Hello, I have type I diabetes. Neurologist prescribed me m.in. Pabi-Dexamethason in the context of fibular nerve paralysis. The treatment lasted 8 days (dosage descending 4-3-2-1mg / day) - the only "result" were problems with glycemic control (practical lack of reaction to insulin) and this lasts more than a week after the end of the treatment. Is this normal and how long can it take?
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Małgorzata Bekier Pharmacist
2 years ago
Unfortunately, in people with diabetes, the use of glucocorticosteroids, i.e. m.in of the drug you used, may result in difficulty in controlling glycemia and a greater need for insulin. The biological half-life of this drug is from 36 to 54 hours. It is generally accepted that in order to recognize when the drug is no longer in the body, 5 half-lives from the end of the treatment are needed, i.e. in this case this effect should disappear after 7.5 days (35 x 5 / 24h) or after 11.25 (54 x 5 / 24h) days. According to what you described - soon the effect caused by the drug should disappear. However, I am not able to determine whether and for how long some resistance to previous doses (not related to the effect of the drug) may persist. If you have been suffering from type 1 diabetes for a long time, you are probably aware that blood sugar levels can basically affect anything. It is worth observing whether physical exercise (when it is already possible) improves insulin sensitivity. With a cold, the resistance to insulin may also be greater. Very often it happens that after a situation that required an increase in insulin doses, the body "returns to itself" for quite a long time and the need for insulin is much greater until we manage to reach the correct values. When administering corrective doses, of course, it is worth being careful and monitoring sugar more often (also if you use FGM / CGM systems), so as not to lead to severe hypoglycemia. Of course, if the glycemic values are unmanageable and begin to be dangerous - high levels persist for a very long time or nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, thirst, abdominal pain appear - it is worth doing a test for ketones in the urine (strips can be purchased at the pharmacy) or contact a diabetologist.