Anyone Ever Take Cephalexin (Keflex) Antibiotic?

[HeatherC]

My dd 15 was diagnosed last Tuesday with Strep Throat. Problem is she is still sick!

They gave her amoxicillin for two days which did not work so they switched her to Cephalexin on Thursday. She started feeling better over the weekend, but was very nauseous and pretty tired. Went to school Mon and threw up. Last two days she has had really bad nausea and stomach cramps and throws up if she eats. Took her to dr again yesterday and they think it is just a virus. I think it is the medicine because her stomach has been getting worse since she started it. She had two doses yesterday and then had a rash on her legs last night. Today she is home again. Woke up too nauseous and cramping to go to school and has been sleeping for two hours now.

Today was supposed to be her last day on the antibiotic, but I am not giving it to her. All her symptoms point to the side effects for it but the doctors don't believe me.

I know antibiotics can wreak havoc on your digestive sysytem and wonder if this is the case?

They also tested blood, urine and ran a mono test...all fine. Also no fever at all and she can drink.

Wondering if anyone else has ever taken this and reacted from it?

Very concerning because tomorrow will be two weeks since she started getting sick.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Coconut36]

My oldest got it with strep once..it was horrible to his stomach. Honestly if it was me I would give her the final dose..otherwise it makes her entire round of anitbiotics ineffective.

Probiotics can really help when taking or finishing antibiotics. Yogurt is a simple one, they make some you can buy OTC and chew/swallow and I really like a product called Kefir (it's kind of like liquid yogurt..is a bit on the tart side taste wise but loaded with tons of probiotics). Getting her putting some good bacteria back into her stomach might go a long way towards her feeling better. Hope she is back to normal soon!

 

[Mandychelle79]

My dd 15 was diagnosed last Tuesday with Strep Throat. Problem is she is still sick!

They gave her amoxicillin for two days which did not work so they switched her to Cephalexin on Thursday. She started feeling better over the weekend, but was very nauseous and pretty tired. Went to school Mon and threw up. Last two days she has had really bad nausea and stomach cramps and throws up if she eats. Took her to dr again yesterday and they think it is just a virus. I think it is the medicine because her stomach has been getting worse since she started it. She had two doses yesterday and then had a rash on her legs last night. Today she is home again. Woke up too nauseous and cramping to go to school and has been sleeping for two hours now.

Today was supposed to be her last day on the antibiotic, but I am not giving it to her. All her symptoms point to the side effects for it but the doctors don't believe me.

I know antibiotics can wreak havoc on your digestive sysytem and wonder if this is the case?

They also tested blood, urine and ran a mono test...all fine. Also no fever at all and she can drink.

Wondering if anyone else has ever taken this and reacted from it?

Very concerning because tomorrow will be two weeks since she started getting sick.

Thanks for any input!

The rash would concern me. Keflex is actually one of the ABX I can take.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

The rash would concern me. Keflex is actually one of the ABX I can take.

That was my thought as well. That is a symptom of an allergic reaction usually. Call the PHARMACIST and ask. Doctors don't know the ins and outs of every medication but PHARMACISTS do.

Hope your DD gets to feeling better. Most antibiotics make my oldest DD horribly sick to her stomach so it is very hard for us to get her to take them.

 

[ilovepcot]

Call the PHARMACIST and ask. Doctors don't know the ins and outs of every medication but PHARMACISTS do.

This is true. My doctor is a personal friend and he'll often tell me to "hold on"....he wants to run a med by Bill first who is also our friend and pharmacist. Freely admits that Bill will know more about the drug in question. He always does!

 

[2binak]

Our DD (3) has been on Keflex a couple of times and never had a reaction. She did get sick on Augmentin though. She threw up 2 out of 4 doses so they stopped it and put her on Amox.

I agree with others that you should contact the pharmacist. Even if you're done with the script, just to have the information if the dr wants to give her Keflex in the future.

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

I'm on it right now and have not had any problems. I hope things get better for everyone!

 

[Darcy03231]

OP, sounds like your daughter is having an allergic reaction to the drug. I'm allergic to this category (anything that starts with cephla) and her symptoms are the same as what I had.

 

[dzorn]

Scarlet Fever
Scarlet fever is simply strep throat with a rash. Symptoms include sore throat, fever, headache, abdominal pain, and swollen neck glands. After 1-2 days, a red rash with a sandpaper texture appears, after 7-14 days, the rash sloughs off. Scarlet fever is very contagious, but good hand washing can reduce its spread. Call your pediatrician immediately if you think your child has it, and treat with antibiotics to avoid serious complications.(clipped and paste from webMD)


Strep can cause a rash and stomach pains.

