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Steroid Induced Diabetes

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Tickledpinknot

Tickledpinknot

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Diagnosed diabetic February 2018, just as my whole brain radiotherapy treatment started. I’ve had better days! Eleven years of cancer treatment has taken its toll on my poor pancreas obviously. Anyone else steroid induced and still on chemo?
 
Sorry no help with steroids or chemo - but just wanted to wish you a warm welcome to the forum. Sounds like a rough ride - lots of friendly support here 🙂
 
stephknits said:
Sorry no help with steroids or chemo - but just wanted to wish you a warm welcome to the forum. Sounds like a rough ride - lots of friendly support here 🙂
Click to expand...
Thanks, it seems the steroid diabetic community is in the minority.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have had quite a difficult time, so glad you have found us. Although steroids are a very effective treatment for many conditions, they may cause side affects including diabetes. It sounds like you have had large doses of steroids for treatment which can pose an increased risk. Are you currently managing your diabetes with medication? Insulin, or tablets?
Have you had much support or information from your healthcare team regarding your situation? In some cases, diabetes can stop when steroid therapy is stopped, however, in other cases you may need to continue diabetes management indefinitely. It also may be that you had a predisposition to the condition already and steroids speeded this up, or it could be that with such large doses, it was too much as you say, for your pancreas.

How are you managing with your current chemo treatment alongside diabetes?

Pleased that you have found this forum and hopefully someone else who has had a similar experience will be able to share some insight with you. 🙂
 
I have had steroids before but already had diabetes and about to have more steroids injected into my spine. With me any meds that have steroids in them send my levels rocketing. Think its going to be an interesting time when they inject the steroids to see how high my levels will go. From my experience they do have an effect on the pancreas and with me and when I have stopped taking them mine has recovered.
 
Hannah DUK said:
Hello and welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have had quite a difficult time, so glad you have found us. Although steroids are a very effective treatment for many conditions, they may cause side affects including diabetes. It sounds like you have had large doses of steroids for treatment which can pose an increased risk. Are you currently managing your diabetes with medication? Insulin, or tablets?
Have you had much support or information from your healthcare team regarding your situation? In some cases, diabetes can stop when steroid therapy is stopped, however, in other cases you may need to continue diabetes management indefinitely. It also may be that you had a predisposition to the condition already and steroids speeded this up, or it could be that with such large doses, it was too much as you say, for your pancreas.

How are you managing with your current chemo treatment alongside diabetes?

Pleased that you have found this forum and hopefully someone else who has had a similar experience will be able to share some insight with you. 🙂
Click to expand...
Diagnosed with primary breast cancer 11 years ago and had various treatments involving steroids, no diabetic symptoms. Cancer spread 2014 to lungs and brain, more chemo and steroids, still no diabetic symptoms until autumn 2017. Brain radiotherapy in February required lots of steroids so insulin started in March. I will be having chemo for life now and my cycle involves 2 weeks of treatment and 1 week off. I receive IV steroids with my chemo and have tablets for 3 days after. My Oncologist is amazing and has let me try reducing steroids to the minimum (I should be having 3 x 2mg for 3 days after but am managing with just 1 x tablet for the 3 days). The Community Diabetic Nurse is also very supportive and liaises with the Diabetic Consultant for me. There is a pattern emerging now so I am prepared for the occasional 30+, usually on the 2nd week of treatment. The worst feeling though is the morning of chemo, fasting BG of 6, knowing in the afternoon I will get IV steroids and finish the day on Hi. The challenge is to juggle everything and have a compromise and retain a reasonable quality of life.
 
Sorry to hear about your health issues. I know of someone who became - and still is - diabetic through steroids, although he was taking them for another reason. He had an operation on his spine that went wrong and woke up to being completely paralysed. He was put on steroids and his blood glucose rose. I do not know whether he is still on steroids but he does now have type 2 diabetes whereas he did not before.
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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