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Like most of the other plants and shrubs that irritate the skin on contact (of which the most well known is probably poison ivy) poison sumac contains an oily substance known as urushiol. It is this substance that causes the combination of symptoms that are known as urushiol induced contact dermatitis - itching, burning, inflammation, and oozing of the skin.
Cortisone (specifically hydrocortisone) is used to treat the symptoms of urushiol induced contact dermatitis, as it relieves inflammation.
It does tend to have some side effects, one of which is that it increases blood sugar levels. However, this does not necessarily mean that cortisone use is completely ruled out for people suffering from diabetes. If you are prescribed cortisone by your doctor and he or she is fully aware that you have diabetes, you should be safe.
Your doctor will of course need to monitor your blood sugar levels very closely, and adjust the dosage of your diabetes medication if necessary, and possibly the dosage of hydrocortisone as well. This should be done not only just after you have a dose of cortisone, but for several weeks later. It is extremely important to ensure that this is not neglected, and you should certainly not take cortisone on your own, without medical supervision.
Cortisone is however only one of the drugs that are used to treat urushiol induced contact dermatitis. Usually, treatment also involves the use of antihistamines, to reduce the allergic reaction to the urushiol. If your doctor decides that cortisone is not safe for you, he or she may decide to limit your treatment to antihistamines.
In many cases, medical treatment is not even needed for urushiol induced contact dermatitis. If your symptoms are very strong, you should certainly visit a doctor, but if they are mild, they will not last long and you will be able to handle them with some simple home remedies. A cold compress is possibly the most effective against the itching and burning caused by urushiol. Ideally, you should wrap a couple of cubes of ice in a soft, clean cloth, and gently press this package against the affected areas of your body. Calamine lotion is sometimes recommended, although it is not clear whether it works or not - however, there is no harm in trying it out. Note that these remedies will not get rid of the symptoms, but they will lessen their severity until the allergic reaction is over.
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