Denise in MI

 

[leight]

dd11 is just finishing her last dose today too. She's allergic to amoxicillan so she has been on this many times. If she has a rash it would definitely indicate some kind of reaction. Call a pharmacist for sure. I also have the kids take yogurt when on antibiotics as it helps make sure that they don't get canker sores or yeast infections/urinary tract infections.

Also, make sure that she is not drinking or eating grapefruit. It has a horrible effect on many meds and can really increase the stomach issues when on a new medication.

 

[Anna_Marie]

I took it a few years ago and had a horrible reaction to it. Started off with severe stomach cramps, diareaha (sp) and then I vomited. As soon as that happened I broke out from head to toe in hives. Even in my scalp. Horrible. I list it as something I am allergic to now just in case.

 

[snapppyd]

I've been on it for a week for a tooth abcess. I eat yogurt every day and have no stomach issues. BUT, it turns out the pharmacist put the wrong directions on my prescription and had me taking 2x the prescribed dose. Yesterday I broke out in a rash on my stomach and chest. The pharmacy advised taking benadryl, which I can't tolerate. I cut the dose in half and am trying to finish - I have 4 capsules left.

I would call the pharmacy and check the prescription.

 

[ols386]

I was curious as to why they would take her off of amoxicilian after only two days. How would they know at that point in time that it wasn't working. If it's a severe case of strep throat, it might take longer than 48 hours to know if it was working or not.

 

[Mandychelle79]

I was curious as to why they would take her off of amoxicilian after only two days. How would they know at that point in time that it wasn't working. If it's a severe case of strep throat, it might take longer than 48 hours to know if it was working or not.

They probably cultured it and it came back resistant.

 

[mischief32]

Keplex makes me vomit. I do think this is the problem with her stomach.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

I had surgery on the 20th and have been on Cephalexin ever since. My prescription has me taking one 500mg capsule four times a day for 7 days.

On Tuesday I had my follow-up appointment and they reordered the same med because I have 2 areas that are puffy and red along the stitches.

I haven't had any problems with the meds other than they haven't done a thing to get rid of the problem area.

An earlier poster mentioned scarlet fever...could that be it? My DD13 had it when she was younger and what you posted as side-effects mimics her symptoms.

 

[HeatherC]

Hi Everyone! Thank you all for you input!

They did culture it and it did come back resistant which is why they switched from amoxicillin. I have since learned that they are finding this a lot now. It is becoming resistant to Amox.

Funny thing is that it started as a cold and she was just exhausted and lethargic. Sniffly, congested, sneezing and coughing, acy, dizzy, etc.. No sore throat and no fever all along. She did throw up once before taking any ABX, but that was when she was having a mucus coughing fit.

When we went to the doctor, the kid before us had a sore throat and they found he had strep. So for some reason, they had it on the brain and tested my dd...even though she didn't really have the typical symptoms. Thank goodness they did, though.

Since the Keflex, her stomach is a mess! She managed to get some yogurt down yesterday and just now. Am definitely pushing that along with fluids. Apple Cider seems to be what she can tolerate now.

Am waiting to hear back from doctor again about the rash. It is definitely not scarlet fever since it appeared only on her legs (last night and over the weekend once) and was gone this morning.

Will keep you posted on what I found from the doctor.

Hate when kids are sick!!!

Really appreciate the replies...helps to get another perspective...especially since we have been locked at home way too long.

 

[HeatherC]

Oh...no swollen glands either and her CBC bloodwork was fine.

 

[Sadie22]

Many moons ago DS was on liquid Keflex or cephalexin. I don't remember which now or even why he was taking it. He needed a refill and the drug store only had the opposite of what he had been taking, so if he was on cephalexin, he got brand name Keflex upon refill. The flavoring was also different. We think the first time it was cherry but the second time strawberry. He developed a rash on both thighs that was so severe we thought he would be scarred for life. We immediately stopped giving it to him and another drug was diagnosed. It took three to four weeks for the marks to disappear.

Whether it was the drug, the flavoring, or the coloring of the drug, we don't know. He has never reacted to anything else. We've told him to always say he's allergic to Keflex.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

I have been prescribed Keflex before and it made me very nauseous but I never did throw up. After 2 days of feeling sick I stopped the meds. The doctor NEVER thinks it is side effects of the medicine. It's like they are so enamored with these meds that they prescribe them then stick their heads in the sand. Even when it is KNOWN side effects. Crazy!