How long it takes to recover from a hormone-induced increase in blood sugar depends mainly on which hormone is used. If short-acting or medium-acting hormones are used, such as hydrocortisone and prednisone, blood glucose will return to normal within 2-3 days after stopping the medication. If a longer-acting hormone is taken orally, such as dexamethasone, it has a longer duration of action and it takes about 1 week after stopping the medication for the blood sugar level to return to normal. If hormones are taken orally for a long period of time and for an adult, the effects on blood sugar are irreversible. If the hormones are gradually reduced or even discontinued, blood sugar levels will drop significantly compared to before, but there is still a problem of abnormal glucose metabolism, called steroidal diabetes. Such patients may need to take certain oral hypoglycemic drugs or insulin for treatment in addition to diet control.