Cortisone Acetate

Cortisone Acetate

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Questions & Answers

Side Effects & Adverse Reactions

In patients on corticosteroid therapy subjected to unusual stress, increased dosage of rapidly acting corticosteroids before, during, and after the stressful situation is indicated.

Drug-induced secondary adrenocortical insufficiency may result from too rapid withdrawal of corticosteroids and may be minimized by gradual reduction of dosage. This type of relative insufficiency may persist for months after discontinuation of therapy; therefore, in any situation of stress occurring during that period, hormone therapy should be reinstituted. If the patient is receiving steroids already, dosage may have to be increased. Since mineralocorticoid secretion may be impaired, salt and/or a mineralocorticoid should be administered concurrently.

Corticosteroids may mask some signs of infection, and new infections may appear during their use. There may be decreased resistance and inability to localize infection when corticosteroids are used. Moreover, corticosteroids may affect the nitroblue-tetrazolium test for bacterial infection and produce false negative results.

In cerebral malaria, a double-blind trial has shown that the use of corticosteroids is associated with prolongation of coma and a higher incidence of pneumonia and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Corticosteroids may activate latent amebiasis. Therefore, it is recommended that latent or active amebiasis be ruled out before initiating corticosteroid therapy in any patient who has time in the tropics or any patient with unexplained diarrhea.

Prolonged use of corticosteroids may produce posterior subsapsular cataracts, glaucoma with possible damage to the optic nerves, and may enhance the establishment of secondary ocular infections due to fungi or viruses.

Average and large doses of hydrocortisone or cortisone can cause elevation of blood pressure, salt and water retention, and increased excretion of potassium. These effects are less likely to occur with the synthetic derivatives except when used in large doses. Dietary salt restriction and potassium supplementation may be necessary. All corticosteroids increase calcium excretion.

Administration of live virus vaccines, including smallpox, is contraindicated in individuals receiving immunosuppressive doses of corticosteroids. If inactivated viral or bacterial vaccines are administered to individuals receiving immunosuppressive doses of corticosteroids, the expected serum antibody response may not be obtained. However, immunization procedures may be undertaken in patients who are receiving corticosteroids as replacement therapy, e.g., for Addison's disease.

Persons who are on drugs which suppress the immune system are more susceptible to infections than healthy individuals. Chickenpox and measles, for example, can have more serious or even fatal course in non-immune children or adults on corticosteroids. In such children or adults who have not had these diseases, particular care should be taken to avoid exposure. How the dose, route and duration of corticosteroid administration affects the risk of developing a disseminated infection is not known. The contribution of the underlying disease and/or prior corticosteroid treatment to the risk is also not known. If exposed to chickenpox, prophylaxis with varicella zoster immune globulin (VZIG) may be indicated. If exposed to measles, prophylaxis with pooled intramuscular immunoglobulin (IG) may be indicated. (See the respective package inserts for complete VZIG and IG prescribing information). If chickenpox develops, treatment with antiviral agents may be considered.

The use of cortisone acetate tablets in active tuberculosis should be restricted to those cases of fulminating or disseminated tuberculosis in which the corticosteroid is used for the management of the disease in conjunction with an appropriate antituberculous regimen.

If corticosteroids are indicated in patients with latent tuberculosis or tuberculin reactivity, close observation is necessary as reactivation of the disease may occur. During prolonged corticosteroid therapy, these patients should receive chemoprophylaxis.

Literature reports suggest an apparent association between use of corticosteroids and left ventricular free wall rupture after a recent myocardial infarction; therefore, therapy with corticosteroids should be used with great caution in these patients.

Usage in Pregnancy

Since adequate human reproduction studies have not been done with corticosteroids, use of these drugs in pregnancy or in women of childbearing potential requires that the anticipated benefits be weighed against the possible hazards to the mother and embryo or fetus. Infants born of mothers who have received substantial doses of corticosteroids during pregnancy should be carefully observed for signs of hypoadrenalism.

Corticosteroids appear in breast milk and could suppress growth, interfere with endogenous corticosteroid production, or cause other unwanted effects. Mothers taking pharmacologic doses of corticosteroids should be advised not to nurse.

Legal Issues

There is currently no legal information available for this drug.

FDA Safety Alerts

There are currently no FDA safety alerts available for this drug.

