A post on the Addisonian Board about Cortef versus Hydrocortisone: Re: cortef/hydro Posted By: Amy Date: 10/19/01 12:22 In Response To: Re: Lisa's theory/Paula's questions--cortef proble (Lisa) : I talked to my endo who said that cortef should be the same as hydro, but that she thought addison's patients did better on cortef. She said she would definitely call in a switch though since a) the insurance company charges much less for the hydro and b) a few of you have said you felt better on the hydro. Then, I called my pharmacist who clarified that cortef is the trade name, the brand name that originally held the patent. UpJohn makes it. When the patent for this ran out, other companies made the generic forms, thus hydrocortisone was created. He said Hydrocortisone is the generic form of cortef and is made by many companies. I guess this explains why it is cheaper to purchase. I couldn't get out of either my doc or my pharmacist what cortisone acetate was; it was a muttling of noises about all of them being the same. I am both horrified and hopeful that several of you seem to notice the difference between them! I'll keep you posted. Thanks everyone.