Glucose monitoring while on IV steroids?

I'm in the hospital and started IV Solu-medrol yesterday. They have been testing my glucose throughout the day because of the potential for high blood sugars while on steroids. My concern is that yesterday I had two higher tests and was told they weren't near the amount needed to require insulin but today I had an even lower result but this shift insisted it required insulin. I'm really frustrated by the inconsistency and I know nothing about insulin but presumably I don't want to take it if I don't need to. Is glucose testing standard while on IV steroids? Any idea at what level insulin would be required? Thanks!

We take steroids because they have an anti-inflammatory and immune suppressing properties, however that is only one of their many effects on the body. Steroids mimic cortisol, a fight or flight chemical naturally produced by the body. They produce glucose, a sugar to give your muscles energy to run and your brain power to think your way out of a dangerous situation. In fact, another name for corticosteroids is glucocorticoids in honor of the powerful effect they have on glucose metabolism.

High doses of steroids cause the body to produce high levels of glucose. These high glucose levels impair your body's natural ability to produce insulin, leading potentially to glucose toxicity when it cannot be cleared. Insulin is needed to clear the glucose from your body, so they might have to add insulin based on your numbers.

It's normal to monitor glucose level. They prob have a sliding scale order based on your results and won't treat it until it's greater than 180-200ish depending on how aggressive your doc or hospital guidelines want to be.