vivid blue-green. It was bright enough to cast a secondary glow in the dim room.

This, combined with the light saber noises I was making as I swung the stream around the urinal, had the other people in the bathroom in hysterics. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2008, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-pee/457105/24 "2008-08-02T08:56:59Z")

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And alway keep in mind if your pee turns a nice, rich dark brown you probably have hepatitis. I mean **dark** brown.

and your stool turns beige. yeah, beige. and then you turn yellow of course.

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2008, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-pee/457105/25 "2008-08-02T09:08:54Z")

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And if it’s blue, you may have porphyria.

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**Author:** ![SeanArenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-pee/457105/26 "2008-08-04T03:31:42Z")

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[QUOTE=jjimm]  
And if it’s blue, you may have porphyria.  
[/QUOTE]  
Or it means Major Winchester doesn’t want you bowling.

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**Author:** ![horsetech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dec6dc/32.png) [@horsetech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsetech)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellow-pee/457105/27 "2008-08-10T19:04:54Z")

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Rifampin will stain anything under the sun, including your urine, a bright orange-red, but it’s not exactly UTI material, being used more commonly for TB and leprosy (and _Rhodococcus equi_ pneumonia in horses). It is above average at penetrating tissues. (No, not Kleenex, you wise guys.) 😛

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