Manufacturer Warnings

There is currently no manufacturer warning information available for this drug.

FDA Labeling Changes

There are currently no FDA labeling changes available for this drug.

Uses

  1. Endocrine Disorders
    Primary or secondary adrenocortical insufficiency (hydrocortisone or cortisone is the first choice; synthetic analogs may be used in conjunction with mineralocorticoids where applicable; in infancy mineralocorticoid supplementation is of particular importance).
    Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
    Nonsuppurative thyroiditis
    Hypercalcemia associated with cancer
  2. Rheumatic Disorders
    As adjunctive therapy for short-term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in:
    Psoriatic arthritis
    Rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (selected cases may require low-dose maintenance therapy)
    Ankylosing spondylitis
    Acute and subacute bursitis
    Acute nonspecific tenosynovitis
    Acute gouty arthritis
    Post-traumatic osteoarthritis
    Synovitis of osteoarthritis
    Epicondylitis
  3. Collagen Diseases
    During an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of:
    Systemic lupus erythematosus
    Acute rheumatic carditis
    Systemic dermatomyositis (polymyositis)
  4. Dermatologic Diseases
    Pemphigus
    Bullous dermatitis herpetiformis
    Severe erythema multiforme (Stevens-Johnson syndrome)
    Exfoliative dermatitis
    Mycosis fungoides
    Severe psoriasis
    Severe seborrheic dermatitis
  5. Allergic States
    Control of severe or incapacitating allergic conditions intractable to adequate trials of conventional treatment:
    Seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis
    Bronchial asthma
    Contact dermatitis
    Atopic dermatitis
    Serum sickness
    Drug hypersensitivity reactions
  6. Ophthalmic Diseases
    Severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory processes involving the eye and its adnexa, such as:
    Allergic conjunctivitis
    Keratitis
    Allergic corneal marginal ulcers
    Herpes zoster ophthalmicus
    Iritis and iridocyclitis
    Chorioretinitis
    Anterior segment inflammation
    Diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis
    Optic neuritis
    Sympathetic ophthalmia
  7. Respiratory Diseases
    Symptomatic sarcoidosis
    Loeffler's syndrome not manageable by other means
    Berylliosis
    Fulminating or disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculosis chemotherapy
    Aspiration pneumonitis
  8. Hematologic Disorders
    Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in adults
    Secondary thrombocytopenia in adults
    Acquired (autoimmune) hemolytic anemia
    Erythroblastopenia (RBC anemia)
    Congenital (erythroid) hypoplastic anemia
  9. Neoplastic Diseases
    For palliative management of:
    Leukemias and lymphomas in adults
    Acute leukemia of childhood
  10. Edematous States
    To induce a diuresis or remission of proteinuria in the nephrotic syndrome, without uremia, of the idiopathic type or that due to lupus erythematosus
  11. Gastrointestinal Diseases
    To tide the patient over a critical period of the disease in:
    Ulcerative colitis
    Regional enteritis
  12. Miscellaneous
    Tuberculous meningitis with subarachnoid block or impending block when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculous chemotherapy
    Trichinosis with neurologic or myocardial involvement

History

There is currently no drug history available for this drug.

Other Information

Glucocorticoids are adrenocortical steroids, both naturally occurring and synthetic, which are readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.

Cortisone acetate is a white or practically white, odorless, crystalline powder. It is stable in air. It is insoluble in water. The molecular weight is 402.49. It is designated chemically as 21-(acetyloxy)-17-hydroxypregn-4-ene-3,11,20-trione. The molecular formula is C23H30O6 and the structural formula is:

Structural Formula

Cortisone Acetate tablets contain 25 mg of cortisone acetate in each tablet.

Inactive ingredients are Anhydrous Lactose, Colloidal Silicon Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, and Sodium Starch Glycolate.

Cortisone Acetate Manufacturers


  • West-ward Pharmaceutical Corp
    Cortisone Acetate Tablet [West-ward Pharmaceutical Corp]
  • Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.
    Cortisone Acetate Tablet [Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.]
  • Hikma Pharmaceutical
    Cortisone Acetate Tablet [Hikma Pharmaceutical]
  • West-ward Pharmaceutical Corp
    Cortisone Acetate Tablet [West-ward Pharmaceutical Corp]

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