Chemocare.com
Care During Chemotherapy and Beyond
Generic: Hydrocortisone
Other Trade Names: Ala-Cort
®, Hydrocortone Phosphate,
Solu-Cortef ®, Lanacort ®
Other Names: Cortisone,
Hydrocortisone Sodium
Succinate, Hydrocortisone
Sodium Phosphate
Drug type: Hydrocort Acetate has many uses in the treatment
of cancer. Hydrocort Acetate is used most often as a supportive care medication.
Hydrocort Acetateis classified as a glucocorticosteroid. (For more detail,
see "How this drug works" section below).
What Hydrocort Acetate Is Used For:
- As an anti-inflammatory medication. Hydrocort Acetate relieves inflammation
in various parts of the body.
- To treat or prevent allergic reactions.
- As treatment of certain kinds of autoimmune diseases, skin conditions, asthma and
other lung conditions.
- As treatment for a variety of cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple
myeloma.
- To treat nausea and vomiting associated with some chemotherapy drugs.
- Used to stimulate appetite in cancer patients with severe appetite problems.
- The lotion (topical) is used in treatment of allergic skin reactions, and relieves
symptoms of itching, redness, and swelling.
- Also used to replace steroids in conditions of adrenal insufficiency (low production
of needed steroids produced by the adrenal glands).
Note: If a drug has been approved for one use, physicians
sometimes elect to use this same drug for other problems if they believe it might
be helpful.
How Hydrocort Acetate Is Given:
- This medication may be given to you in many forms. In a pill form, it is available
in 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg tablets. If you are on a daily dose of Hydrocort Acetate,
and you miss a dose, take the dose as soon as you remember. You may be instructed
to repeat the missed dose, and continue the medication.
- Take pills with food or after meals.
- This medication may also be given by injection into the muscle (intramuscular,IM)
or into the vein (intravenously, IV), by a healthcare provider.
- Hydrocort Acetate eye ointment, or eye drops, is given to treat or prevent many
inflammatory eye conditions.
- You may be given Hydrocort Acetate as a lotion or a cream (topical) to treat skin
disorders.
- The amount of Hydrocort Acetate you will receive depends on many factors, including
your height and weight, your general health or other health problems, and the reason
you are receiving this drug. Your doctor will determine your exact dosage
and schedule.
Side Effects:
Important things to remember about the side effects of Hydrocort Acetate include:
- Most people do not experience all of the side effects listed.
- Side effects are often predictable in terms of their onset and duration.
- Side effects are almost always reversible and will go away after treatment is complete.
- There are many options to help minimize or prevent side effects.
The following side effects are common (occurring in greater than 30%) for
patients taking Hydrocort Acetate:
- Increased appetite
- Irritability
- Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- Swelling in your ankles and feet (fluid retention)
- Nausea, take with food
- Heartburn
- Muscle weakness
- Impaired wound healing
- Increased blood sugar levels. (Persons with Diabetes may need to have blood sugar
levels monitored more closely and possible adjustments to diabetes medications).
The following are less common side effects (occurring in 10 to 29%) for
patients receiving Hydrocort Acetate:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Mood swings
- Cataracts and bone thinning (with long-term use)
This list includes common and less common side effects for individuals taking Hydrocort
Acetate. Side effects that are very rare, occurring in less than 10% of patients,
are not listed here. However, you should always inform your health care provider
if you experience any unusual symptoms.
When to contact your doctor or health care provider:
Contact your health care provider immediately, day or night, if you
should experience any of the following symptoms:
- Fever of 100.4° F (38° C), chills (possible signs of infection)
- If you feel an irregular or fast heartbeat, shortness of breath, or chest or jaw
pain, seek emergency help and notify your healthcare provider.
- If you become suddenly confused
The following symptoms require medical attention, but are not emergency situations.
Contact your health care provider within 24 hours of noticing any of the
following:
- Extreme fatigue (unable to carry on self-care activities)
- Any unusual bleeding or bruising
- Black or tarry stools, or blood in your stools or urine
- Nausea (interferes with ability to eat and unrelieved with prescribed medications)
- Vomiting (vomiting more than 4-5 times in a 24-hour period)
- Dizziness or lightheadedness, feeling faint
- Persistent headache
- Severe hot flashes or mood swings
- Inability to sleep (insomnia)
- Severe skeletal (bone) pain
- Difficult or painful urination; increased urination, or severe thirst
- Changes in vision, blurred vision, eye pain, enlarged pupils, discharge
- Any new rashes or changes in your skin
- Swelling of the feet or ankles. Sudden weight gain (greater than 3 pounds
a week)
- Swelling, redness and/or pain in one leg or arm and not the other
Always inform your health care provider if you experience any unusual symptoms.
Precautions:
- Before starting Hydrocort Acetate treatment, make sure you tell your doctor about
any other medications you are taking (including prescription, over-the-counter,
vitamins, herbal remedies, etc.). Do not take aspirin, or products containing
aspirin unless your doctor specifically permits this.
