I hope your doc told you that elevated blood sugar is a common side effect of long-term steroid use.
Glucocorticoids (like cortisol/hydrocortisone, prednisone, prednisolone, methylprenisolone) are named after this effect, one of their primary jobs in the body: to raise blood sugar levels during the "fight or flight" response so that plenty of fuel is available to fight or flight with.
The
many side effects of steroids are basically why NSAIDS (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, like Tylenol, Advil, Aleve) were invented. Their primary virtue being that they are
Not
Steroids, and thus avoid their side effects. For short-term/emergency anti-inflammatory effects, nothing in conventional medicine beats steroids*, but because they essentially shut down your body's self-maintenance, they tend to be Very Bad for long-term use.
(Interestingly, ascorbate tends to counteract most steroid side effects.)
*Any docs here that have used it, how does IVC measure up against steroids for emergency anti-inflammatory effect?