Cephalexin : Oral Antibiotic

Brand:
Reviews
3.7
116 Reviews

Active Ingredients:
250 mg, 333 mg, 500 mg, or 750 mg of Cephalexin.

Inactive Ingredients:
Cellulose, D & C Yellow No. 10, F D & C Blue No. 1, F D & C Yellow No. 6, gelatin, magnesium stearate, silicone, titanium dioxide.

The list of ingredients above is provided for informational purposes only. Always check the actual product label in your possession for the most accurate ingredient information due to product changes or upgrades that may not yet be reflected on our web site.

5
28.4%
4
35.3%
3
20.7%
2
10.3%
1
5.2%

Used Cephalexin : Oral Antibiotic? Rate It:

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July 28, 2014
Worked with aczone and retin-a
I took these pills at the same time I started using aczone and retin-a creams. The results were visible in a couple months. There were noticeably less active pimples, and most of what I had on my face were marks. Still dealing with the marks today, but at least I don't have to deal with active pimples much anymore
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October 30, 2013
Very Helpful!

Pros:

It helps speed up the process of healing.
Really reduces the inflammation of your acne.
Not many scars are produced as draining would leave.

Cons:

The relief is only temporary; however long you're on it.
Strong medicine! Use with caution!

Cephalexin really helped me heal almost immediately of severe swelling, throbbing, and oozing of my acne. I really saw an improvement on the texture of my skin; there was not so many bumps anymore.
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July 31, 2013
Amazing for certain types of acne!!!

Pros:

Works quickly
Reduces inflammation

Cons:

Fatigue

This is definitely an antibiotic worth trying if you are struggling with acne scabs that won't heal. It brings down inflammation very quickly and helps stop the oozing and leaking from open sores. This is an antibiotic for various infections including SKIN infections. For me, it is a miracle in healing my skin, even though it does make me tired. I have realized though that I have to back off it for a while and only use it when I am having a particularly difficult time healing otherwise the effect sort of plateaus and I don't get the same great results. I take 500 mg twice a day. My doctor did not want me to use too often either bc of becoming immune to it. I only get cysts and/or watery kind of pimple things on my chin. They hurt and take forever to heal and keep filling up and have to be re drained or popped to bring down the swelling. This truly makes them start to heal within a day. They are not gone immediately obviously but I can see the redness and swelling reduced very quickly. Because it helps heal the skin quickly, it does reduce the amount of scarring.
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May 26, 2013

Pros:

Cost me $1.00
Doesn't make me puke

Cons:

slow to work (if at all)
caused yeast inf & vaginal problems

I am 32f, saw derm for terrible breakouts on back that I've never had before. Diagnosed foliculitis and acne. Prescribed doxy and clindamiacin cream. Doxy caused vommiting so he switched to keflex. After one week no improvement, back is worse, face is same. Caused yeast infection plus bad feminine itch. Holding out in hopes it will work soon, but it's not looking good. I don't understand how I could have a clear back all my life and now all of a sudden there are zits Everywhere all over it.
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February 25, 2013

Pros:

acne much better than without any treatment

Cons:

does not clear my acne completely

without treatment, I would get deeper and more painful acne in more places on my face. with cephalexIn, I don't get as many of those, but I still get some, and I still have less severe acne in a number of places on my face and body. for someone looking to clear their acne completely, this might not be a perfect fit
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February 22, 2013

Pros:

It works quickly.

Cons:

Not a great idea treating your whole body to target on problem area.

Works really well for me. I have cystic acne on occasion and in a few days it is cleared up. I have been on Accutane three different times. (I'm 34 M) I've never had side effects from it but obviously that's not an option anymore. Trying the Blue Light treatment as well.
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February 15, 2013

Pros:

None

Cons:

Everything.
Takes six weeks to see improvement, that's of coarse IF you see improvements
Typical anti-biotic BS I.e.. Stomach cramps, runs, etc...
Dry out my skin soooooo bad around my jaw line making it extremely hard to eat

Let me just start off by saying I'm not a typical patient, I know the medical field and am very fimiliar with pharmaceuticals. So typically when I go to see a doctor I end up getting what I'm looking for. I know the Rx and I know what these drugs are doing in my body. I also know the different families and what's Strong and what's not. That being said... Long story short, my acne was so severe I went in telling them i wamt acutane not some garabge anti biotic. I qualified for acutane, but my PA(not doctor) wouldn't give it to me. She gave me Doxy instead. After 2 months on that I saw incredible changes. The experience sucked horribly but it did work. Sadly I knew that with anti biotics in 2-5 months my acne would return. Sure enough 2 months after my acne started to break out again, I went back tellin her that I tried the doxy, it worked, but now it's coming back, I want acutane. She gave me the run around and talked about how she has no issue prescribing acutane but than proceeded to attempt to scare me outta the medication. So I just said, whatever, give me more doxy since that worked last time. She wouldnt(big surprise....not!) and gave me the keflex. I told her I didn't want it, that keflex isn't nearly as powerful as doxy, I wanted the doxy. She wouldn't give me the doxy, so I walked out with the keflex. It's been about 6-7 weeks and of coarse, big surprise, it hasn't done crap. When i called to be switched back to Doxy the PA WOUKDNT DO IT!! Garbage anti biotic. I go back on the 20th to speak to an actual doctor about my skin. Hopefully they'll stop giving me the run around and just give me the acutane.
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December 2, 2015
BoozeBaron - Although I understand your intentions in attempting to prove ignorance, you're quite rude and condescending. It seems as though you have a little to improve on yourself . . . It's "affected" not "effected" . . . and when using postscripts, it's "PPS" not "PSS" . . . it's Post-Postscript . . . not Postscript Script. Cast the first stone! Next time, use your knowledge to positively assist someone without simultaneously insulting them.
October 18, 2012

