A review of the drug events reported by 12,917 patients treated with cephalexin
Burt, R.A.
Postgraduate Medical Journal 59 Suppl. 5: 47-53
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0032-5473 PMID: 6364090 Document Number: 210640
This paper reviews the adverse events reported by 12,917 patients treated with cephalexin in formal clinical trials. Six percent of all patients reported adverse events, and in 3% the association with the drug was thought to be definite or probable. In the remaining 3%, the relationship was uncertain. The gastrointestinal system was most commonly involved, with diarrhoea being reported by 164 patients. Patients in the upper and lower age ranges reported more events than those in the middle range, and most events were reported 6-15 days after treatment started. Patients who received cephalexin 4 times a day reported more events than those who were treated twice daily. Four hundred and sixty-two patients had a known sensitivity to penicillin, and all except 21 of these were treated with cephalexin without developing a sensitivity reaction.