Drug interactions
Cortisone + Sitagliptin
Severity: Moderate
Cortisone and Sitagliptin: 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
Systemic corticosteroids such as cortisone raise blood glucose by increasing hepatic glucose output and causing insulin resistance. This can reduce the glucose-lowering effect of sitagliptin and worsen glycemic control, particularly with prolonged or high-dose use.
What this interaction means in plain words
Cortisone and Sitagliptin 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
Pharmacodynamic antagonism: glucocorticoid-induced insulin resistance and increased gluconeogenesis oppose the incretin-based glucose lowering of sitagliptin.
What to do
Monitor blood glucose and HbA1c when starting, changing or stopping cortisone. Intensify the antidiabetic regimen during steroid therapy and reduce it again when the steroid is withdrawn.
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 Sitagliptin
- Albiglutide + Sitagliptin Moderate
- Amlodipine-benazepril + Sitagliptin Moderate
- Aripiprazole + Sitagliptin Moderate
- Asenapine + Sitagliptin Moderate
- Benazepril + Sitagliptin Moderate
- Captopril-hydrochlorothiazide + Sitagliptin Moderate
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Cortisone with Sitagliptin?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Cortisone and Sitagliptin 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. Systemic corticosteroids such as cortisone raise blood glucose by increasing hepatic glucose output and causing insulin resistance. This can reduce the glucose-lowering effect of sitagliptin and worsen glycemic control, particularly with prolonged or high-dose use.
How serious is the interaction between Cortisone and Sitagliptin?
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 blood glucose and HbA1c when starting, changing or stopping cortisone. Intensify the antidiabetic regimen during steroid therapy and reduce it again when the steroid is withdrawn.
What other medicines interact with Sitagliptin?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Sitagliptin with, for example, Albiglutide, Amlodipine-benazepril, Aripiprazole. The full list is on the Sitagliptin page.
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