Drug interactions
Hydrocortisone + Sulindac
Severity: Moderate
Hydrocortisone and Sulindac: 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
Combining corticosteroids with NSAIDs increases the risk of gastric irritation, peptic ulceration and gastrointestinal bleeding. The risk is higher in older patients, with high steroid doses, or with a history of ulcer disease.
What this interaction means in plain words
Hydrocortisone and Sulindac 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; Sulindac belongs to Musculoskeletal.
Why it happens
Additive gastrointestinal mucosal injury: NSAID inhibition of protective prostaglandins plus corticosteroid impairment of mucosal healing.
What to do
Use the lowest effective doses for the shortest time and consider a proton pump inhibitor in at-risk patients. Counsel patients to report black stools or abdominal pain.
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
Other interactions of Sulindac
- Ketorolac intranasal + Sulindac Contraindicated
- Ketorolac + Sulindac Contraindicated
- Aceclofenac + Sulindac Major
- Acetylsalicylic acid + Sulindac Major
- Alteplase + Sulindac Major
- Amiloride + Sulindac Major
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Hydrocortisone with Sulindac?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Hydrocortisone and Sulindac 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. Combining corticosteroids with NSAIDs increases the risk of gastric irritation, peptic ulceration and gastrointestinal bleeding. The risk is higher in older patients, with high steroid doses, or with a history of ulcer disease.
How serious is the interaction between Hydrocortisone and Sulindac?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Use the lowest effective doses for the shortest time and consider a proton pump inhibitor in at-risk patients. Counsel patients to report black stools or abdominal pain.
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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