Pros:

Slight improvements already 2 days on it.

Cons:

Nothing yet.

After being on doxy for 7 months it stopped working for me and ulitmately got worse than it has ever been. Too afraid to go on accutane because of the initial IB lasting to up to 2 months or end of course treatment I felt antibiotics were faster and was the right choice right now. I mentioned to my Derm about putting me on Minocycline since from what I read those who get immuned to Doxy just switch within the family. He however strongly suggested I try this medicine before doing that but it was my choice he said he would put me on that if that's what I wanted. Obviously I went with his decision, what the hell do I know about all these meds. He also prescribed two topicals, one for day and night. Aczone for the morning and Tazorac for the night. I'm on 250mg. I wonder if that's enough since I read some of you on 500 mg, and believe me when I say my acne is severe. One thing I noticed is a slight pain with my jaw. That however could just be cause by my body for whatever reason and not the meds. Oh and I've only gotten diarrhea once. I really don't see any problems with the drug. Believe me it is way better than Doxy in my personal experience and opinion. Doxy tastes disgusting even when you shot take it like a shot glass, it made me extremely nauseous and tired. Oh boy it was hard for me to get through my work shifts when on Doxy, I was always so tired. So sometimes I would skip a day without it. Doxy really screwed me over, even though it cleared my face for the most part of 6 to 7 months, it left me with a hideous acne I have never had this bad.
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September 27, 2012

Pros:

It works. A noticeable reduction in the size and frequency of acne within 2 weeks, blemish-free after that for about 3 weeks (in combination with benzoyl peroxide). I was breaking out with large, deep, inflamed cysts once a week on average beforehand.

Cons:

Temporary, as antibiotic use should be.

Strange, but minor, headache when I first began taking it. Lasted less than a day.

I'm a 31 year old male and have been struggling with acne for years. I started using Dan's regimen 4 years ago which improved my acne dramatically. A year ago, however, I started breaking out with the large, deep, cystic pimples I've always been prone to. No explanation for that yet. A family doctor put me on cephalexin as a hold-me-over until I could see a dermatologist. I was skeptical, having been put on minocycline years before with no improvement. Taking cephalexin, however, has been a minor godsend. (I've continued using benzoyl peroxide as well). I've developed 3 cysts since taking it but each was progressively less severe than the ones before and they healed even faster. This respite has allowed my remaining spots to fade significantly without just piling on more cysts on top of them. Acne sufferers know that at desperate times they'll take what they can get, which is why I'm rating this highly as an effective, yet temporary, fix for moderately severe acne.
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August 29, 2012

Pros:

Eliminates cystic acne.
Diminishes redness and irritation.
Helped blackheads.

Cons:

Hasn't completely eliminated acne.
Some minor stomach discomfort and "the runs" if taken on a completely empty stomach.

An O.K. product, but I've only been using it for a month now. As with most antibiotics, stomach discomfort is a common side effect. Personally, I cannot take it on a completely empty stomach. I am prescribed 500mg capsules to be taken twice a day. I try to take them at the exact same time everyday and night (11 am & 11 pm) bcuz I've noticed a flare up if I take the product at different times. I suppose that everyone is different, so side effect response will undoubtedly vary; however, you should expect some effect on you stomach and/or GI tract by taking this product for more that 3 months. I use to think that I would never have to take an oral antibiotic, after taking clindamycin (topical) for over a year and having it work miracles on my skin. But after bouncing around to different products (retin-A, differin, erythromycin), I've realized that my skin is very difficult to treat, and topical medications were simply insufficient. My description: 22 year old male (latin/white). Extremely oily skin - combo skin (t-zone can get dry). Moderate acne for the last 5 years. My routine: Morning - Cetaphil Foam Wash - awesome btw Aczone Keflex (cephalexin) Night - Cetaphil Foam Wash Tazorac 0.1% gel Cetaphil lotion - moisturize as needed In addition, I take a multivitamin (high potency), Fish Oil (360mg twice a day), Zinc (50mg), Vitamin D (3000 IU), as well as drinking plenty of water and avoiding cheese and sweets. I also try to get as much sun as possible. Hope my review helps someone out there decide whether Keflex is the right product for them.
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