Anthony Ofori | Medical Graduate in General Medicine | Founder, WellNest Central
Last updated: October 13, 2026
This article provides general health education for adults and does not replace individual medical advice.
You start a steroid medicine for inflammation, then notice that your glucose readings are higher than usual. The change can be confusing, especially if you have been eating less because you are unwell.
Medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone, and dexamethasone can raise blood glucose. They can worsen existing diabetes or reveal high glucose in someone who has never been diagnosed with it.
That does not mean you should stop a necessary medicine. It means steroids and blood sugar should be discussed together, with a plan for monitoring, responding to high readings, and reviewing treatment when the steroid dose changes.
Which kind of steroids are we talking about?
Here, “steroids” means corticosteroid medicines used for conditions such as inflammatory disease, certain breathing problems, and some cancer treatments. They are different from anabolic steroids used for muscle building.
The effect on glucose depends on the medicine, dose, route, schedule, and individual circumstances. Tablets and intravenous treatment are common concerns, but some injections can also affect readings. Do not assume that every cream, inhaler, or short course has the same risk.
Diabetes UK explains steroid-induced diabetes, including why steroids can interfere with insulin’s action and increase glucose production. Your prescriber can explain how relevant that risk is for your particular treatment.
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Why can glucose rise even if you eat less?
Blood glucose does not come only from the last meal. The body also releases stored fuel and makes glucose, while insulin helps regulate how it is used. Steroid treatment can shift that balance.
The illness being treated can also influence glucose. This is why a rise during treatment should be interpreted with the medicine schedule and the wider clinical picture, rather than blamed automatically on one food.
Our explanation of blood sugar rising during illness provides useful background. The practical question is what action your team wants you to take for a repeated high reading, not whether you can prove the rise came from medicine or illness alone.
Why might morning readings look reassuring?
The glucose pattern can depend on when and how the steroid is taken. With some morning steroid regimens, later-day readings may show more of the effect than fasting glucose does. Longer-acting medicines or multiple daily doses can produce a different pattern.
The American Diabetes Association’s guidance on hospital diabetes care discusses matching glucose treatment to steroid timing and duration. Those specialist treatment approaches are not instructions to calculate or change your own insulin dose.
Ask when to check, rather than assuming a normal breakfast-time result answers the whole question. A monitoring schedule should fit your treatment and risk, not simply copy somebody else’s routine.
What should you ask before the first dose?
If you have diabetes, prediabetes, or previous high glucose with steroids, tell the prescriber. Bring an updated medicine list and describe how you currently monitor your glucose.
Ask these questions:
- Do I need glucose monitoring during this course?
- At what times should I check, and for how long?
- Which readings mean I should contact the team?
- Who should I contact outside normal hours?
- Will my diabetes treatment need a temporary change?
If the medicine has already started, it is still worth asking. You do not need to wait for the next routine diabetes appointment to request a monitoring plan.
What should you record during treatment?
Keep the record simple enough to maintain. Note the steroid name, dose, time taken, glucose results, and any symptoms. Include major changes in eating, activity, or other medicines.
A useful entry links the reading to the treatment: “Second day of prescribed morning steroid; checked before evening meal.” Add the actual value. A list of numbers without dates or timing is harder to interpret.
If home results appear inconsistent, confirm you are using your meter correctly. Our article on false high readings from fruit on your fingers explains one avoidable measurement problem. A technique check should not become a reason to dismiss repeated highs.
Do not stop the steroid or improvise an insulin change
Steroid treatment may be controlling an important condition. Some courses also require a planned reduction rather than sudden discontinuation. The MedlinePlus prednisone medicine guide warns against stopping without discussing it with the prescriber.
Contact your team if glucose rises. They may adjust diabetes treatment, advise more monitoring, or review the steroid plan. The appropriate response depends on the person and the reason for treatment.
Borrowing someone else’s insulin, doubling medication, or skipping the steroid can create additional risks. If you were given a written adjustment plan, follow that plan and clarify anything you do not understand.
What happens when the steroid dose falls?
Glucose may improve as the dose is reduced or treatment ends. If glucose-lowering medicines were increased temporarily, the plan may need to change again to avoid lows.
Before the final dose or a taper step, ask who will review your readings and when. Do not assume that the dose needed during treatment remains appropriate afterward.
In some people, elevated glucose persists after steroids finish. Follow-up testing can help determine whether further assessment or ongoing treatment is needed. An improvement after stopping steroids is reassuring, but it should not replace the agreed review.
When should you seek urgent help?
Contact your healthcare team promptly for repeated readings above the action threshold they gave you, or new marked thirst, frequent urination, and blurred vision. If you have diabetes, follow your sick-day and ketone-testing instructions when applicable.
Vomiting, abdominal pain, deep or rapid breathing, severe drowsiness, confusion, or inability to keep fluids down can indicate an emergency. Seek urgent medical care rather than waiting to see whether the next steroid dose changes the pattern.
Steroids and blood sugar can be managed together. A clear monitoring and follow-up plan helps you receive the treatment you need while responding early to glucose changes.
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