💊 Hydrocortisone (Hydrocortisone)
Hydrocortisone tablets are a corticosteroid used for many conditions including adrenal insufficiency, rheumatic disorders, allergic states, and skin, eye and respiratory diseases. It is prescription-only and the dose is set by your doctor according to the condition and your response. It should not be stopped abruptly after long-term use.
In Arabic: هيدروكورتيزون
🏷️ Brand names & manufacturers
Anti Itch🏭 Meijer, Inc.DailyMed
Cortizone 10 Fast Acting Itch Relief Cooling🏭 Chattem, Inc.DailyMed
Dermarest Eczema Medicated🏭 Insight Pharmaceuticals LLCDailyMed
Alubri🏭 Venus Health Science, Inc.DailyMed
Procto-med Hc🏭 Leading Pharma, LLCDailyMed
Equaline Anti Itch Maximum Strength🏭 United Natural Foods, Inc. dba UNFIDailyMed✅ What it is used for
- Primary or secondary adrenocortical insufficiency (first-choice agent)
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Non-suppurative thyroiditis and hypercalcemia associated with cancer
- Short-term adjunct in rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, acute gouty arthritis and bursitis
- Collagen diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis and acute rheumatic carditis
- Dermatologic diseases such as pemphigus, severe erythema multiforme, severe psoriasis and exfoliative dermatitis
- Severe allergic states such as allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, contact and atopic dermatitis, serum sickness and drug hypersensitivity
- Severe inflammatory and allergic eye diseases such as allergic conjunctivitis, iritis, uveitis and optic neuritis
- Respiratory diseases such as symptomatic sarcoidosis, Loeffler's syndrome and berylliosis
🧪 Active ingredient
Hydrocortisone: a naturally occurring glucocorticoid (adrenocortical steroid) well absorbed from the gut. It has wide-ranging metabolic effects, modifies the body's immune responses, and is used as replacement therapy in adrenal deficiency and for its anti-inflammatory effects.
🌿 Benefits
- Replaces the hormone in adrenal insufficiency
- Reduces inflammation and symptoms in rheumatic, skin, eye and respiratory diseases
- Controls severe allergic conditions not responding to conventional treatment
📝 How to use
- Take by mouth exactly as prescribed by your doctor
- The dose is set by the doctor or pharmacist based on the disease and your response; do not adjust it yourself
- After long-term therapy the drug is withdrawn gradually, not stopped abruptly
💊 Dosage forms
- Tablets 5 mg
- Tablets 10 mg
- Tablets 20 mg
⚠️ Common side effects
- Sodium and fluid retention, potassium loss
- High blood pressure
- Muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass
- Impaired wound healing, thin fragile skin, bruising
- Increased sweating
- Headache and vertigo
- Menstrual irregularities
- Decreased carbohydrate tolerance
🚨 Serious — seek medical help
- Peptic ulcer with possible perforation and hemorrhage; pancreatitis
- Osteoporosis, fractures, tendon rupture (especially Achilles) and aseptic bone necrosis
- Serious infections or reactivation of latent infections (e.g., tuberculosis, hepatitis B)
- Congestive heart failure in susceptible patients
- Convulsions and increased intracranial pressure
- Posterior subcapsular cataracts, glaucoma, raised eye pressure
- Adrenal and pituitary suppression and Cushingoid state
- Growth suppression in children
⛔ Do not use if
- Systemic fungal infections
- Known hypersensitivity to any component
❗ Warnings & precautions
- Suppresses the immune system, increases infection risk and can mask signs of infection
- May reactivate latent tuberculosis; monitoring and chemoprophylaxis may be needed
- Varicella and measles can be serious or fatal in non-immune patients; avoid exposure and seek medical advice promptly if exposed
- Hepatitis B virus reactivation can occur in carriers
- Under unusual stress, a higher dose may be needed as directed by the doctor
- Do not stop abruptly after long-term therapy
🔄 Drug interactions
- Hepatic enzyme inducers (phenobarbital, phenytoin, rifampin) may increase corticosteroid clearance and require higher doses
- Troleandomycin and ketoconazole may reduce corticosteroid metabolism; dose should be titrated to avoid toxicity
- Corticosteroids may increase clearance of chronic high-dose aspirin; use aspirin cautiously in hypoprothrombinemia
- Effect on oral anticoagulants is variable; monitor coagulation indices
- May suppress reactions to skin tests
🤰 Pregnancy
The provided label text contains no information on pregnancy. Consult your doctor before use.
