Predinisone is NOT good for diabetics!

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Permalink Reply by Dave   _ on September 9, 2009 at 8:17am

Whenever I've had a steroid shot or taken Pred, my insulin effectively becomes water and no matter how much I take, my bg's remain over 200. Like I said my TDD went to 300% and I still couldn't get my bg's down. We are all different--my wife can tolerate steroid shots with just a TINY increase in her bg's for just 1-2 days. (she is a fellow pumper, btw...)

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Permalink Reply by Maureen on September 11, 2009 at 7:05am

You are fortunate that you had pneumonia...unfortunately, I have severe copd so I have to have prednizone and solumedrol often. It cant be blanket advise for no prednizone if you have diabetes...In my case, the alternative is a permanent good-bye. I have been on & off prednizone for 5 years and my sugars get in the 400 and 550's sometimes over 600, but you have to deal with it...I take LOTS of insulin when I am on it. the best luck I have had is the last 2 times around when I set my meter at 4 units per hr and 25 units with main meals...it is a lot, but it worked and the lung infection cleared up faster by keeping the bs down. Even if I don't take the prednizone I know not only by the shortness of breath, but my sugars climb with an infection. also, watch the levaquin...problems with bone loss if you take it too often...my dr switched my antibiotic.

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Permalink Reply by ErinArg on September 11, 2009 at 7:15am

Maureen-
I didn't know about the Levaquin. Thankfully I'm off everything now. I'm sorry to hear about your COPD. They asked me in the ER if I had that and I was thankful that I could say no. I know that prednisone is a good "drug" for infections. My doctor did say the same thing, but I truly believe that diabetics do heal much faster when they are able to take medicines that do not adversely effect their blood sugars. As you said, your "lung infection cleared up faster by keeping the bs down". The high blood sugars I had on the prednisone totally delayed the healing process for me. But, we do what we have to do.

I do not advise for someone such as yourself to not take your prednisone. If my subject line was read as blanket advise, please disregard. I just strongly believe that doctors should work harder to prescribe medicines that do not effect the blood sugars.

I hope you are well and breathing well!
E

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Permalink Reply by Mike Porter on November 23, 2009 at 2:43pm

Hi guys, Yes Prednisalone is an extremly effective drug for chest viruses as it calms down all the cells and prevents them from closing. Unfortunately it also suppresses Insulin action as a result meaning you would probably need 100% increase in your basal Insulin while you take the drug. As the dose is scaled down then you would scale down your Insulin requirements! I know how much of a shock it is when you take a drug that is very good at addressing the imediate issue but then creates another, but hope fully your educator /Endocrinologist would have given you a titration scale to help you through. Yes the healing process is dependent on your BGL's being controlled... Unfortunately Prednisalone is the best attack for lung infections because this will prevent cardiac stress and help with the oxygen exchange, the question should be is there a good regime for Diabetics regarding insulin dosing when prescribed the drug! By the way Glad to hear you are well again.

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Permalink Reply by ErinArg on September 11, 2009 at 7:17am

Maureen-
I do have one question. How can you say I was fortunate to have had pneumonia? Pneumonia kills many people. I do not think I was fortunate at all and wonder what you meant by that?

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Permalink Reply by Maureen on September 12, 2009 at 6:14am

Oh, my, I meant nothing by it except that I sure said that wrong & I apologize. What I meant was that pneumonia usually responds to antibiotics that don't have the long term effects. I surely did not mean to imply that it was nothing. but pneumonia that is a mrsa...that is the really bad one. It is a staff infection that is resistant to most antibiotics and very hard to get rid of. It means 10 days in the hospital (by today's standards of the revolving door) on very very strong antibiotic iv. It is very very prevailant in nursing homes and hospitals. that is the reason they have those alcohol hand washer dispensers ....please folks, use them going in and leaving rooms....and dont touch the walls or those hand rails along the walls. Did you know THE most infectious thing in a patient's room is the tv remote control and the bed control? I got diabetes from the mrsa because of the drugs I had to take. Little did I know all I had to do was use those stupid alcohol dispensers coming and going ....but on the bright side, I am alive, dealing with the diabetes and the prednizone. I am truly sorry if I offended you, I did not intend to.

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Permalink Reply by Dave   _ on September 12, 2009 at 10:41am

Not to worry (from another reader's viewpoint), I knew what you meant by "lucky". :)

Sort of like when you hear of someone in a bad car accident, and they come through virtually unscathed...

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Permalink Reply by ErinArg on September 12, 2009 at 2:29pm

I wasn't offended, just did not quite understand what she meant by 'fortunate". I am glad it was not mrsa or something worse. My lungs are not 100% now, but I'm improving.

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Permalink Reply by Dave   _ on September 12, 2009 at 2:33pm

Glad you are on the mend. I had pneumonia in basic training (air force) back in 1968. It took 3 trips to the ER over the course of a week or more, before the idiot doctors realized I was in serious trouble. They hospitalized me for a week. I snapped back pretty quickly, due I suppose, to my young age.

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Permalink Reply by John Welker on November 23, 2009 at 2:06pm

If you need to go on prednisone then you will need to increase insulin. Everyone is different. In my case, I bumped up the the dose about 50%. Don't know why Pred has this effect on nearly all diabetes. Maybe it increases ones insulin resistance so that in addition to having type 1 the Pred gives you a case of type2 as well.

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