Cortisone is a short-acting steroid medication used to treat different conditions that involve an overactive immune system. It's taken by mouth, but your dose can differ depending on condition you taking cortisone for. Short-term side effects of cortisone include changes in appetite, mood swings, and trouble sleeping. If you take this medication for a long time, you might experience weight gain or weakening of your bones.
Cortisone is used for many different medical conditions, including:
Conditions affecting certain hormones (e.g., low adrenal hormones)
Joint conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis)
Skin conditions (e.g., Stevens-Johnson syndrome)
Allergic reactions
Eye inflammation
Lung problems
Conditions related to blood cells
Cancer of blood cells (e.g., leukemia)
Gut conditions (e.g., ulcerative colitis)
Cortisone is a corticosteroid. It's a lab-made medication that's similar to cortisol, a natural stress hormone your body makes. Cortisone works by calming down your body's immune response, which can help get rid of certain medical problems that are caused by a sensitive immune system. In addition, cortisone lowers the amount of inflammatory chemicals that cause pain, redness, itching, and swelling.
Source:Â DailyMed
Corticosteroids may lower your resistance to infections. Also, any infection you get may be harder to treat. Always check with your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any signs of a possible infection, such as sore throat, fever, sneezing, or coughing.
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
Rare
Blindness (sudden, when injected in the head or neck area)
burning, numbness, pain, or tingling at or near place of injection
confusion
excitement
false sense of well-being
hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there)
mental depression
mistaken feelings of self-importance or being mistreated
mood swings (sudden and wide)
redness, swelling, or other sign of allergy or infection at place of injection
restlessness
skin rash or hives
Additional side effects may occur if you take this medicine for a long time. Check with your doctor if any of the following side effects occur:
Abdominal or stomach pain or burning (continuing)
bloody or black, tarry stools
changes in vision
filling or rounding out of the face
headache
irregular heartbeat
menstrual problems
muscle cramps or pain
muscle weakness
pain in arms, back, hips, legs, ribs, or shoulders
pitting, scarring, or depression of skin at place of injection
reddish purple lines on arms, face, groin, legs, or trunk
redness of eyes
sensitivity of eyes to light
stunting of growth (in children)
swelling of feet or lower legs
tearing of eyes
thin, shiny skin
trouble in sleeping
unusual bruising
unusual increase in hair growth
unusual tiredness or weakness
vomiting
weight gain (rapid)
wounds that will not heal
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
More common
Increased appetite
indigestion
loss of appetite (for triamcinolone only)
nervousness or restlessness
Less common or rare
Darkening or lightening of skin color
dizziness or lightheadedness
flushing of face or cheeks
hiccups
increased joint pain (after injection into a joint)
increased sweating
nosebleeds (after injection into the nose)
sensation of spinning
After you stop using this medicine, your body may need time to adjust. The length of time this takes depends on the amount of medicine you were using and how long you used it. If you have taken large doses of this medicine for a long time, your body may need one year to adjust. During this time, check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
Abdominal, stomach, or back pain
dizziness
fainting
loss of appetite (continuing)
muscle or joint pain
reappearance of disease symptoms
shortness of breath
unexplained headaches (frequent or continuing)
unusual tiredness or weakness
vomiting
weight loss (rapid)
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Available as a lower-cost, generic medication
Works well to treat many different conditions involving the immune system
Less potent compared to other steroids, which might lead to fewer side effects
Long-term use might weaken your bones and cause high blood sugar
Can slow down growth in children
Stopping suddenly can lead to withdrawal symptoms if you've been taking it for a long time
It's very important that you take cortisone according to your provider's treatment plan, even if you start feeling better. Missing doses or stopping cortisone suddenly can cause withdrawal symptoms, such as fatigue, body aches, and weakness.
Cortisone can cause stomach irritation. Taking cortisone with food can help relieve stomach upset.
Avoid getting live vaccines, such as MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine) and FluMist (nasal flu vaccine), while you're taking cortisone. This is because cortisone dampens your immune system and live vaccines might not be as safe or won't work as well. Talk with your provider or pharmacist before you get a vaccine. They can let you know which ones are safe and help schedule them while you’re taking cortisone.
Cortisone can raise your blood sugars and blood pressure. If you've high blood pressure or diabetes, it's important that you check your blood pressure and blood sugar while taking this medication.
Taking cortisone can raise your risk of an infection. Tell your provider right away if you've signs of an infection, such as fever, chills, congestion, cough, or a wound that won't heal.
Cortisone can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Risk factors: Taking other medications that weaken the immune system | Using cortisone for a long time | People who aren't vaccinated against viral illnesses | Coming into contact with people who have viral illnesses | History of bacterial or viral conditions | Receiving live vaccines
Using cortisone long term can raise your risk of getting an infection or hide signs of an infection. These infections include serious fungal, viral (e.g., chicken pox, measles), or bacterial (e.g, tuberculosis or TB) infections. Avoid close contact with anyone who had a history of these serious infections during treatment with cortisone. If you have had TB or parasitic (worm) infections in the past, let your provider know so they can closely monitor you for symptoms and make sure these infections don't come back. In addition, talk to your provider first before getting any vaccination. Live vaccines might not be safe for you since they can sometimes raise your risk of an infection during treatment with high doses of cortisone.