🍼 Breastfeeding
The provided label text contains no information on breastfeeding. Consult your doctor before use.
🧒 Children
Can suppress growth in children; in infancy mineralocorticoid supplementation is particularly important in adrenal insufficiency. Use under medical supervision.
👴 Older adults
The provided label text contains no specific information for elderly patients.
🌡️ Storage
Store at controlled room temperature 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F).
⏰ Missed dose
The provided label text contains no information on missed doses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist.
🆘 Overdose
The provided label text contains no information on overdose. Contact your doctor or poison center immediately.
💰 Price & brands in your area
🏛️ Official price in Palestine — Ministry of Health price list:
| Product | Company | Pack | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| CORTEN CREAM 1%15G HYDROCORTISONE ACETATE 1% | Beit Jala | 15 g | 18 ₪ |
| NOVOCORT EYE OINT Neomycin Sulfate 0.50%Hydrocortisone Acetate 1% | Beit Jala | 4 g | 20 ₪ |
| HEMORAL OINT Hydrocortisone Acetate 0.50%Lidocaine HCl 1.50%Zinc Oxide | Beit Jala | 28 g | 20 ₪ |
| HEMORAL SUPP Hydrocortisone Acetate 0.50%Lidocaine HCl 1.50%Zinc Oxide | Beit Jala | 6 supp | 20 ₪ |
| RAMACETINE H.C. EYE OINT 3.5 G chloramphnicol 50mg hydrocortisone acetate 10 mg/gm | BPC | tube | 20 ₪ |
| FUSYLIN-H CREAM FUSIDIC ACID 2%, HYDROCORTISONE ACETATE 1% | Jepharm Co. | TUBE OF 15 GM | 27 ₪ |
| ZYDEX HC CREAM Fusidic Acid 2%Hydrocortisone Acetate 1% | Beit Jala | 15 g | 30 ₪ |
| FLOXIN-HC OTIC DROPS CIPROFLOXACIN (AS HCL) 0.2%& HYDROCORTISONE 1% | Jepharm Co. | BOTTLE OF 10 ML | 37 ₪ |
| HYDROCORTISONE 10MG TAB HYDROCORTISONE 10MG | Alwaleed Drug Store | 30 Tab | 49 ₪ |
| HYDROCORTISONE 10 MG TAB HYDROCORTISONE | BPC | 50 Tab. | 55 ₪ |
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Mechanism of action
A naturally occurring glucocorticoid with salt-retaining properties, used as replacement therapy in adrenocortical deficiency; it produces profound and varied metabolic effects and modifies immune responses to diverse stimuli.
Labeled dosing
Adult initial dosage ranges from 20 mg to 240 mg of hydrocortisone per day depending on the disease; lower doses suffice in less severe situations and higher doses may be required in selected patients. Individualize by disease and response, then reduce in small decrements to the lowest maintaining dose. Withdraw gradually after long-term therapy.
- Monitor for infection and consider dose reduction or withdrawal as needed
- Monitor for tuberculosis reactivation and consider chemoprophylaxis during prolonged therapy
- Adjust dose with hepatic enzyme inducers/inhibitors and monitor coagulation indices with oral anticoagulants
- Increased dosage may be needed before, during and after unusual stress
🎓 Key points for students
- Hydrocortisone/cortisone are first choice in adrenal insufficiency due to salt-retaining properties
- Key adverse effects: HPA axis suppression, Cushingoid state, osteoporosis, peptic ulcer
- Contraindications: systemic fungal infections and hypersensitivity to components
- Enzyme interactions: rifampin/phenytoin increase clearance; ketoconazole decreases it
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What is hydrocortisone used for?
It is used for adrenal insufficiency and for rheumatic, skin, allergic, eye and respiratory conditions as prescribed by a doctor.
Can I stop it suddenly?
No. After long-term use it should be withdrawn gradually under medical supervision.
Does it increase infection risk?
Yes, it suppresses immunity; avoid exposure to chickenpox and measles and seek medical advice promptly if exposed.
What are the main side effects?
Fluid retention, high blood pressure, muscle weakness, osteoporosis, slow wound healing and raised blood sugar.
How should it be stored?
At room temperature, 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F).
⚕️ For education only — not a substitute for advice from your doctor or pharmacist. Do not start or stop any medicine without advice. Source: official FDA drug label via openFDA (2026-08), simplified. Updated: 2026-11-10.