High Blood Sugar and Prednisone

I'm 21, and have lupus and have been treated with prednisone for the past year in varying dosages from 5 to 40mg. Well, my doctor called and said my blood sugar was high last time they tested it. It was 119. I've had other readings that have been 128, 109 etc. This has been about 6 hours after a light meal. She wants me to come in to do an H1ac. I'm doing that on wednesday. I'm worried about having to take more medicine. If my blood sugar is still in the 100s after 6 hours what would it be like right after a meal? My blood sugar used to be around 70-80 on a consistant basis with a really good 4. something H1ac before the prednisone.
Thanks,
Julia

Prednisone will raise your blood sugar levels. It sends mine through the roof and only a last ditch effort when my Crohns flares.

I did my H1ac yesterday and it was 4.8% so all is well!
Julia

Have taken prednisone many times, blood sugar is 399 before lunch. I do not remember it ever being quite that high..Have many medical problems taking it this time for copd, post nerve block, intubation with surgery o2 stats not good one month later. Oxygen raised from 2 litres to 3. Need advice as to how high blood sugar can get before needing to worry. Diet controlled diabetes, been off meds for 10 years, BS usually runs 90-120 before meals, cleaned machine, still 399. Could someone who has this problem help me..put calls out to two of my doctors, earlier...thanks so very much!!!!! I am 59.

COPD
Diabetes
malabsorption
Acid reflux
colitis
C-1 thru T12 injury, crushed vertebrae disc etc

approx 12 meds, 4 inhalers, nebulizer, Cont. oxygen,

Post Edited (Trying to get it right) : 4/5/2012 1:36:26 PM (GMT-6)

SteveK

Try testing one hour and two hours after your meal to see where your bg is. 6 hours is too long to go without eating anything. If your #s are high, you may want to look at how many carbs that meal contained, and adjust it.

I was on prednisone, nasty drug. I am a Type II diabetic.

Have you ever considered LDN? I originally came to this post through the Ulcerative Colitis Forum. You can read my post "Ulcerative Colitis in Remission" where I describe being on prednisone at on time.

LDN has been shown to be effective for some with Lupus.

I also just posted this to share with a newbie that recently posted about diabetes...

"Worried girl,

I have never posted on the diabetes forum as Ulcerative Colitis was my original connection with this forum.

Long story short. Had an intense fever over Christmas a few years ago, lasted a week. A few days after the fever subsided I was still feeling bad. Prior to this I had been passing blood daily with the urgency that accompanies UC and was scheduled for as colonoscopy the first week of January.

Went to my doctors office to see why I might still be feeling so bad. They tested my sugar and ordered me to go immediately to the hospital. My blood sugar was 612.

I had my wife stop at the local favorite Mexican food restaurant for one last meal, I am an idiot at times.

I was also read the 'riot act' at the hospital, dietician etc. I took it all to heart immediately. I am an idiot but I eventually can catch on with the 2x4. After eating broth for 2.5 days my sugar levels came down, with the assistance of insulin. I still remember the ecstasy of tasting a small amount of delved out, regimented solid food.

Within 2 days of getting out of the hospital I stopped taking the insulin. I told myself I was going to get medicine free. Within one month I was off of the Metformin they had prescribed and drug free and have been so ever since.

I was pricking myself probably 30 times a day for weeks initially. I wanted to know what everything was doing to me. Food exercise etc. I started keeping a diary of what I ate and my reactions (numbers). Started losing weight. Part of my weight loss was due to the UC, which was identified while I was in the hospital for the diabetes, but that is another story you can find on my post "Ulcerative Colitis in Remission" under the UC forum.

My Dr. gave me a book called the "GI Diet". It helped to educate me on the proper way to look at food and to combine my foods. The goal being to manufacture fuel i.e. sugar, that was of a high quality and easily assimilated into the body.

The hard thing to do is to eat properly 5 times per day. When you eat like this you are never hungry but have to force yourself to eat. The Zone diet is another one that speaks to the chemistry of diabetes.

I hardly ever prick myself anymore as I am consistently staying around 100.

I started with an A1C around 11. The goal was initially to get me under 7. Two days ago I was tested at 5.9. My Dr. said that with what I am doing combined with my exercise that he is expecting me to be at 5.2 when I am next tested.

I was blessed with diabetes a little over 2 years ago now. It is work to get things under control, do not kid yourself. This is serious stuff, but if you work at it as though your life and quality of life depends on your ability to persevere then you will be successful. Success breeds feeling good about yourself as well as the obvious. Once you establish good habits they become natural.

Keep up the forward motion."

Anyway there is some good information available for LDN.

I took 60mg prednisone 3 days and 40mg 3 days and 20mg three days etc. Because of an inflammation in my eye. My god...my blood sugar rose to 500. I felt dried mouth week muscles and weight lost during this time even before going further low on prednisone. My doctor did not give me any warning about this. I am trying to bring my sugar level down now and hope I will recover and normal. Please be very careful when you take this medicine. I dont want this thing happen to anyone. This is a near death experience. Dont wait go emergency if this happen to you.

Count your blessings in that your blood sugar levels are, in the overall scheme of things, relatively low. Working closely in conjunction with my GI and regular doctors (and I mean I basically live in their offices lately, contributing greatly to the general economy and their retirement funds), my blood sugars are still way high (sometimes 300s to 500s). My body seems to tolerate all this mess fairly well, all things considered, though I'm certain it's just all killing me slowly.