Drug & supplement interaction

Bee Venom + Hydrocortisone

Hydrocortisone brand names: Cortef, Hydrocortone, Carmol HC cream, Hydrocortisone Iodoquinol Cream, Vytone Cream, and others.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Bee Venom has a moderate interaction with Hydrocortisone. Bee venom might stimulate immune system activity.Theoretically, bee venom might interfere with immunosuppressant therapy.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Bee Venom and Hydrocortisone

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to Hydrocortisone

Hydrocortisone falls under IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS — the group Bee Venom interacts with.

Bee venom might stimulate immune system activity.Theoretically, bee venom might interfere with immunosuppressant therapy. Immunosuppressant drugs include azathioprine (Imuran), basiliximab (Simulect), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), daclizumab (Zenapax), muromonab-CD3 (OKT3, Orthoclone OKT3), mycophenolate (CellCept), tacrolimus (FK506, Prograf), sirolimus (Rapamune), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), corticosteroids (glucocorticoids), and others.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the basic idea with this pairing. When you take hydrocortisone, the goal is usually to calm down or quiet the immune system, whether that's easing arthritis flares, allergic reactions, or other inflammatory conditions. Bee venom seems to push in the opposite direction. In lab and animal studies, it appears to stir up immune activity, so in theory it could work against what your hydrocortisone is trying to do.

I want to be honest about how strong this concern is: it's theoretical, based on test tube and animal data, not real patient cases. Still, if you're relying on hydrocortisone to control a serious condition, anything that might blunt its effect is worth a quick chat. Please don't change your steroid dose on your own. Just run the bee venom idea by your doctor or pharmacist first.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Cuende E, Fraguas J, Pena JE, et al. Beekeepers' arthropathy. J Rheumatol 1999;26:2684-90.
  2. Bomalaski JS, Ford T, Hudson AP, Clark MA. Phospholipase A2-activating protein induces the synthesis of IL-1 and TNF in human monocytes. J Immunol 1995;154:4027-31. DOI

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Bee Venom Also Interacts With Other Medications

Bee Venom has 120 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Hydrocortisone one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 120 No known interaction 2,710 (incl. Hydrocortisone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bee Venom

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Bee Venom. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Bee Venom or Hydrocortisone

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Bee Venom or Hydrocortisone, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Hydrocortisone

This page covers Bee Venom only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Hydrocortisone page lists 205 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lily-of-the-valley (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Acacia Rigidula (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 164 moderate · 37 minor.

Open the Hydrocortisone interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Bee Venom as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 2 real supplement products containing Bee Venom, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Bee Venom. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Hydrocortisone too, on top of Bee Venom — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Bee Venom and Hydrocortisone Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Bee Venom
Top half

#669 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Hydrocortisone
Top 25%

#464 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Bee Venom

What is Bee Venom?

Bee Venom
  • Joint pain and arthritis
  • Muscle and nerve pain
  • Bee sting allergy desensitization
  • Skin and cosmetic uses
  • Multiple sclerosis (traditional/alternative use)

Bee venom is a complex mixture of proteins and other compounds taken from honeybees and used in traditional medicine for pain and inflammation, and in conventional medicine for allergy shots to prevent severe sting reactions. Outside of supervised allergy treatment, strong evidence for its benefits is lacking, and it can cause serious allergic reactions, so it should only be used under medical supervision.

Read the full Bee Venom monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Hydrocortisone

What Is Hydrocortisone Used For?

Brand names: Cortef, Hydrocortone, Carmol HC cream, Hydrocortisone Iodoquinol Cream, Vytone Cream, Massengil Medicated Towelettes, Dioderm, Efcortelan Cream, Mildison, Alphaderm, Calmurid HC, Efcortelan Ointment, Texacort, Alkindi Sprinkle

Hydrocortisone is used to calm skin inflammation and relieve itching caused by conditions that respond to corticosteroid treatment. In adults, it treats a broad range of inflammatory skin conditions. In children as young as 3 months old, it is specifically approved for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis (eczema).

It is also used in rectal foam form to treat inflammation of the lower bowel, such as ulcerative proctitis.

See full Hydrocortisone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bee Venom

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Bee Venom — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
120Moderate
0Minor
2,709No known interaction
120 Moderate 2,709 No interaction
Moderate

120 interactions

Showing 60 of 120 moderate interactions — see all 120 on the Bee Venom page.

No interaction 2,709 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Bee Venom against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,709 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Bee Venom list.

See the full Bee Venom interactions page
See every supplement checked against Hydrocortisone, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Bee Venom monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Hydrocortisone supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Hydrocortisone, ranked by severity Hydrocortisone drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Bee Venom and Hydrocortisone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Bee Venom with Hydrocortisone?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
How serious is the Bee Venom and Hydrocortisone interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Hydrocortisone and Bee Venom?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.