Cephalexin
Treatment for Urinary Tract Infection
Typical Dosage: 250-500mg four times daily
Effectiveness
80%
Safety Score
70%
Clinical Trials
12
Participants
35K
Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)
Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
70
DangerousModerateSafe
Treatment Details
Dosage Range
250-500mg four times daily
Time to Effect
1-2 days
Treatment Duration
5-7 days
Evidence Quality
HIGHNumber Needed to Treat (NNT)
4(Treat 4 patients to see 1 additional successful outcome)
Number Needed to Harm (NNH)
8(Treat 8 patients to see 1 additional serious adverse event)
Confidence Score
85%confidence in effectiveness data
Health Economics
Annual Cost of Care
Drug Cost:$20
Monitoring:$160
Side Effect Mgmt:$10
Total Annual:$190
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Cost-Effectiveness Rating
EXCELLENTQALYs Gained
0.004
Outcome-Based Costs
Cost per Responder
$231.71
Cost per Remission
$243.59
Prescription Access Economics
Annual Societal Loss per Patient
$-487
Cost of prescription-only barriers (visits, time, admin, price premium)
Physician Visit Cost
$120/year
Time Cost
$60/year
Travel + wait time
Insurance Admin Cost
$20/year
Prior auth, claims
Rx Price
$20/year
Potential OTC Price
$7/year
Estimated if OTC available
Early Treatment Benefit
+0.00 QALYs
From faster OTC access
Risk Assessment
Misuse Risk
MODERATEMissed Diagnosis Risk
MODERATECephalexin Outcomes
for Urinary Tract Infection
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+80%
Response Rate
+82%
Remission Rate
+78%
Common Side Effects
Nausea
+10%
Diarrhea
+8%
Stomach pain
+4%
Active Clinical Trials
2 active trials recruiting for Cephalexin in Urinary Tract Infection
A Clinical Trial of Extended (High) Treatment Dose Antibiotics in Combination With Methenamine Hippurate Compared to the Standard of Care (Either Prophylactic (Low) Dose Antibiotic Treatment or Methenamine Hippurate) in Females With Chronic Urinary Tract Infection
NCT07202949NOT YET RECRUITINGPHASE2
192 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
London, United Kingdom +4 more
Started: Dec 1, 2025
Single Dose Intravenous Antibiotics for Complicated Urinary Tract Infections in Children
NCT04876131RECRUITINGPHASE4
452 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
Adelaide, Australia +5 more
Started: May 30, 2022
Completed Clinical Trials
6 completed trials for Cephalexin in Urinary Tract Infection
The SCOUT Study: "Short Course Therapy for Urinary Tract Infections in Children"
NCT01595529COMPLETEDPHASE2
717 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
Pittsburgh, United States
Started: May 18, 2012
Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Clean Intermittent Catheterisation
NCT02145338COMPLETEDPHASE4
404 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Started: Sep 1, 2013
A Bioequivalence Study of Cefadroxil Film Coated Tablets After A Single Oral Dose Administration to Healthy Subjects
NCT02446496COMPLETEDPHASE4
24 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
Cairo, Egypt
Started: Mar 31, 2014
Endourology Disease Group Excellence (EDGE) Consortium: Antibiotics (Abx) for Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) Part 2
NCT02829060COMPLETEDNA
330 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
San Diego, United States
Started: Jan 1, 2016
Examination of the Efficacy of Preventive Antibiotic Treatment During the Puerperium Among Pregnant Women With Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
NCT01507974COMPLETEDNA
220 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
Afula, Israel
Started: Jan 16, 2012
Randomized Trial of Culture Directed Versus Empiric Antibiotics for Urinary Tract Infections in Older Women
NCT05726318COMPLETEDPHASE4
70 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
Pittsburgh, United States
Started: Feb 17, 2023