How CoQ10 Supplements Can Turn Urine Orange or Brown
Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, is a popular nutritional supplement used to treat a variety of health conditions. It's sold over-the-counter in pharmacies and health food stores. While generally safe, CoQ10 can cause harmless but startling changes to the color of urine.
CoQ10 is an antioxidant naturally produced by the body that helps convert food into energy. It also functions as an antioxidant. Supplements may help boost lagging CoQ10 levels due to age, disease or cholesterol medications.
However, the kidneys eliminate excess amounts of CoQ10 from supplements by excreting it in urine. This leads many people to be surprised when their urine suddenly turns dark orange, brown or cola-colored after starting CoQ10.
Why CoQ10 Makes Urine Change Color
Urine's typical pale yellow hue comes from a pigment called urochrome. This pigment is a byproduct created when hemoglobin from dead red blood cells gets metabolized into bilirubin.
A healthy body continuously produces and breaks down red blood cells. The bilirubin left over from this process gives a pale yellow tint to urine, even when well hydrated.
However, CoQ10 supplements add another pigment to the mix. CoQ10 is yellow-orange in color. During absorption, some amount of CoQ10 always gets excreted out via urine unchanged. This directly alters urine pigment levels.
The more concentrated and abundant the CoQ10 in supplements, the darker the orange hue it can create in urine. Because the body has no need for mega-doses of CoQ10, excess gets sent out through the kidneys.
Benefits of CoQ10 Supplements
Despite its ability to change urine color, CoQ10 offers a number of scientifically-validated health benefits when taken as directed:
- May improve heart health and function
- Might help lower blood pressure
- Could assist with cellular energy production
- May boost immunity
- Helps neutralize harmful free radicals
- Potentially slows effects of aging
For optimal effects, the National Institutes of Health recommends 90-200 mg per day of CoQ10. Supplements come in both dry powder capsules and formulations dissolved in oils.
Always let your doctor know if you are taking CoQ10, especially if you're on any medications or have an upcoming surgery. Though rare, CoQ10 can interact with blood thinners or impact blood sugar.
Ideal CoQ10 Dosage
Dietary CoQ10 supplements come in a wide range of dosages, from 20 mg capsules to 400 mg mega-doses. People use CoQ10 for several reasons:
- Offset natural decline of CoQ10 levels due to aging
- Boost energy and athletic performance
- Improve heart health and function
- Help manage migraines
- Treat or manage cardiovascular diseases
- Improve sperm motility and fertility
The ideal daily dose of CoQ10 depends on current health status and reason for use. Recommended dosages typically fall in the following ranges:
- General health - 90 mg to 200 mg
- Improve energy - 100 mg to 300 mg
- Heart disease - 300 mg
- High cholesterol or statin drugs - 100 mg to 200 mg
- Infertility issues - 200 mg to 300 mg
Supplementing above 400 mg daily doesn't necessarily increase benefits, especially long-term. Always start low at 100 mg and increase gradually as needed. Dividing dose into twice daily prevents wasting excess via urine.
How CoQ10 Changes Urine Color
Within a few hours of taking a CoQ10 supplement, users may observe their urine has darkened considerably. This is a harmless side effect and not a cause for concern.
After ingesting CoQ10 capsules or oil formulations, the supplement dissolves and enters the digestive tract. Absorption primarily occurs in the small intestine where CoQ10 enters the bloodstream for circulation.
Since the body tightly regulates internal CoQ10 levels, excess amounts get filtered out by the kidneys. This prevents oversaturation of tissues and cells with CoQ10.
During filtration, CoQ10's yellow-orange pigment is excreted unchanged in urine. The more concentrated the dose, the darker the hue. Over time, accumulated excretions can shift urine from pale yellow to dark brownish orange.
Possible Colors of CoQ10 Urine
Urine color ranges depending on dosage strength and frequency of CoQ10 supplements. Possible variations include:
- Neon or bright yellow
- Yellow-orange
- Mustard yellow
- Amber
- Honey
- Beer or cola colored
- Dark brown
These spans from paler yellow to nearly brown are normal when taking CoQ10. Color depth correlates with dosage strength and frequency. Sporadic high doses typically cause darker urine.
How Long Urine Stays Orange
CoQ10's effect on urine color persists about 24 hours. Within a day of stopping supplements, urine should return to its typical pale yellow.
However, consistently taking high doses of CoQ10 daily maintains the darkened urine indefinitely. Ceasing supplementation leads to color gradually normalizing over several days as remaining excesses leave the body.
Kidney function also influences clearance time. Younger and healthier kidneys filter CoQ10 faster than aging kidneys. Hydration plays a role too, with well-hydrated individuals clearing CoQ10 quicker.
Is Orange Urine Harmful?
While shocking at first, orange urine caused by CoQ10 supplements is harmless. The color change does not indicate any medical problems or kidney damage.
However, other substances aside from CoQ10 could potentially alter urine color as well. Certain antibiotics, laxatives, pain relievers and chemotherapy drugs sometimes impact urine too.
