Gca

[Stradbroke13]

Hi ,I'm not having much luck with my consultant .he has put me down to 30mg a day now ,I'm struggling with side effects still but dont know if it the reduced steroids or blood sugar .approx 3 hours after taking prednisolone ,I get very hot face & neck ,jittery feelings in hand & chest & pins & needles in hands ,feet & face . Gp has put me on metformin twice a day .readings have come down morning & night a bit ,but still between 17 & 25 in afternoon until about 11pm at night ,even though take prednisolone at 9am .Thankyou in advance Tracey

[SnazzyD]

I used to get these symptoms when Pred got into my system for about 2 hours. I know it wasn’t due to blood sugar because monitored it with a glucometer and it was normal.

[piglette]

The hot feeling in the face because of the pred is horrible. It does improve at lower doses though.

[Hidden]

Are you taking the metformin at meal times? At first I was on 2x500mg is that your current starter dose? If you are taking reading 2 hours or more after eating it will be high, especially if the food is high carb like a sandwich or fruit. An apple can shoot mine up sometimes. Areyor carbs low enough?

You need to have metformin within 30mins of your meals. It is there to stop your liver releasing sugars and to try and use some of the insulin you produce. You could ask for 2x500mg twice a day at meal times if you need it. I was taki g full dosage sometimes. The pred spikes are random. It's not like you take it and it spikes. It give you a poke when it feels like it I believe. Happy to. Be corrected.

[Stradbroke13]

I'm on low carb , taking metformin twice a day with food, test blood sugar about 4hrs after meals .what is bothering me the most is the prickly feeling in my face esp nose ,mouth & chin & the hot feeling in my face & neck .my highest blood sugar level is always before teatime , usually around 20 to 25 & the prickly feeling last the longest until around 11pm or later ( it's like when been to dentist & numbness wearing off ) .

[Hidden in reply to Stradbroke13]

If you are hitting the 20s before a meal you need to get referred to the diabetes clinic. That is far too high and needs to be brought down significantly.

[Stradbroke13 in reply to Hidden]

Hi I've got a appointment at diabetes clinic on Friday so hoping they can help .

[Hidden in reply to Stradbroke13]

Good. You may need meds whilst on pred. Let us know what happens. 🌻

[Stradbroke13]

Before prednisolone I had just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but no medication was needed for it .

[Devoid]

Hi I have really struggled with the side effects of the steroids but have found a big difference by taking them in the early hours, don’t set an alarm just have a squeezed yoghurt in a cool bag. It usually coincides that I’m up to the bathroom then yoghurt, steroids, back to sleep, sometimes I can’t get straight off but still feel loads better than when I had them at 9am. I found the shakes knocked my confidence for the whole day and everything seemed to exhaust me more. Hope this helps

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Several people find that taking their pred at night reduces the effects like that.