Hydrocortisone Side Effects — Compared Across 5 Medical Sources

This tool aggregates publicly available information for reference only. It is not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before making decisions about medication.

111 side effects

Side effect	Frequency	NHS	MedlinePlus	Mayo Clinic	My.clevelandclinic.org	Drugs.com
Nausea	common	Nausea	nausea	nausea	Nausea	nausea
Headache	—	Headaches	headache	headache	Headache	headache
Dizziness	—	Feeling dizzy	dizziness	dizziness	—	dizziness
Tiredness	—	Tired	tiredness	unusual tiredness or weakness	General discomfort and fatigue	unusual tiredness or weakness
Muscle pain	—	Muscle ache	joint and muscle pain	muscle pain, tenderness, twitching, wasting, or weakness	—	joint pain
Indigestion	—	Indigestion	upset stomach	heartburn or indigestion	—	heartburn or indigestion
Diarrhea	—	Diarrhoea	diarrhea	diarrhea	—	diarrhea
Swollen ankles	—	Swollen ankles	swollen face, lower legs, or ankles	swelling of the fingers, hands, feet, or lower legs	Swelling of the ankles, hands, or feet	swollen face, lower legs, or ankles
Weight gain	—	Weight gain	sudden weight gain	weight gain	Weight gain	weight gain
Infection	—	Infection	infections	—	Infection	infections
High blood sugar	—	High blood sugar	—	increased thirst or urination	High blood sugar	—
Adrenal gland problems	—	Adrenal gland problems	—	adrenal crisis	Low adrenal gland function	adrenal crisis
Low potassium levels	—	Low potassium levels	—	—	—	—
Pancreas problems	—	Pancreas problems	—	—	—	—
Breathlessness	—	Breathlessness	—	trouble breathing	—	trouble breathing
Changes in eyesight	—	Changes in eyesight	blurred vision	decreased vision	—	blurred vision
Bruising or bleeding	—	Bruising or bleeding	unusual bruising	bloody, black, or tarry stools	Stomach bleeding	unusual bruising
Mood changes	—	mood changes	mood swings	mood changes	Mood and behavior changes	mood swings
Depression	—	depressed	depression	mental depression	—	depression
Anxiety	common	anxious	—	anxiety	—	anxiety
Sleeping problems	—	sleeping problems	insomnia	trouble sleeping	Trouble sleeping	trouble sleeping
Confusion	—	confusion	confusion	confusion	—	confusion
Hallucinations	—	hallucinations	hallucinations	—	—	hallucinations
Serious allergic reaction	rare	serious allergic reaction	serious allergic reaction	allergic reactions	Allergic reactions	allergic reactions
Osteoporosis	—	osteoporosis	osteoporosis	osteoporosis	—	osteoporosis
Poorly controlled diabetes	—	poorly controlled diabetes	—	—	—	—
Eyesight problems	—	eyesight problems	—	—	—	—
Slower growth	—	slower growth	—	decrease in height	—	decrease in height
Loss of appetite	—	—	loss of appetite	loss of appetite	Increase in appetite	loss of appetite
Upset stomach	—	—	upset stomach	—	—	—
Vomiting	—	—	vomiting	—	—	vomiting
Drowsiness	—	—	drowsiness	drowsiness	—	drowsiness
Joint pain	—	—	joint and muscle pain	joint pain, stiffness, or swelling	—	joint pain
Changes in skin color	—	—	changes in skin color	darkening of the skin	—	darkening of the skin
Craving for salt	—	—	craving for salt	—	—	—
Acne	common	—	acne	—	Acne	acne
Irregular or absent menstrual periods	—	—	irregular or absent menstrual periods	menstrual irregularities	—	—
Rash	—	—	rash	—	—	skin rash
Hives	—	—	hives	—	—	—
Itching	—	—	itching	—	—	—
Sudden weight gain	—	—	sudden weight gain	—	—	—
Muscle weakness	—	—	muscle weakness	muscle pain, tenderness, twitching, wasting, or weakness	—	—
Unusual bruising	—	—	unusual bruising	—	—	—
Swollen face	—	—	swollen face, lower legs, or ankles	—	—	—
Eye pain	—	—	eye pain	eye pain	—	eye pain
Redness	—	—	redness	—	—	—
Tearing	—	—	tearing	eye tearing	—	—
Blurred vision	—	—	blurred vision	blurred vision	—	blurred vision
Sore throat	common	—	sore throat	sore throat	—	sore throat
Fever	common	—	fever	fever	—	fever
Chills	—	—	chills	chills	—	chills
Cough	—	—	cough	cough or hoarseness	—	cough or hoarseness
Stomach pain	—	—	stomach pain	—	—	—
Difficult or painful urination	—	—	difficult or painful urination	—	—	—
Seizures	—	—	seizures	—	—	—
Kaposi's sarcoma	—	—	Kaposi's sarcoma	—	—	—
Aggression	—	—	—	aggression	—	aggression
Irritability	—	—	—	irritability	—	irritability
