updated 02.09.2021
What Is Cephalexin?
Brand names: Keflex, Cepcid, Cepmax, others.
Generic name: Cephalexin.
Available doses: 250mg, 500mg and 750mg.
Cephalexin is an antibiotic used to treat an infection or prevent infection (common infections, bone, urinary tract infections, ear respiratory skin, etc.) as determined by your doctor.
Dosage
The adult dosage of the drug varies anywhere from 250 to 500 milligrams.
You can take medicine up to four times a day, spreading doses equally throughout the day. Doing so, we maintain a constant level of the drug in the body to fight that infection.
You may take it with food. If a stomach set occurs, food is not necessary.
What about drinking alcohol? No interaction has been noted. You’re not likely to have a reaction.
If you’re in a social situation and need to have a drink or two, you will not have any adverse reaction to alcohol. But, it’s probably best to avoid if you’re fighting an infection.
Cephalexin Side effects
You may experience the following side effects during treatment:
dyspepsia, diarrhea, very seldom pseudomembranous colitis, delicacy, tremor, giddiness, allergic reactions.
These other side effects are rare and will disappear after you stop taking the drug.
If you have side effects mentioned above or more severe adverse reactions, contact your doctor.
Interaction And Precautions
Tylenol or Advil
No significant reactions have been noted of Cephalexin To Tylenol or Advil. Most people can take their common cold preparations or anything for a symptomatic treatment while they are Cephalexin.
If you tolerate Tylenol and Advil on a regular basis without issue, then there should be no issues here.
If you’re not sure if you should use Tylenol or Advil, talk to your physician.
Remember, Advil is in the NSAID family and thus can increase blood pressure. It can be a little hard in the stomach.
Exposure To Sun
Photosensitivity has not been reported, but you should always be mindful of your sun exposure.
You need to be out in the sun for a long time without some protection.
Milk
Taking Cephalexin with milk and dairy products doesn’t seem to be a big issue. You can take medicine with or without food. And if you got some cheese or a glass of milk, that’s going to be all right.
Multivitamins
Avoid taking multivitamins during treatment. It seems like the zinc might reduce the effectiveness of that medication.
Metformin
There is an interaction with metformin. However, Cephalexin can increase metformin levels. Is that a big deal?
It depends on the person and kidney function. Your doctor may determine to reduce the dose. Many people are going to tolerate it without even noticing.
If you’re already at high risk of side effects from metformin, then that’s probably when we need to be more mindful.
But do contact your provider if you’re uncertain about that or if you are using metformin and you think you have side effects.
Pregnancy and Cephalexin
Cephalexin is categorized in Category B, meaning it’s considered safe during pregnancy.
As with many drugs and pregnancy, we don’t have a large amount of data. But it does seem it has been used frequently and without any issues.
Animal studies did not show any adverse events.
It does cross the placenta and gets into the infant’s system but doesn’t seem to cause any congenital disabilities or other issues.
Birth defects have not been noted, but it’s a risk versus benefit as with everything in pregnancy.
Often, taking an antibiotic is a good idea because it reduces the other risks.
Breastfeeding
Despite that a small amount of the drug is found in breast milk, it doesn’t seem to cause any breastfeeding issues either. The likelihood that Cephalexin would cause problems with the infant is very low.
You want to discuss the risk versus benefit with your doctor. Untreated infection can put the mother and the baby’s lives at risk. But overuse of unnecessary medications could put them both at risk of side effects.
Penicillin Allergy
Yes, there is somewhat we call cross-sensitivity, which can occur in one in 10 people.
Usually, it all depends on how severe was your penicillin allergy. In most cases, it is just a stomach upset, which is not considered to be an allergy reaction.
If you had a terrible allergy rash over your whole body, difficulty breathing, then you have to stop taking the drug. But, your doctor will consider many factors like the type of the current infection and the severity of the allergy.
Can You Buy Cephalexin Over The Counter?
You cannot buy Cephalexin OTC in the US or Canada. In order to get the drug, you have to have a prescription from your doctor.
You can also try to order Cephalexin online from pharmacies, which do not require a prescription. However, in this case, you are risking getting a drug of low quality.
Cephalexin Price
What is the price of Cephalexin without insurance? Here are strategies to get the best price when you don’t have insurance coverage.
First of all, the capsules of Cephalexin are usually cheaper than the tablets. You can ask your doctor to write a prescription for capsules or ask the pharmacist to change to capsules.
Cephalexin is also often found on the pharmacy’s discount list (some pharmacies call it their 4 dollar list).
The average price of Cephalexin is about $20 for 30 capsules. As you can see, it is not very expensive, but you can still get the price down a little bit.
Make sure with your doctor that you need it. The CDC estimates 30% of antibiotics used are not necessarily required.
Make sure your doctor thinks that you have a bacterial infection and you should be treated with Cephalexin.
There are also plenty of discount RX cards, but the prices on them vary enormously. In some pharmacies, you can buy Cephalexin for as low as $10 using the discount card.
Generic Cephalexin Price
| Dosage | Quantity | Price | Price per Pill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 mg | 30 pills | $63.99 | $2.14 |
| 500 mg | 60 pills | $112.99 | $1.88 |
| 500 mg | 90 pills | $157.99 | $1.75 |
| 500 mg | 120 pills | $199.99 | $1.67 |
| 500 mg | 180 pills | $285.99 | $1.59 |
| 500 mg | 270 pills | $420.99 | $1.56 |