Risk factor: History of mental health conditions
Cortisone can cause changes in your mood or behavior. Tell your provider right away if you feel depressed, have mood swings, trouble sleeping, anxiety, or hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that aren't there) while taking this medication.
Risk factors: Using cortisone for a long period of time | Stress such as trauma, injury, or infection
In some rare cases, using cortisone for a long time can cause a medical condition called adrenal suppression. This is when your adrenal glands stop making your own natural hormones as your body gets used to cortisone. If you suddenly stop taking cortisone, you can experience symptoms of withdrawal including fever, joint or muscle pain, and low energy. To prevent adrenal suppression from happening, your provider will prescribe the lowest possible dose of cortisone that works well for you for the shortest amount of time. If you need to use cortisone for a long period of time, your provider might order blood work to test how well your adrenal gland works. Let your provider know if you have symptoms of withdrawal. Don't suddenly stop using cortisone without talking to your provider first.
Risk factors: Recent heart attack | History of heart failure, high blood pressure, or kidney problems
Cortisone can cause changes in your fluids and electrolytes (e.g., sodium, potassium, and calcium). This can result in high blood pressure, swelling, and kidney problems. In addition, some studies suggest that cortisone can damage the heart if used after a recent heart attack. If you have a history of heart failure, heart attack, high blood pressure, or kidney problems, let your provider know before using this medication.
Risk factors: History of stomach bleeding or ulcers | History of ulcerative colitis | Taking other medications that can also cause stomach problems | Alcohol use
Taking cortisone raises the risk of stomach damage, leading to certain problems, like stomach irritation, and more seriously, ulcers and bleeding. Your risk is higher if you have a history of stomach problems or if you're taking other medications that can damage your stomach, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). You should avoid drinking alcohol while taking this medication because it can worsen stomach irritation. Get medical attention right away if you have stomach pain that doesn't go away or you get bloody or dark stools. These can be signs of a serious stomach problem.
Risk factors: Cataracts | Glaucoma | History of herpes eye infection
Using cortisone for a long period of time can lead to greater risk of cataracts, glaucoma, and certain eye infections. Tell your provider if you currently have an eye infection or have had a viral eye infection (herpes keratitis) in the past. If you experience blurry vision, eye pain, or any vision changes during treatment with this medication, let your provider know right away. You might need to get regular eye exams during long-term treatment with cortisone.
Risk factors: Taking cortisone at high doses or for a long period of time | Risks for osteoporosis (e.g., female, history of falls, smoking) | Infants and young children
Long-term use of cortisone can lower calcium absorption and weaken your bone. Over time, this will cause or worsen osteoporosis in adults or slow down growth in children. If you've had bone fractures before or have osteoporosis (weak bones), talk to your provider about your risk before using this medication.
Risk factors: Taking cortisone for a long period of time
Using cortisone for a long period of time can sometimes raise your blood sugar levels. If blood sugar is not controlled, this can lead to diabetes. Let your provider know if you have symptoms like confusion, feeling sleepy, unusual thirst or hunger, passing urine more often, flushing, fast breathing, or breath that smells like fruit. If you have diabetes, your provider may ask you to check your blood sugar regularly to make sure this medication is safe for you.
Dosage | Quantity | Price as low as | Price per unit |
---|---|---|---|
25mg | 30 tablets | $44.14 | $1.47 |
In general, the dose of cortisone depends on the condition that you're taking the medication for and how serious it is. Your provider will raise or lower your dose based on how you respond to this medication and if you have any side effects.
The typical starting dose of cortisone can range from 25 mg to 300 mg by mouth per day.
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking any of these medicines, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using medicines in this class with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with a medication in this class or change some of the other medicines you take.
Using medicines in this class with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
Currently have a fungal infection
Receiving live vaccines - High dose of cortisone
Cortisone is used for many different medical conditions, including:
Conditions affecting certain hormones (e.g., low adrenal hormones)
Joint conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis)
Skin conditions (e.g., Stevens-Johnson syndrome)
Allergic reactions
Eye inflammation
Lung problems
Conditions related to blood cells
Cancer of blood cells (e.g., leukemia)
Gut conditions (e.g., ulcerative colitis)
Allergies or allergic reactions
Conditions affecting certain hormones (e.g., low adrenal hormones)
Eye conditions
Lung conditions
Gut conditions (e.g., ulcerative colitis)
Conditions related to blood cells
Certain cancers (e.g., leukemia
Nervous system conditions (e.g., multiple sclerosis)
Joint conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis)
Addison's disease (adrenal insufficiency)
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (a genetic condition that affects hormone production)
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