Noisy, rattling breathing	—	—	—	noisy, rattling breathing	—	—
Numbness or tingling in the arms or legs	—	—	—	numbness or tingling in the arms or legs	—	—
Pounding in the ears	—	—	—	—	—	pounding in the ears
Redness, pain, swelling of eye, eyelid, or inner lining of the eyelid	—	—	—	—	—	redness, pain, swelling of eye, eyelid, or inner lining of the eyelid
Restlessness	—	—	—	restlessness	—	—
Runny or stuffy nose	—	—	—	runny or stuffy nose	—	—
Shaking	common	—	—	shaking	—	—
Sneezing	—	—	—	sneezing	—	—
Swelling of the fingers, hands, feet, or lower legs	—	—	—	swelling of the fingers, hands, feet, or lower legs	—	—
Trouble breathing	—	—	—	trouble breathing	—	—
Trouble thinking, speaking, or walking	—	—	—	trouble thinking, speaking, or walking	—	—
Unusual tiredness or weakness	—	—	—	unusual tiredness or weakness	—	—
Backache	—	—	—	backache	—	—
Bloody, black, or tarry stools	—	—	—	bloody, black, or tarry stools	—	—
Cough or hoarseness	—	—	—	—	—	cough or hoarseness
Decrease in height	—	—	—	decrease in height	—	—
Decreased vision	—	—	—	decreased vision	—	—
Eye tearing	—	—	—	eye tearing	—	—
Facial hair growth in females	—	—	—	facial hair growth in females	—	—
Fainting	—	—	—	fainting	—	—
Flushed, dry skin	—	—	—	flushed, dry skin	—	—
Fractures	—	—	—	fractures	—	—
Fruit-like breath odor	—	—	—	fruit-like breath odor	—	—
Full or round face, neck, or trunk	—	—	—	full or round face, neck, or trunk	—	—
Heartburn or indigestion	—	—	—	heartburn or indigestion	—	—
Increased hunger	—	—	—	increased hunger	—	—
Increased thirst	—	—	—	increased thirst	—	—
Increased urination	—	—	—	increased urination	—	—
Joint pain, stiffness, or swelling	—	—	—	joint pain, stiffness, or swelling	—	—
Loss of sexual desire or ability	—	—	—	loss of sexual desire or ability	—	—
Lower back or side pain	—	—	—	lower back or side pain	—	—
Menstrual irregularities	—	—	—	menstrual irregularities	—	—
Muscle pain, tenderness, twitching, wasting, or weakness	—	—	—	muscle pain, tenderness, twitching, wasting, or weakness	—	—
Cushing syndrome	—	—	—	—	Cushing syndrome	Cushing's syndrome
Allergic reactions	—	—	—	allergic reactions	Allergic reactions	allergic reactions
Stomach bleeding	—	—	—	—	Stomach bleeding	—
General discomfort and fatigue	—	—	—	—	General discomfort and fatigue	—
Increase in appetite	—	—	—	—	Increase in appetite	—
Trouble sleeping	—	—	—	—	Trouble sleeping	—
Adrenal crisis	—	—	—	—	—	adrenal crisis
Darkening of the skin	—	—	—	—	—	darkening of the skin
Fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat	—	—	—	—	—	fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat
Catracts	—	—	—	—	—	cataracts
Glaucoma	—	—	—	—	—	glaucoma
Central serous chorioretinopathy	—	—	—	—	—	central serous chorioretinopathy
Mood swings	—	—	—	—	—	mood swings
Burning, dry, or itching eyes	—	—	—	—	—	burning, dry, or itching eyes
Discharge, excessive tearing	—	—	—	—	—	discharge, excessive tearing
Dry mouth	—	—	—	—	—	dry mouth
Ear congestion	—	—	—	—	—	ear congestion
Fast, slow, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse	—	—	—	—	—	fast, slow, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
Irregular heartbeats	—	—	—	—	—	irregular heartbeats
Decrease in the amount of urine	—	—	—	—	—	decrease in the amount of urine

5 additional sourcesdidn't return structured side-effect data: Mskcc.org, GoodRx, Medicines.org.uk, Synapse.patsnap.com, Medsafe.govt.nz.

Demographic risk groups

Group	Risk	Sources
Pregnant	Contraception may not protect from pregnancy	NHS, MedlinePlus, My.clevelandclinic.org
children	slowed growth and development	NHS, MedlinePlus, My.clevelandclinic.org, Drugs.com
teenagers	slower growth	NHS
children and teenagers	slower growth	NHS
breastfeeding	caution	My.clevelandclinic.org
diabetes	increased blood sugar	My.clevelandclinic.org
premature infants	hypertrophic cardiomyopathy	Drugs.com
Elderly	Loss of bone density	Drugs.com
Pediatric patients	Growth suppression	Drugs.com
Postmenopausal females	Loss of bone density	Drugs.com
Patients with aspirin-sensitive respiratory disease	Higher risk of bronchospasm	Drugs.com
Patients with asthma	Higher risk of anaphylaxis	Drugs.com