Will fat burning cause a positive result on a drug screen?

#1

I hope this is the right place to post this.

I’ll get right to the point. I self-medicate with marijuana for anxiety, pain (fibro), and insomnia. I have to have blood drawn (for insurance reasons) next month, and I’d like to be able to test clean. What I’m wondering is, will fat burning release more THC metabolites into my bloodstream for the test to detect, or will it help flush me out more and make it easier to test clean?

I doubt there’s any studies on this, so I guess I’m looking for anecdotal evidence. Any advice is much appreciated!

(Carl Keller) #2

Curiosity led me to this:

#3

Oh wow, thanks!

(Chris) #4

I’ve tested this personally. It either varies from person to person or is outright BS.

#5

You’re saying it didn’t work for you?

(Chris) #6

Correct, multiple times. Urine was showing up dirty over 45 days past quitting. I’ve been strict keto over 2 years.

(Chris) #7

Do insurance blood tests even test for THC metabolites?

(Mark Rhodes) #8

@Dread1840 Here’s a question…If I am in Denver and imbibe and two weeks later I am tested and I am not high but only positive what am I guilty of? I am waiting for one of these to wind it’s way through the courts.

Where I used it I was legal. Where I was tested I was not.

(Chris) #9

Because it’s federally illegal and probably illegal in the state you tested for the law most likely doesn’t care. Positive is positive.

And that’s another reason why testing for it is wrong. Smoking pot 20 days ago doesn’t mean you were high when you operated a forklift at work 15 days ago.

(Mark Rhodes) #10

I don’t use but I am an advocate for it ( and more honestly). You are likely right.

(PSackmann) #11

Unfortunately, there’s not a valid test yet for determining “under the influence” as there is for alcohol. There is a breathalyzer in the works, but I haven’t seen any conclusive science that can correlate a level of metabolite with a level of impairment. Oral swabs come closer, as the THC is only picked up for a few days after usage, as opposed to the several weeks with urinalysis. I don’t know the time period for blood tests as we don’t use them at my employer.

#12

I don’t know. I don’t want to find out the hard way, KWIM? :slight_smile:

(Chris) #13

Totally!

(PSackmann) #14

Depending on how long you had been using prior to quitting (not asking), this could have been from well before the 45 days. THC metabolites tend to collect in fatty tissue and build-up over time. To the point that long-term CBD oil use can build up enough metabolites in the system to register as a positive in a lab test.

To me it makes sense, hormones that were stored in fatty tissues are released as fat is burned, why not substances imbibed decades previously as well? Eventually it will flush them out, in the meantime I don’t know if there’s any science to prove how long it will take, or when they’ll be released from the fat stores.

#15

Well that sucks. One of the linked articles said being in ketosis would actually prevent THC from being stored in fat cells, but from your experience it appears not.

OTOH, the article also said to avoid exercise as it burns fat - and therefore releases more metabolites - which would seem to uphold my concern that I was making it worse by fasting.

Oh well, crossing fingers. Whatever happens, happens.

#16

I’ve only been smoking for two years, but I’m at my lowest weight in 12 years. Don’t know if that will help or not. I’m hoping the newer fat cells are burned before the older ones, although that’s probably too much to hope for. We shall see!

(PSackmann) #17

Good luck Sharon, at least it’s for insurance and not a pre-employment or random.

(Full Metal KETO AF) #18

The irony with drug testing is that opiates, methamphetamine, cocaine and pretty much all narcotic drugs flush from your system in three days unless it’s something with a long half life like methadone or suboxin.

THC which is pretty harmless is stored in the fat and can take up to three months to test clean for some people. So the narcotic user can get away with using if they know when a test is coming.

However I have a menopausal girlfriend who’s an RN and uses cannabis to control hot flashes. She has passed the test using a detox product and drinking plenty of water to flush her system for a few days and tested clean after daily use of cannabis. They also have a fluid that mimics urine composition chemically so the labs don’t detect watered down urine. Unless you have to pee in front of someone watching you can put about 80% of the fluid and just pee a little in the cup for color. Kind of sneaky and deceptive but sometimes you have to take measures to get around an unjust law. Just my opinion. :cowboy_hat_face:

#19

I did actually buy a cleanse, but my fear is that ketosis will confound it. (Am I using “confound” properly here?) Anyway, you know what I mean. I’m also taking a cranberry extract supplement and drinking a ton of water. I read that eating extra carbs the day of the blood draw/urine test will help slow the detoxing process and keep metabolites from releasing.

Can I ask what the brand of cleanse is that your gf uses?

(Ketoviking) #20

We had this conversation the other day. I was recently vacationing in a state where it is now legal. I did not partake as it is against the policy of my employer. However I thought to myself how that be scrutinized while partaking of the herb in a legal manner, in a legal area and be punished for it at another time and place. I’m with you it won’t be long before one of these hits the courts.