5 min readNew DelhiAug 24, 2026 09:30 AM IST
Medication can affect blood sugar in ways that are not always predictable from one person to another. A drug that has little noticeable effect on glucose levels in one individual may cause a rise or fall in another, even when they are taking the same dose. This can be particularly important for people who are monitoring their blood sugar or taking medicines for conditions that can influence glucose metabolism.
Several factors may influence how the body responds to a drug, including genetics, age, body composition, kidney and liver function, diet, other medications and a person’s underlying metabolic health. The timing of a medicine and whether it is taken with food may also matter.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.
Understanding these differences is important because a change in blood sugar after starting a medicine does not necessarily mean that the drug will affect everyone in the same way. An expert can explain why these variations occur, which types of medicines are more likely to influence glucose, and when a change in blood sugar should be discussed with a doctor.
Why can the same drug affect blood sugar differently?
Kanikka Malhotra, consultant dietician and certified diabetes educator, tells indianexpress.com, “Everybody processes medicine a little differently, and that affects blood sugar too. Some people naturally break down drugs faster or slower because of genes that control liver enzymes, so that the same pill can stay active longer in one person than another. Body fat also plays a role. People carrying more fat around the belly tend to be more resistant to insulin, so a medicine that nudges blood sugar up will push it higher in them than in someone leaner. How well your pancreas makes insulin matters too. Some people have less insulin reserve than they realise, even without a diabetes diagnosis, so their blood sugar swings more when a medicine adds stress to the system.”
Even gut bacteria can influence how a drug is absorbed, she says, and timing counts. Your body handles blood sugar differently in the morning versus the evening, so the same dose can act differently depending on when you take it.
Which medicines can change blood glucose?
Steroids, certain water pills, some antipsychotics, and beta blockers can raise blood sugar. Insulin, diabetes pills like sulfonylureas, and even some antibiotics can lower it.
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How your kidneys and liver work matters a lot, Malhotra notes, since these organs clear medicine from your body. If they work more slowly, the drug lingers longer, and its effect on blood sugar becomes stronger. Genetics can affect how much of a drug actually gets into your cells, not just how much is in your blood. “What you eat changes things too. A heavy, fatty meal can slow down digestion and shift how fast a diabetes medicine works. Taking several medicines together can also be risky, since one drug can hide the warning signs of low blood sugar caused by another. Even the time of day you take a dose, relative to meals and your body’s natural rhythms, can change how much it affects your blood sugar.”
What should you do if a new medicine changes your blood sugar?
Quick Quiz
See if you can answer this:
What should you do if a new medicine appears to change your blood sugar?
A. Stop taking the medicine immediately.
B. Ignore the changes because small fluctuations are always harmless.
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C. Track your glucose, medication timing, meals and symptoms, then share the pattern with your doctor.
D. Change the medication dose yourself based on your glucose reading.
Reveal the answer
✅ Correct answer: C
Malhotra shares that keeping a simple record of glucose readings, medication timing, meals, stress and symptoms can help a doctor identify whether a medicine is affecting blood sugar. Small day-to-day fluctuations are usually not a cause for alarm, but medical advice is important if glucose repeatedly stays above 250 mg/dL or falls below 70 mg/dL, or if symptoms such as confusion, shakiness, excessive thirst or extreme fatigue occur. Some medicines, including steroids, can raise glucose later in the day, so a normal morning reading may not show the full picture. Never stop or change a medicine dose on your own, particularly insulin or other diabetes medicines.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.
