Hydrocortisone, Injection hy-droh-KOR-ti-sone

What are other names for this medicine?

Type of medicine: corticosteroid

Generic and brand names: hydrocortisone, injection; hydrocortisone sodium succinate, injection; A-Hydrocort; Solu-Cortef

What is this medicine used for?

This medicine is given by IV (slow drip through a needle into a large vein), or by injection (shots) into a muscle, a joint, or a sore on the skin. It is used to reduce inflammation, irritation, and pain. It is also used to treat skin problems, arthritis, and other joint or tendon problems.

Sometimes this medicine is given when you cannot take the oral form of this medicine. It may be used for other conditions as determined by your healthcare provider.

What should my healthcare provider know before I take this medicine?

Before taking this medicine, tell your healthcare provider if you have:

• an allergy to any medicine, or to benzyl alcohol
• a bleeding disorder
• a head or brain injury
• cataracts, glaucoma, or other eye problems or eye infection
• depression or other mental illness
• diabetes
• heart disease or a heart attack
• high blood pressure
• liver disease or kidney disease
• myasthenia gravis
• osteoporosis
• problems with too much or too little calcium, potassium, or sodium in your blood
• seizures
• thyroid disease
• tuberculosis
• ulcers, diverticulitis, or other intestinal problems

Tell your provider if you have recently had any kind of illness or infection, including a fungal infection.

Females of childbearing age: Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Do not breast-feed while taking this medicine without your healthcare provider's approval.

How do I use it?

These shots are given by your healthcare provider. Keep all appointments for the shots.

What should I watch out for?

You may get infections more easily when you are taking this medicine. Stay away from people with measles, chickenpox, or other infections. If you have not had chickenpox, the measles, or tuberculosis (TB), and are exposed to them while taking this medicine, contact your healthcare provider right away.

Usually you should not have other vaccinations while taking this medicine. Skin tests may need to be postponed until after you have stopped taking this medicine. Talk with your healthcare provider about this.

If you notice new joint pain, stiffness, or loss of motion in any joint after receiving this medicine, contact your healthcare provider right away.

This medicine may cause worsening of myasthenia gravis symptoms. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any worsening muscle weakness or breathing problems.

Contact your healthcare provider if your condition does not improve or if it gets worse.

If you need emergency care, surgery, skin tests, or dental work, tell the healthcare provider or dentist you have received this medicine.

Diabetics: This medicine may affect your blood sugar level and change the amount of insulin or other diabetes medicines you may need. Talk to your healthcare provider about this.

What are the possible side effects?

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that continue or get worse.

Life-threatening (Report these to your healthcare provider right away. If you cannot reach your healthcare provider right away, get emergency medical care or call 911 for help): Allergic reaction (hives; itching; rash; trouble breathing; tightness in your chest; swelling of your lips, tongue, and throat).

Serious (report these to your healthcare provider right away): Signs of an infection (fever, sore throat, pain while urinating, muscle pain); unusual bruising, bleeding or pinpoint red spots on the skin; warm, painful, or swollen ankles or calves, or any unexplained swelling; muscle weakness; depression; unexplained mood changes; confusion; chest pain; irregular heartbeat; trouble breathing; vision changes; severe headache; bloody or black bowel movements; seizures; unexplained joint pain or swelling, stiffness, or loss of motion.

Other: Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache, back pain, gas, changes in menstrual period, nervousness, shaking, trouble sleeping, increased appetite, gradual weight gain, round face, acne, increased sweating, increased hair growth.

What products might interact with this medicine?

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change the way this or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking:

• antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (Erythrocin, E-Mycin, Ery-Tab), isoniazid, levofloxacin (Levaquin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane), rifabutin (Mycobutin), and rifapentine (Priftin)
• antifungal medicines such as amphotericin B (Abelcet, AmBisome, Amphotec; Fungizone), itraconazole (Sporanox), and ketoconazole (Nizoral)
• antiseizure medicines such as carbamazepine (Tegretol), fosphenytoin (Cerebyx), primidone (Mysoline), and phenytoin (Dilantin)
• any other steroid medicines
• aprepitant (Emend)
• aspirin and other salicylates
• barbiturates such as butabarbital (Butisol), pentobarbital (Nembutal), phenobarbital, and secobarbital (Seconal)
• birth control pills, rings, patches, and implants and hormones such as conjugated estrogens (Premarin), estradiol (Estrace), and estrogens such as Estrace, Estraderm, FemPatch, Vivelle, Premarin, Estinyl, Estratab, and Cenestin
• bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban)
• cyclosporine (Gengraf, Sandimmune, Neoral)
• diabetes medicines such as glipizide (Glucotrol, Glucotrol XL), glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase PresTab), insulin, metformin (Glucophage, Glucovance), pioglitazone (Actos), repaglinide (Prandin), and rosiglitazone (Avandia)
• digoxin (Lanoxin)
• diuretics (water pills) such as bumetanide, chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone, furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide), and torsemide (Demadex)
• growth hormones such as somatrem (Protropin) and somatropin (Genotropin, Serostim, Humatrope, Nutropin)
• heart medicines such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac), and verapamil (Isoptin, Calan)
• live virus vaccines
• medicines to treat Alzheimer’s such as donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Razadyne), and rivastigmine (Exelon)
• medicines to treat HIV such as indinavir (Crixivan), nevirapine (Viramune), ritonavir (Norvir), and saquinavir (Invirase)
• medicines to treat myasthenia gravis such as neostigmine (Prostigmin) and pyridostigmine (Regonol, Mestinon)
• natural remedies such as cat's claw and echinacea
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam), ibuprofen (Motrin, Motrin IB, Advil), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen, nabumetone (Relafen), naproxen (Naprosyn, Anaprox, Aleve, Naprelan), oxaprozin (Daypro), ketorolac (Toradol), piroxicam (Feldene), and sulindac (Clinoril)
• quetiapine (Seroquel)
• warfarin (Coumadin)

Do not drink alcohol while you are taking this medicine.

If you are not sure if your medicines might interact, ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider. Keep a list of all your medicines with you. List all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take. Be sure that you tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the products you are taking.

This advisory includes selected information only and may not include all side effects of this medicine or interactions with other medicines. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information or if you have any questions.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Do not share medicines with other people.