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Multiple sclerosis (MS) and its treatments can sometimes affect glucose (blood sugar) levels, causing them to soar too high or dip too low. The opposite is true as well — high sugar consumption can make MS symptoms and disability levels worse.
If your glucose levels are abnormal, you may need to work with your doctor to help treat the issue. High or low blood sugar levels can lead to more health problems. Elevated glucose levels may also be a sign of diabetes.
Keep reading to learn more about how blood glucose and MS can be related.
Many members of MyMSTeam have experienced blood sugar problems. Their comments include the following:
Your levels of blood sugar are affected by what you eat — in particular, foods that contain carbohydrates. Many types of foods contain carbohydrates, including:
When you eat these foods, your body breaks down the carbohydrate molecules into sugar.
Your blood absorbs the sugar that you digest and carries it all around the body to different tissues, like organs and muscles. Cells take sugar from the blood and transform it into energy.
Having some sugar in the blood helps your body properly function. However, problems arise when blood glucose levels become too high or too low.
Your blood glucose levels rise after eating. Typically, this tells your pancreas that it’s time to make more insulin — a hormone that helps cells absorb sugar from the blood. As your cells use this fuel, your blood sugar levels decrease.
In some cases, the pancreas can’t make or use insulin properly. This means that the sugar doesn’t enter the tissues — it remains in the blood, leading to high blood sugar levels. This condition is called hyperglycemia. You have hyperglycemia if:
If doctors confirm that you have hyperglycemia, you may have diabetes (also called diabetes mellitus). If left untreated, hyperglycemia and diabetes can damage multiple tissues and organs, such as the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels. You may also develop wounds that won’t heal and have a higher risk of heart attack or stroke.
Your body has several ways of making sure your blood sugar levels don’t drop too low. Your liver is a main storage area for excess glucose and can release it into the blood when needed. A hormone called glucagon tells the liver when to release stored sugar.
Certain medications or health conditions can interfere with these processes, causing blood glucose levels to drop too low. Hypoglycemia when your blood sugar levels fall below 70 milligrams per deciliter.
Hypoglycemia can make you feel weak or dizzy. You might be more likely to fall or get into an accident. In serious cases, low blood sugar levels can cause you to have a seizure, pass out, or even die. Dizzy spells may also accompany MS.
“Since I was in my teens, my blood sugar levels would run low, but now it drops fast and can get dangerously low in a short time,” one MyMSTeam member said.
If you’re living with MS, a few different factors may affect how your body uses glucose. Abnormal blood sugar levels can be a result of the disease itself. Certain drugs for MS may also lead to high or low blood glucose levels. Some changes in your blood sugar levels may occur as a result of factors unrelated to MS.
Some studies show that people with MS are more likely to develop insulin resistance, a condition in which cells can’t properly use insulin and don’t absorb sugar from the blood. If left untreated, insulin resistance can lead to high blood glucose levels and, eventually, type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a condition characterized by ongoing high blood sugar levels and the body’s inability to make or use insulin.
It’s not fully clear why MS can change how the body uses sugar. Lifestyle factors may play a role. For example, people with MS may have a hard time being physically active, and a sedentary lifestyle is a diabetes risk factor. Other conditions that can increase diabetes risk include hypertension (high blood pressure) and obesity.
There are also other links between diabetes and MS. Type 1 diabetes, a form that’s often diagnosed in children and teens, is an autoimmune disease, like MS. Having type 1 diabetes makes you three times more likely to develop MS. Additionally, certain diabetes drugs may help treat MS. Researchers don’t yet fully understand the link between blood sugar and multiple sclerosis, but studies are ongoing.
Quite a few MyMSTeam members have reported living with both MS and diabetes, noting:
Some MS treatments may also lead to blood sugar problems. Dimethyl fumarate, a treatment for relapsing-remitting MS, may lead to high blood sugar levels in some people.
