Hi, just enquiring about the use of Prednisolone and its affect on diabeties. I have been a type 2 diabetic since 2016. For the first four years I managed to control it by diet only but since I was diagnosed with PMR in August 2020 my diabetes has got worse year on year. I was initially put on Metformin only but over the past 3 years my oral drugs have been increased steadily until I was taking 3 different medications daily at the end of last year. Last December my hba1c was 76 and my diabetic nurse recommended that I start on insulin injections. She was concerned that I may develop other health issues.
I’ve now been injecting with insulin for the past two weeks. I was very upset having to change to insulin injections but fully understood the risks involved with constant high blood sugar.
My question is has anyone managed to come off insulin when their Prednisone intake lowered? I am currently trying to reduce from 9.5 mg to 8mg Pred. but it’s been an uphill struggle. Thanks, Tiggy 🌸
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Tiggy70
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I was diagnosed with steroid-induced diabetes and am currently taking Januvia (Metformin and Farxiga gave me bad side effects). I've been trying to come down from 7 megs of pred for quite awhile now. I've started one more time, and am hoping to get off medication for diabetes. So, a little different than you ... but same general idea when you think about it.
3 months after my PMR diagnosis I was diagnosed with type 2, my nurse thought steroid induced diabetes. I was on 10mg of prednisolone and having what I thought was my best day!. I was put on gliclazide so don’t know a lot about insulin apart from I know type 2s who have managed to get off it with dietary changes.
I had already read about low carb healthy fats diet so I went to that. I cut my carbs down to under 50mg and at my next review my hba1c had come down to normal levels. I was taken off gliclazide and wanting to stay off I started walking more. I kept to my diet and 6 years later I have stayed in remission. I am now on 4mg of prednisolone and it does seem easier now,
Good luck to you and I hope you can get off the insulin.
Hi Koalajane, thanks for your response. One thing being on this wonderful forum has taught me is that we are all so different. I am getting used to all the testing and insulin injections now but it was very daunting at the start. I do try to follow quite a low carb diet which has enabled me to keep off the steroid induced weight gain which was a problem for me a couple of years ago. Onwards and upwards as they say (or hopefully downwards in the case of pred!) 🌸
hi i have been a type 2 diabetic for about ten years have been on metformin for about 8 years my doctors access my condition by milly molls which up to 3 years ago was 45-46 which they counted as excellent control once i start pred for my PMR it rose to 51 and 6 months ago went up to 56 they put me on a drug called dapaglifiozin which has brought it down to 50 which is now considered acceptable, i am lucky as i seem to have now side affects but i understand that urinary tract infection can be a problem for some people
Hi, sorry my previous message had a mind of its own and went before I was ready🤪 . My Hba1c has been creeping up slowly since October 21 despite being on what the diabetic nurse calls triple therapy, Metformin, Dapagliflozin and Sitagliptin. At the end of last year it was 77 hence the need for insulin. I’m hoping that as I decrease the Pred I might be able to go off the insulin.
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