Drug interactions
Cortisone + Hydrochlorothiazide
Severity: Moderate
Cortisone and Hydrochlorothiazide: moderate interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Both drugs promote urinary potassium loss, so using them together increases the risk of hypokalemia. Cortisone has mineralocorticoid activity, making this additive effect more notable, and low potassium may provoke arrhythmias or weakness.
What this interaction means in plain words
Cortisone and Hydrochlorothiazide can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Why it happens
Additive renal potassium wasting from thiazide-induced distal sodium delivery and corticosteroid mineralocorticoid action.
What to do
Monitor serum potassium and magnesium, and give potassium supplementation if needed. Watch closely in patients on digoxin or with heart disease.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Hydrochlorothiazide
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Cortisone with Hydrochlorothiazide?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Cortisone and Hydrochlorothiazide can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Both drugs promote urinary potassium loss, so using them together increases the risk of hypokalemia. Cortisone has mineralocorticoid activity, making this additive effect more notable, and low potassium may provoke arrhythmias or weakness.
How serious is the interaction between Cortisone and Hydrochlorothiazide?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Monitor serum potassium and magnesium, and give potassium supplementation if needed. Watch closely in patients on digoxin or with heart disease.
What other medicines interact with Hydrochlorothiazide?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Hydrochlorothiazide with, for example, Dofetilide, Amifostine, Amiodarone. The full list is on the Hydrochlorothiazide page.
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