Often you hear that the clearer your pee the better your health, so it can be alarming when your urine presents itself in a blindingly bright color after you’ve started taking a daily multivitamin. But before you rush to the ER, there’s some solid science to consider.
Why Is My Pee Bright Yellow?
“Neon yellow pee generally occurs from excess vitamin B2 (a.k.a. riboflavin) in multivitamins,” says Jennie Ann Freiman, M.D., gynecologist and founder of wellness company Oobroo. And if you take a multivitamin, highlighter-esque yellow isn’t the only color you might see when you tinkle: All that bonus B2 could also turn your pee neon orange, says Brooke Alpert, R.D., founder of B Nutritious and author of The Sugar Detox: Lose Weight, Feel Great, and Look Years Younger.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), riboflavin is naturally yellow, becoming fluorescent when it comes into contact with UV light. And since your body excretes what it doesn’t need, says Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., CEO and founder of the New York Nutrition Group, this shocking shade is what shows up on the porcelain throne after you pop a multi with high amounts of B2.
How Riboflavin Works in Your Body
Here’s what’s actually happening: Riboflavin is a water-soluble vitamin, which means your body can’t store it for very long—unlike fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K that hang out in your body’s fat tissue. Think of water-soluble vitamins like guests who drop by for a quick visit. They come in, do their job, and then leave through the nearest exit (in this case, your kidneys).
Most multivitamins pack way more riboflavin than your body can use at once:
- Multivitamins contain 25 to 75 milligrams in a single pill
- Your body can only absorb about 27 milligrams from a single dose, and it does this pretty quickly—within about an hour
- When you take your morning multivitamin with breakfast, your body grabs what it needs for energy production and cellular function, then sends the rest packing
- Because riboflavin has that naturally bright yellow-green color, you’re basically seeing the overflow in living color a few hours later
Related: From capsules to yummy gummies, take your pick of multivitamins.
The daily Recommended Dietary Allowance for riboflavin is only .9 milligrams for women and 1.1 milligrams for men, says Freiman. However, vitamins can contain anywhere from 25 to 75 milligrams of it, she says. Compare that to natural food sources of vitamin B2:
- Fortified cereal: about 1.7 milligrams per serving
- Yogurt
- Two percent milk
- Beef
- Salmon
- Eggs
Why So Much Riboflavin in Supplements?
You might be wondering why supplement makers pack in so much if your body only needs a tiny amount:
- Part of it comes down to ensuring you get enough even if absorption isn’t perfect
- Part of it is because riboflavin is super-safe—there’s no established upper limit for how much you can take because excess just washes right out
When Will You See the Yellow?
The timing of that bright yellow pee is pretty predictable, too. Most people notice it within one to three hours after taking their vitamin—right around the time your body has absorbed what it can and starts filtering out the rest. If you take your multivitamin in the morning with breakfast, don’t be surprised when your mid-morning bathroom break looks like you’re peeing highlighter fluid.
Should I Worry?
So, does the DayGlo hue signal any cause for concern? No, say experts—but it still provides some illuminating info about your health. “It is not considered dangerous or harmful, but it might indicate that you don’t need such a high dose of the supplement,” says Moskovitz. Since drinking water helps dilute the color of your pee, that neon color could also be a sign that you’re not chugging enough H2O on the regular, she adds.
The Good News About Bright Yellow Urine
The good news is that bright yellow urine from vitamins is actually a sign your body is working exactly as it should:
- Your kidneys are doing their job of filtering
- Your body is smart enough not to hold onto what it doesn’t need
- “There are no known side effects of too much riboflavin. Excess riboflavin comes out in your urine,” confirms the University of Rochester Medical Center
Think about it this way: If your body held onto all those excess vitamins, that could actually cause problems. But water-soluble vitamins like B2 have a built-in safety mechanism—they literally can’t stick around long enough to cause harm. Unlike fat-soluble vitamins that can build up to toxic levels if you take way too much, riboflavin just passes through.
That said, the neon effect can tell you something useful:
- If your urine looks like it belongs in a rave, you’re definitely getting enough riboflavin—probably more than enough
- While that bright color confirms your multivitamin contains what it says on the label, it doesn’t necessarily mean you needed all that B2 in the first place
The Hydration Connection
Here’s where the hydration piece comes in. If you’re well-hydrated, that yellow will be diluted and less intense. If you’re even slightly dehydrated, the color becomes more concentrated and can look even more fluorescent. So if you notice the color is particularly intense, try drinking a few extra glasses of water throughout the day. Not only will it tone down the neon show, but staying hydrated helps your body work better overall.
When to See a Doctor
Now, there are a few scenarios where you should pay attention. The yellow from riboflavin typically shows up within a few hours of taking your vitamin and fades within a day. Here’s when to talk to your doctor:
- You’re seeing bright yellow urine all the time, even on days you don’t take vitamins
- The color is accompanied by burning when you pee
- You experience pain or fever
- Your urine has a strong odor
And while we’re talking about what’s normal, let’s touch on what’s not. Riboflavin creates a yellow to yellow-orange color. If your pee is any of these colors, that’s not from your vitamins—that’s a sign to seek medical care:
- Red or pink
- Brown
- Blue
- Green
- Cloudy white
That said, if your urine is a funky color and drinking more water to flush it out isn’t helping, head to the doc, says Alpert. Per the Mayo Clinic, dark or orange urine could be a sign of liver issues. “Anything you excrete is a sign of what’s going on inside,” says Alpert.
For most people taking a standard multivitamin, that bright yellow pee is just your body’s way of saying “thanks, but I’ve got enough B2 for now.” It’s not a waste of money—riboflavin is doing important work in your body before it exits:
- It helps convert the food you eat into energy
- It supports healthy skin and eyes
- It acts as an antioxidant
- You’re getting the benefits even if some of it ends up in the toilet
Your Options
If the color really bothers you, you have options:
- Switch to a multivitamin with lower B-vitamin doses, though these can be harder to find since most formulas aim for comprehensive coverage
- Take your vitamin with food to help with absorption and minimize the neon effect
The Vitamin Shoppe offers free virtual nutrition coaching if you want personalized guidance on whether your current multivitamin is the right fit for your needs. Sometimes a quick chat with an expert can help you figure out if you’d benefit from a different formula or if your current supplement routine is working just fine.
At the end of the day, bright yellow pee from your multivitamin is one of those harmless quirks of how our bodies work. It’s visual proof that you’re supplementing with B vitamins and that your kidneys are functioning properly. So the next time you see that neon glow in the bowl, you can smile knowing everything’s working exactly as nature intended—no ER visit required.