I know the steroid injections I receive on a monthly basis for “bulging” disks in my back raise my blood sugar for a couple of days, and I’m trying to determine if any other medications can have this kind of effect so I’ll be better prepared in the future. What prescription drugs can elevate blood glucose levels?

They may be too numerous to mention. Perhaps searching a site like Drugs.com (use their “drug interaction” section) might yield your answer.

I think that we can safely say that commonly used drugs such as bronchodilators (for asthma) and some diuretics (for heart failure and hypertension) can lead to higher blood sugar readings. Other medicines, especially some psychiatric medications, can lead to increased appetite and weight gain and then, indirectly lead to higher glucose readings in people who may have insulin resistance. Other hormones besides corticosteroids that can increase glucose include growth hormone, somatostatin, epinephrine (adrenaline), and others. However, while these hormones and medicines may lead to higher glucose readings, they do not cause diabetes, per se.

DS