pee smells sweet

For the past week I have noticed a distinct change in the odor of my urine. It has an intensely sweet smell. I have a slight pressure in my lower back, but nothing to complain about. I looked it up online and the most common diagnosis pointed to type II diabetes. I am 29, about 30 lbs overweight, and have never had this problem before; however, my grandfather and his siblings developed diabetes late in life and needed regular insulin shots. I stay well-hydrated. I am also on medications for depression, anxiety, and insomnia, but this is not a common symptom for these medications. In addition, I have been on them for over a year. I have also just suffered the loss of a loved one. I live abroad and have done a lot of traveling because of that and am dealing with jet lag. I am feeling like a hypochondriac, but I can't deny that the smell has drastically changed. Is this something I should worry about?

[Anita Ramsetty, MD]

Hi,
A sweet smell to the urine could be a sign of ketones in the urine, which occurs with very high blood sugars. However change in urine odor can also come from many different things including urine infections, dietary changes and medications.
Given that diabetes is your main concern, you should make an appointment to be checked out by your doctor as soon as possible, and if not available then try to be seen in an urgent care clinic. You can, in the meantime if you wish, purchase urine ketone sticks and a glucose meter from your local pharmacy and check on your own. If the urine sticks are positive and your glucose levels are high, it strongly suggests diabetes, but you may still need confirmatory testing from your doctor. Please contact him/her as soon as possible. And do stay hydrated with water .
Take care

[suggadaddy]

i will let the doctor answer in detail, but my first thoughts are to get you to check your urine glucose levels (fasting of at least 8-12 hours, first urine, mid-stream) to begin with.

if the BG level is disturbingly high, ketones can be passed out through the urine giving it a fruity odor. but even a strict, measly diet can do the same.

so the first step is to check your BG levels (fasting and post-prandial) and Urine glucose levels (fasting).

[Geofire223]

A related discussion, The Pancreas and Diabetes was started.