Corticosteroid Hyperglycemia: What It Is and How It Affects Blood Sugar

When you take corticosteroid hyperglycemia, a rise in blood sugar caused by steroid medications like prednisone or dexamethasone. It's not diabetes, but it acts like it—often temporarily, but sometimes long enough to cause real problems. This isn’t rare. If you’re on steroids for asthma, arthritis, or an autoimmune flare, your blood sugar can climb fast—even if you’ve never had diabetes before.

Why does this happen? corticosteroids, powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that mimic cortisol, the body’s natural stress hormone. Also known as glucocorticoids, they tell your liver to pump out more glucose while making your muscles and fat cells less responsive to insulin. The result? Sugar piles up in your blood. It’s not your fault. It’s not your diet. It’s the medicine doing its job too well.

This isn’t just about numbers on a meter. People with steroid-induced diabetes, a temporary form of high blood sugar triggered by steroid use can feel exhausted, thirsty, or need to pee more. In older adults or those with prediabetes, these spikes can lead to hospital visits or even long-term damage if ignored. And yes—some people stay on steroids for months or years. That’s when the risk of permanent insulin resistance grows.

Doctors don’t just shrug and say, "It’s the steroids." They watch. They test. They adjust. Sometimes they lower the steroid dose. Sometimes they add metformin. Sometimes they switch to a different anti-inflammatory altogether. It’s not one-size-fits-all. Your kidney function, your weight, your age—all matter. And if you’re on high doses or long-term therapy, your doctor should be checking your blood sugar regularly.

What you’ll find below are real, practical posts that dig into how this plays out in clinics, at home, and in the pharmacy. You’ll see how metformin helps—or doesn’t—when steroids are in the picture. You’ll learn why some people get away with just diet changes, while others need insulin. You’ll read about how to spot the signs before your sugar hits danger levels. And you’ll find out which other drugs can make this worse—like antipsychotics or certain diuretics—that your doctor might not mention unless you ask.

This isn’t theoretical. People are managing this every day. You’re not alone. And the information you need to stay safe is right here.