Drug interactions
Hydrocortisone + Prednisone
Severity: Moderate
Hydrocortisone and Prednisone: moderate interaction.
Last updated Sources: US FDA label
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 are systemic corticosteroids, so combining them duplicates therapy and adds glucocorticoid adverse effects such as hyperglycemia, infection risk, fluid retention and adrenal suppression. Any pharmacokinetic effect is not clinically meaningful.
What this interaction means in plain words
Hydrocortisone and Prednisone 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.
Hydrocortisone belongs to Endocrine; Prednisone belongs to Endocrine.
Why it happens
Therapeutic duplication with additive glucocorticoid receptor activity.
What to do
Avoid concurrent use unless deliberate, such as stress-dose coverage, and calculate total glucocorticoid dose equivalents.
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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References
- Prednisone - FDA drug label (DailyMed) — openFDA / DailyMed
Other interactions of Prednisone
- Bcg vaccine live + Prednisone Contraindicated
- Measles vaccine + Prednisone Contraindicated
- Mifepristone + Prednisone Contraindicated
- Prednisone + Radium-223 dichloride Contraindicated
- Prednisone + Smallpox vaccine live Contraindicated
- Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live + Prednisone Major
Other interactions of Hydrocortisone
- Hydrocortisone + Mifepristone Contraindicated
- Hydrocortisone + Poliovirus vaccine live oral trivalent Contraindicated
- Hydrocortisone + Smallpox vaccine live Contraindicated
- Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live + Hydrocortisone Major
- Aldesleukin + Hydrocortisone Major
- Aspirin + Hydrocortisone Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Hydrocortisone with Prednisone?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Hydrocortisone and Prednisone 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 are systemic corticosteroids, so combining them duplicates therapy and adds glucocorticoid adverse effects such as hyperglycemia, infection risk, fluid retention and adrenal suppression. Any pharmacokinetic effect is not clinically meaningful.
How serious is the interaction between Hydrocortisone and Prednisone?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid concurrent use unless deliberate, such as stress-dose coverage, and calculate total glucocorticoid dose equivalents.
What other medicines interact with Prednisone?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Prednisone with, for example, Bcg vaccine live, Measles vaccine, Mifepristone. The full list is on the Prednisone page.
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