- Do not receive any kind of immunization or vaccination without your doctor's approval
while taking Hydrocort Acetate.
- If you have been on Hydrocort Acetate pills daily, for a long period of time, serious
side effects may occur if you discontinue the medication abruptly. Do not stop taking
this medication unless directed by your healthcare provider. Do not change the dose
of Hydrocort Acetate on your own.
- Inform your health care professional if you are pregnant or may be pregnant prior
to starting this treatment. Pregnancy category C (use in pregnancy only when
benefit to the mother outweighs risk to the fetus).
- For both men and women: Do not conceive a child (get pregnant) while taking Hydrocort
Acetate. Barrier methods of contraception, such as condoms, are recommended. Discuss
with your doctor when you may safely become pregnant or conceive a child after therapy.
- Do not breast feed while taking this medication.
Self-Care Tips:
- If you are on this medication for a long period of time, you may be more susceptible
to infection. Wash your hands well, and report any symptoms of infection to your
healthcare provider if noted.
- If you are given eye drops or eye ointment: You may be more sensitive to the light.
Wearing sunglasses may help. It is normal to notice a little blurriness for a short
time after the drops or ointment are placed in your eyes. Notify your healthcare
provider with any changes in vision, blurriness, or eye pain.
- If you are given eye drops or eye ointment: Ask your healthcare provider if you
may wear contact lenses. Contact lenses may absorb the medication. Wash your hands
well before putting eye drops, to decrease the chance of a bacterial infection in
your eyes.
- If you are Hydrocort Acetate as a lotion (topical) to treat skin disorders: Do not
apply to open areas of skin, or if you have open or weeping sores. Topical Hydrocort
Acetate should not be used for a long time. Discuss this with your healthcare provider.
- Certain brands of Hydrocort Acetate can be applied to the rectal area to treat hemorrhoids,
or local inflammation, either by a suppository of ointment. Make sure that the preparation
that you are using was made specifically for the rectal area.
- In a pill form: Take this medication with food to lessen an upset stomach. Also
take this medication early on in the day (before 12:00 noon, if possible), so you
will be able to sleep better at night.
- If you have diabetes, this medication may increase your blood sugar levels. Notify
your healthcare provider that you are diabetic. You may need close monitoring. Drink
2 to 3 quarts of fluid every 24 hours, unless you were told to restrict your fluid
intake, and maintain good nutrition.
- To reduce nausea, take anti-nausea medications as prescribed by your doctor, and
eat small, frequent meals.
- In general, drinking alcoholic beverages should be avoided. You should also
limit caffeine intake (colas, tea, coffee and chocolate, especially). These beverages
may irritate your stomach.
- If you experience symptoms or side effects, especially if severe, be sure to discuss
them with your health care team. They can prescribe medications and/or offer
other suggestions that are effective in managing such problems.
Monitoring and Testing:
You will be checked regularly by your health care professional while you are taking
Hydrocort Acetate, to monitor side effects and check your response to therapy.
Periodic blood work to monitor your complete blood count (CBC) as well as the function
of other organs (such as your kidneys and liver) will also be ordered by your doctor.
How Hydrocort Acetate Works:
Corticosteroids are naturally produced by the adrenal gland in the body. Corticosteroids
influence the functioning of most of the body's systems (heart, immune, muscles
and bones, endocrine and nervous system). They exert a wide array of effects
including effects on the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and fats. They
help to maintain balance of fluids and electrolytes.
Hydrocort Acetate is classified as a corticosteroid (more precisely a glucocorticosteroid),
and has many uses in the treatment of cancer.
One way that it works is to decrease inflammation (swelling). It does this
by preventing infection- fighting white blood cells (polymorphonuclear leukocytes)
from traveling to the area of swelling in your body. (This is why you are more prone
to infection while taking steroids). Taking advantage of the anti-inflammatory
properties of the medication, corticosteroids are used to decrease the swelling
around tumors. For example, by decreasing swelling around tumors in the spine,
brain, or bone, it can decrease the pressure of the tumor on nerve endings and relieve
pain or other symptoms caused by the pressing tumor.
Another way this drug works is by altering the body's normal immune system responses.
Corticosteroids are used to treat certain conditions that effect the immune system
such as aplastic anemia (AA), Immune Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP), Thrombotic
Thrombocytopenia Purpura (TTP), or hemolytic anemia.
In addition, it is thought that corticosteroids may help in the treatment of patients
with blood disorders, such as multiple myeloma. Corticosteroids may work by
causing programmed cell death (apoptosis) of certain cells, which may help to fight
your disease.
Corticosteroids are also used in the short-term treatment of nausea caused by chemotherapy.
How it does this is not fully understood. They also have been used to stimulate
appetite for patients with severe appetite problems.
Corticosteroids are used to replace steroids in conditions of adrenal insufficiency
(low production of needed steroids produced by the adrenal glands).
Note: We strongly encourage you to talk with your health
care professional about your specific medical condition and treatments. The information
contained in this website is meant to be helpful and educational, but is not a substitute
for medical advice.
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