II. Indications
- See First Generation Cephalosporin
- Skin and Soft Tissue Infection
- Streptococcal Pharyngitis
- Simple Urinary Tract Infections (Acute Cystitis)
- Not indicated for Otitis Media (inadequate coverage due to resistance)
III. Medications
- Capsule
- Strengths: 250,500,750 mg (generics available)
- Tablet
- Strengths: 250,500 mg (generics available)
- Oral Suspension
- Strengths: 125,250 mg/5ml (generics available)
IV. Dosing: Higher Dose (GFR >60 ml/min)
- Indications
- Pneumonia
- Genitourinary Infection
- Skin and Soft Tissue Infection
- Dose
- Adults (age >15 years): 250-500 mg orally four times daily (max 4 g/day)
- Children: 25-50 mg/kg/day (max 100 mg/kg/day) divided four times daily
V. Dosing: Lower Dose (GFR >60 ml/min)
- Indications
- Simple Urinary Tract Infection (treat for 5-7 days)
- Streptococcal Pharyngitis (treat for 10 days)
- Dose
- Adults (age >15 years): 500 mg orally twice daily
- Children: 25-50 mg/kg/day (max 100 mg/kg/day) divided twice daily
VI. Dosing: Renal
VII. Safety
- Pregnancy Category B (All Trimesters)
- Safe in Lactation
VIII. Pharmacokinetics
- Absorption: Not affected by meals
- Peak Activity: >1 hours
- Primary Elimination: Renal
IX. Resources
X. References
- (2012) Presc Lett, Resource #280706, Comparison of Cephalosporins
- Hamilton (2020) Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia
Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)
Related Studies
| cephalexin (on 11/23/2022 at Medicaid.Gov Survey of pharmacy drug pricing) | ||
| CEPHALEXIN 125 MG/5 ML SUSP | Generic | $0.06 per ml |
| CEPHALEXIN 250 MG CAPSULE | Generic | $0.08 each |
| CEPHALEXIN 250 MG/5 ML SUSP | Generic | $0.08 per ml |
| CEPHALEXIN 500 MG CAPSULE | Generic | $0.13 each |
| CEPHALEXIN 500 MG TABLET | Generic | $1.64 each |
Ontology: Cephalexin (C0007716)
| Definition (CHV) | an antibiotic drug |
| Definition (CHV) | an antibiotic drug |
| Definition (NCI) | A beta-lactam, first-generation cephalosporin antibiotic with bactericidal activity. Cephalexin binds to and inactivates penicillin-binding proteins (PBP) located on the inner membrane of the bacterial cell wall. Inactivation of PBPs interferes with the cross-linking of peptidoglycan chains necessary for bacterial cell wall strength and rigidity. This results in the weakening of the bacterial cell wall and causes cell lysis. Compared to second and third generation cephalosporins, cephalexin is more active against gram-positive and less active against gram-negative organisms. |
| Definition (NCI_NCI-GLOSS) | An antibiotic drug that belongs to the family of drugs called cephalosporins. |
| Definition (MSH) | A semisynthetic cephalosporin antibiotic with antimicrobial activity similar to that of CEPHALORIDINE or CEPHALOTHIN, but somewhat less potent. It is effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. |
| Definition (PDQ) | A beta-lactam, first-generation cephalosporin antibiotic with bactericidal activity. Cephalexin binds to and inactivates penicillin-binding proteins (PBP) located on the inner membrane of the bacterial cell wall. Inactivation of PBPs interferes with the cross-linking of peptidoglycan chains necessary for bacterial cell wall strength and rigidity. This results in the weakening of the bacterial cell wall and causes cell lysis. Compared to second and third generation cephalosporins, cephalexin is more active against gram-positive and less active against gram-negative organisms. Check for "http://www.cancer.gov/Search/ClinicalTrialsLink.aspx?id=43417&idtype=1" active clinical trials or "http://www.cancer.gov/Search/ClinicalTrialsLink.aspx?id=43417&idtype=1&closed=1" closed clinical trials using this agent. ("http://nciterms.nci.nih.gov:80/NCIBrowser/ConceptReport.jsp?dictionary=NCI_Thesaurus&code=C356" NCI Thesaurus) |
| Concepts | Antibiotic (T195) , Organic Chemical (T109) |
| MSH | D002506 |
| SnomedCT | 54887004, 387304003 |
| LNC | LP15264-2, MTHU005030 |
| English | Cefalexin, Cephalexin, 5-Thia-1-azabicyclo(4.2.0)oct-2-ene-2-carboxylic acid, 7-((aminophenylacetyl)amino)-3-methyl-8-oxo-, (6R-(6alpha,7beta(R*)))-, cephalexin, cephalexin (medication), CEPHALEXIN, Cephalexin [Chemical/Ingredient], cefalexin, Cephalexin (product), Cephalexin (substance) |
| Swedish | Cefalexin |
| Czech | cefalexin |
| Finnish | Kefaleksiini |
| German | Cefalexin, Cephalexin |
| Russian | TSEFALEKSIN, ЦЕФАЛЕКСИН |
| Japanese | セファレキシン |
| Croatian | CEFALEKSIN |
| Polish | Cefaleksyna |
| Spanish | cefalexina (producto), cefalexina (sustancia), cefalexina, Cefalexina |
| French | Céfalexine |
| Italian | Cefalexina |
| Portuguese | Cefalexina |
Ontology: Keflex (C0700517)
| Concepts | Antibiotic (T195) , Organic Chemical (T109) |
| English | Keflex, keflex |
