ketones and drug testing question

[ceccia]

so management apparently thinks now is a great time to randomly make people take urine drug tests. i don't take drugs, but one of my co-workers told me that if large amounts of ketones are in my urine sample it will look as if i've been drinking alcohol on the job.

that doesn't make sense imho. there are so many other reasons why someone might have elevated ketone levels - diabetes, or a ketogenic /low carb diet (this is why i was wondering out loud about what happens if they test and find high ketone levels; i've been doing

so i wanted to ask, is this a real thing? would they really accuse me of drinking at work because of elevated ketone levels in a urine test?

[mhy12784]

Its only Wikipedia, but I think this adequately answers your question

There are two major causes of ketoacidosis:

• Most commonly, ketoacidosis is diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), resulting from increased fat metabolism due to a shortage of insulin. It is associated primarily with type I diabetes, and may result in a diabetic coma if left untreated.^[12]
  

• Alcoholic ketoacidosis (AKA) presents infrequently, but can occur with acute alcohol intoxication, most often following a binge in alcoholics with acute or chronic liver or pancreatic disorders. Alcoholic ketoacidosis occurs more frequently following methanol or ethylene glycol intoxication than following intoxication with uncontaminatedethanol.^[13]
  

A mild acidosis may result from prolonged fasting or when following a ketogenic diet or a very low calorie diet.^[14][15]

Basically I wouldnt be concerned in the slightest bit

Then again when I got my first nursing job, one of the of the urine tests they gave me came back "very low" for opiods or something from poppy seeds. They said it clearly wasnt high enough to suspect that I was taking anything, but still asked me if I was taking morphine or something.

I wouldnt worry

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

i doubt the facility would go to the trouble and expense of having a test that would yield "false" results (non-alcoholic related).

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

The presence of ketones in one's urine is not, in and of itself, indicative of alcohol use. As you said, any number of things can cause ketonuria.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Not only that, but if they're doing a drug test, they're not doing a UA (which is where ketones would be picked up), they're doing a drug screen. Totally different test.