Drug interactions
Hydrocortisone + Sodium sulfate / ?magnesium sulfate / potassium chloride
Severity: Moderate
Hydrocortisone and Sodium sulfate / ?magnesium sulfate / potassium chloride: 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
Osmotic bowel preparations can cause significant fluid and electrolyte disturbances. Corticosteroids add to potassium loss and fluid shifts, increasing the risk of arrhythmia, seizures and renal impairment in susceptible patients.
What this interaction means in plain words
Hydrocortisone and Sodium sulfate / ?magnesium sulfate / potassium chloride 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 electrolyte and fluid disturbance from bowel preparation and corticosteroid-related potassium wasting.
What to do
Ensure good hydration and measure electrolytes and renal function before the preparation in patients on chronic steroids or with risk factors. Correct abnormalities promptly.
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 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 Sodium sulfate / ?magnesium sulfate / potassium chloride?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Hydrocortisone and Sodium sulfate / ?magnesium sulfate / potassium chloride 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. Osmotic bowel preparations can cause significant fluid and electrolyte disturbances. Corticosteroids add to potassium loss and fluid shifts, increasing the risk of arrhythmia, seizures and renal impairment in susceptible patients.
How serious is the interaction between Hydrocortisone and Sodium sulfate / ?magnesium sulfate / potassium chloride?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Ensure good hydration and measure electrolytes and renal function before the preparation in patients on chronic steroids or with risk factors. Correct abnormalities promptly.
What other medicines interact with Hydrocortisone?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Hydrocortisone with, for example, Mifepristone, Poliovirus vaccine live oral trivalent, Smallpox vaccine live. The full list is on the Hydrocortisone page.
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