Hydrocortisone is used in some medicines to treat:

• piles (haemorrhoids) inside or around your back passage
• itchy bottom (anus)

These treatments don't cure piles but they can help with the pain and itching.

Hydrocortisone treatments for piles come as creams, ointments, foams and suppositories. You can buy them from a pharmacy. Some of these medicines also contain local anaesthetics and other medicines to soothe the symptoms.

Other types of hydrocortisone

There are different types of hydrocortisone, including injections and tablets.

Find out more about other ways you can use hydrocortisone to treat different health problems.

• Which hydrocortisone treatment you use for piles depends on your symptoms. Some products - such as creams and ointments - should only be used on the outside of your body.
• It's usual to apply treatments several times a day - first thing in the morning, last thing at night and after you've done a poo.
• Don't use hydrocortisone treatments for longer than recommended. The local anaesthetic in them can make your skin sensitive. Also, long term use can cause skin thinning.
• Children shouldn't use hydrocortisone piles treatments unless their doctor prescribes them.
• Hydrocortisone treatments for piles can be called by a variety of brand names including the Anusol range, Anugesic HC, Germaloids HC, Perinal, Proctosedyl, Uniroid, Xyloproct and Proctofoam HC.

Hydrocortisone treatments for piles can be used by people aged 16 years and older or 18 years and older depending on the product.

Do not use them on children unless their doctor prescribes them.

Hydrocortisone piles treatments are not suitable for some people.

To make sure hydrocortisone piles treatments are safe for you, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you:

• are allergic to hydrocortisone or any other medicine
• have a skin infection
• are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or you're breastfeeding
• are taking other medicines, such as codeine, which might be making you constipated. Being constipated means you're more likely to get piles.

It's usual to use most treatments for piles several times a day - first thing in the morning, last thing at night and after you've done a poo. Check the patient information leaflet which comes with the product you are using.

Some piles treatments are only for use on the skin around your back passage - such as creams, ointments and sprays. These are for piles on the outside (called 'external piles').

Some piles treatments come with an applicator so you can use the medicine inside your back passage - such as hydrocortisone suppositories and foam. These are for piles on the inside (called 'internal piles').

Don't use hydrocortisone treatments for piles for more than 7 days. Make an appointment to see your doctor if :

• your symptoms haven't got better
• they come back quickly after treatment

How to use it

Cream or ointment for external piles

1. Squeeze the tube of cream or ointment and put a small amount on your finger.
2. Apply the cream or ointment around the outside of your back passage with your finger.
3. Wash your hands afterwards.

Spray for external piles and itchy bottom

1. Wash your hands before and afterwards.
2. Read the instructions in the leaflet that comes with the spray.
3. Before using it the first time you need to get it ready - push the pump down once or twice to do this.
4. Separate your buttocks and spray the area once.

Foam for internal piles

1. Clean around your bottom with mild soap and water, rinse and pat dry.
2. The can of foam comes with an applicator. Read the instructions in the leaflet that comes with them.
3. Fill the applicator with foam
4. Then put the tip of the applicator into your back passage.
5. Push the plunger on the applicator so that the foam goes into your back passage. The leaflet explains how to do this with pictures to help you.
6. Afterwards, take the applicator apart and wash it after each use. Remember to wash your hands too.

Suppositories for internal piles

1. Go to the toilet beforehand if you need to.
2. Wash your hands before and afterwards. Also clean around your back passage with mild soap and water, rinse and pat dry.
3. Unwrap the suppository - which is a small plug of medicine.
4. Stand with one leg up on a chair or lie on your side with one leg bent and the other straight.
5. Gently push the suppository into your back passage with the pointed end first. It needs to go in about 1 inch.
6. Sit or lie still for about 15 minutes. The suppository will melt inside your back passage. This is normal.

What if I forget to use it?

If you forget a treatment, do it as soon as you remember. If you don't remember until you are within a few hours of the next application, don't worry - just skip the missed treatment and go back to your usual treatment routine.

Like all medicines, hydrocortisone treatments for piles can cause side effects although not everyone gets them.

If you use hydrocortisone for a short time, it's very unlikely to cause side effects. You may get a slight increase in burning when you first apply the treatment but this only lasts a few minutes. After a few days of using the hydrocortisone treatment, this usually stops happening.

If you use hydrocortisone treatments for piles for a long time, they can thin the skin around your back passage. It's best not to use these treatments for more than 7 days, or to repeat treatments often.

Serious side effects

If you have an infection around your bottom, hydrocortisone treatments can make it worse. To stop infections, wash the itchy or sore area and pat it dry with a soft, clean towel before applying the hydrocortisone medicine.

Very rarely hydrocortisone gets into the bloodstream. This can cause side effects in other parts of your body.

Tell your doctor straight away if you get:

• more inflamed skin around your bottom - this can be a sign of a skin infection
• very upset stomach or vomiting, very bad dizziness or fainting, muscle weakness, feeling very tired, mood changes, loss of appetite and weight loss - these can be signs of adrenal gland problems
• confused, sleepy, more hungry or thirsty, peeing more often, breathing fast or breath that smells like fruit - these can be signs of high blood sugar high blood sugar

Serious allergic reaction

It's extremely rare to have an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to a hydrocortisone treatment for piles, but if this happens to you, contact a doctor straight away.

These are not all the side effects of hydrocortisone treatments for piles. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

It's generally safe to use hydrocortisone treatments for piles while you're pregnant or breastfeeding but check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist first.

Here's more information on how to treat piles in pregnancy.

Taking other medicines should not affect the way hydrocortisone treatments for piles work.