Several MyMSTeam members have discussed this drug’s effect on their blood sugar levels. Here are some of their comments:
High blood glucose levels are also a common side effect of steroids, which are anti-inflammatory drugs. Doctors sometimes prescribe steroids such as methylprednisolone to help treat MS relapses.
Some members report problems with blood sugar levels after using steroids. “Each time I have had a Solu-Medrol infusion, I have required insulin injections although I am not diabetic,” one member said. (Solu-Medro is a brand name formulation of methylprednisolone.)
Another wrote, “When I am getting an infusion treatment, I watch my blood sugar closely as steroids will raise it.”
Problems with blood sugar levels are most often caused by diabetes or medication. However, you may have high blood sugar due to less common factors such as:
Low blood sugar levels can also be related to fasting, skipping meals, or not eating enough carbohydrates. Additionally, getting more physical activity than usual can make levels drop. Hypoglycemia can also result from drinking too much alcohol, having liver or kidney disorders, or experiencing hormone imbalances.
Some people with MS may benefit from reducing or cutting out sugar in their diet. Eating a lot of sugar can raise blood glucose levels and increase the risk of diabetes. Overconsuming sugar may also lead to fatigue, trigger inflammation, and upset gut health in people with MS.
Although sugar isn’t known to cause MS disease progression, one study linked drinking sugar-sweetened beverages to more severe symptoms. Participants with MS who drank at least 290 calories from these drinks daily were five times more likely to experience severe disability than those who rarely drank these beverages.
More research is needed to understand the link between MS and sugar. One theory is that people with MS metabolize glucose differently, which could affect disease progression.
It’s a good idea to talk with your neurologist about sugar intake and whether you should change your diet.
If your blood sugar levels are abnormal, you may notice certain characteristic symptoms.
Symptoms of hyperglycemia include:
Hyperglycemia can also lead to an emergency condition called ketoacidosis, in which the body starts making toxic levels of molecules called ketones.
Ketoacidosis leads to its own set of symptoms, including extreme thirst, fruity-smelling breath, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, shortness of breath, dry mouth, and confusion. It can lead to coma or even death. Get emergency medical care if you think you have ketoacidosis.
Symptoms of hypoglycemia may include:
MyMSTeam members with blood sugar problems report a range of symptoms. “I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia in the ’90s,” one member wrote. “I had an attack at work. I started shaking, had cold sweats, and felt lightheaded.”
“I am having blood sugar issues and take Tecfidera,” another member said. “I’m having crazy blood sugar spikes early mornings and late afternoons causing nausea and vomiting.”
Some members report that blood sugar-related symptoms and MS symptoms overlap, sometimes making it hard to tell the two conditions apart. “As someone with diabetes and MS, fatigue is common. I am continually dealing with it,” one member said.
“At first, and still sometimes, I can’t tell if it’s MS or diabetes,” another member wrote. “Some of the MS-related fatigue/dizziness is like low blood sugar symptoms.”
If you notice possible symptoms of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia, talk with your neurology team or general practitioner. Simple laboratory blood tests can help measure your blood sugar and insulin levels and find any abnormalities. You can also buy a blood glucose test kit at a pharmacy to monitor your blood sugar at home.
Abnormal blood sugar levels can be a sign of diabetes. If you’re diagnosed with the condition, lifestyle changes and medications can help keep the condition under control and improve your quality of life.
Talk with your neurologist or another healthcare provider about whether changing your diet or managing your weight might help if you’re living with MS and experiencing blood sugar changes. In some cases, your doctor may suggest adjusting your MS treatment if certain drugs are affecting your blood glucose levels.
On MyMSTeam, people share their experiences with multiple sclerosis, get advice, and find support from others who understand.
Has multiple sclerosis affected your blood sugar levels? Have you experienced blood sugar drops or spikes? Let others know in a comment below.
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So if I am reading this correctly, MS can cause glucose levels to rise or fall even in people that are not diabetic? It changes the way the body uses glucose? Non-diabetic hypoglycemic?
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