acticort

How long does Hydrocortisone stay in your body?

The elimination half-life of hydrocortisone is about 1.5 hours — the time it takes the body to clear about half of it. As a rule of thumb, a medicine is mostly gone after roughly 4 to 5 half-lives, though this varies from person to person with age and kidney or liver function. This is the plasma (terminal) elimination half-life; the FDA label states "The terminal half-life of hydrocortisone is about 1.5 hours following intravenous and oral dosing of hydrocortisone tablets" in healthy adults, so roughly 90% of a dose clears within about 8 hours and nearly all within ~12 hours. Hydrocortisone is not a prodrug, but its half-life measures how fast the drug leaves the blood, not how long its effects last: as a short-acting glucocorticoid its biological (tissue) effect on the body persists well beyond blood clearance, and this short plasma half-life is why oral replacement is usually dosed 2-3 times a day. Because hydrocortisone is metabolized in the liver, significant liver impairment can slow clearance; the label does not give a specific half-life adjustment for age, kidney, or liver function. Half-life is not the same as a drug-test detection window.

This is general information, not medical advice. It doesn’t tell you when a drug test would read negative (tests detect substances for different, often longer, windows) or when it’s safe to take another dose — ask your pharmacist or prescriber. Source: ALKINDI SPRINKLE (hydrocortisone) oral granules — FDA prescribing information, DailyMed.

Frequently asked questions

What does Acticort treat?

Acticort (Hydrocortisone) may be used to treat adrenal insufficiency, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, ulcerative colitis, contact dermatitis, facial dermatoses, foot dermatoses, based on NIH RxClass drug-classification data (conditions a drug may treat — not a verbatim copy of the FDA-approved label). This is general reference, not medical advice.

How does Acticort work?

Acticort is a corticosteroid. Corticosteroids mimic the body's natural stress hormone cortisol: they enter cells and bind a glucocorticoid receptor that switches off genes for inflammatory chemicals, calming swelling, redness, and an overactive immune response.

How much does Acticort cost?

Nobody can tell you what you will pay — your price is set by your insurer's formulary, your deductible and the pharmacy's markup, and none of those are published. What IS published is what the pharmacy paid to acquire it: about $0.15 per gm, per the CMS NADAC survey. Treat that as the floor, not the quote — ask the pharmacist for the cash price as well as your copay, because for cheap generics the cash price often wins.

Is there a coupon or discount for Acticort?

pharmaranks is an independent ratings site, not a pharmacy — we don't issue coupons or sell Acticort. To pay less, Acticort is already a generic — usually the lowest-cost version — so the main levers are comparing cash prices between pharmacies and using a pharmacy discount-card service. Prices vary by pharmacy, insurance, and location, so always confirm at the counter. This is general reference, not medical or financial advice.

Who makes Acticort?

Acticort is marketed by Baker Norton. You can see Baker Norton's full profile, rating, and other products on pharmaranks.

Is Acticort a brand-name or generic drug?

Acticort is a generic medication; its active ingredient is Hydrocortisone. Generics contain the same active ingredient as the brand-name original and are usually lower cost.

Is Acticort available over the counter?

No. Acticort is a prescription (Rx) medication in the US — you need a prescription from a licensed clinician (in person or via telehealth); it isn't sold over the counter. For some conditions there are OTC alternatives — ask your pharmacist.

What forms does Acticort come in?

Acticort is currently marketed as topical, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory.

What class of drug is Acticort?

Acticort is classified as corticosteroid, per the FDA's Established Pharmacologic Class.

Is Acticort FDA-registered?

Acticort is on record with the U.S. FDA under application number ANDA086535. You can verify this on its official FDA label.