Diets heavy in carotenes like carrots, vitamin C or B-complex supplements also can tint urine. In rare cases, blood, liver disease, or urinary tract conditions cause orange urine.
If unsure of the cause, consult your doctor, especially if accompanied by other symptoms. But if the color started upon beginning CoQ10, it's nothing to worry about.
When to See a Doctor
Seek medical advice if orange urine occurs along with these issues:
- Burning or pain during urination
- Need to urinate frequently or urgently
- Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
- Visible blood in urine
- Signs of infection like fever or chills
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
- Sudden loss of bladder control
- Kidney stone symptoms like back pain
While harmless alone, orange urine accompanied by problems like these warrants a medical evaluation. Catching infections early helps prevent complications.
Can Dehydration Concentrate Color?
Dehydration doesn't make urine more orange when taking CoQ10. In fact, dehydration tends to make urine darker yellow overall.
With dehydration, the kidneys conserve water by producing less diluted urine. This urine naturally appears darker and more concentrated.
Once rehydrated, the kidneys release excess stored water. This dilutes the urine, lightening the yellow color again. But dehydration doesn't directly make CoQ10 urine more orange.
Other Possible Causes of Orange Urine
Before blaming supplements, consider if any other medications, foods or factors could be causing orange urine. Common possible reasons besides CoQ10 include:
- Carotene-rich foods - Carrots, squash, sweet potatoes
- Vitamin C supplements
- Antibiotics - Phenazopyridine, Rifampin
- Laxatives containing Senna
- Pain relievers - Phenazopyridine, Pyridium
- Chemotherapy drugs - Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin
- Urinary tract infection
- Kidney stones or disease
- Liver problems - Cirrhosis, hepatitis
- Autoimmune disorders
- Bile duct conditions
Check with your doctor if orange urine occurs suddenly and you aren't taking CoQ10. When in doubt, it's always wise to get evaluated.
Can Hydration Level Affect Color?
Hydration level doesn't significantly alter urine color changes from CoQ10. Well-hydrated urine may appear slightly lighter orange.
However, taking CoQ10 supplements consistently maintains darkened urine regardless of hydration status. The CoQ10 pigment overpowers any diluting effect from extra fluid intake.
Drinking more water simply increases urine volume and frequency. But it won't prevent visible color changes from CoQ10 excess being excreted through kidneys.
Does pH Influence Color?
Urine pH doesn't affect expression of orange color caused by excreted CoQ10 supplements. Acidity and alkalinity levels don't alter the pigment.
However, some diseases that increase urine pH, like diabetes or kidney tubular acidosis, cause orange urine in rare cases. But this is unrelated to supplement effects.
Normal variations in pH from foods or hydration status won't intensify or diminish excreted CoQ10 pigments. The orange hue remains steady at typical pH levels of 4.5 to 8.
Fixing CoQ10 Induced Orange Urine
While not harmful, having perpetually orange urine may be dissatisfying. Luckily, a few simple strategies can help reduce unwanted color changes from CoQ10.
1. Lower the Dose
Try cutting your daily CoQ10 dose in half. Spreading intake into two smaller doses instead of one large dose may also help. This gives your body time to absorb and utilize more CoQ10 rather than rapidly excrete excess amounts.
If using very high strength supplements like 400 mg capsules, switch to a lower but still effective dose of 100 mg. More moderate daily doses get absorbed efficiently with less ending up in urine.
2. Increase Hydration
Boosting water intake helps dilute urine, making the orange tint from CoQ10 less obvious. Aim for at least eight glasses of water daily, and more if you sweat heavily.
Avoid dehydrating drinks like coffee, tea, alcohol and soda. Pure water is best for dilution. Adding lemon can help further lighten urine color.
3. Take CoQ10 Less Often
Instead of daily use, try taking CoQ10 supplements a few times a week. Allowing gaps between doses gives your kidneys a chance to clear excess pigments. This prevents buildup to brightly colored urine.
For instance, take CoQ10 just 3 or 4 days per week. Cycling on and off supplementation limits constant excretion of orange pigment in urine.
4. Take a Break
Stop taking CoQ10 supplements for a few weeks, then resume at a lower dose. This allows time for urine color to normalize completely as leftover excesses clear.
A brief hiatus prevents continual saturation of urine with orange pigment. When restarted, the color effect is lessened by spacing out smaller doses.
Talk to your doctor before stopping any supplements meant to treat a medical condition. But for general wellness, occasional breaks help minimize vibrantly-hued urine.
The Takeaway
Seeing orange or cola-colored urine after beginning CoQ10 supplements can be alarming. However, this harmless pigment effect lets you know the CoQ10 is being absorbed and properly excreted.
To limit urine color changes, stick to the recommended 100 mg to 200 mg daily dose. Divide intake into two smaller doses spaced throughout the day for better absorption. Drink plenty of water to help dilute concentration.
By fine-tuning dose and frequency, you can still gain benefits from CoQ10 while avoiding unwanted urine discoloration. But rest assured the color shift is harmless and temporary.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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