Cephalexin and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Bec...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2019

"This cephalexin is an awful drug. I am taking the generic. I have taken it for three days as a precaution after surgery to remove plaques from my eyelids. My side effects: headache, diarrhea, muscle weakness, fatigue, fast heart rate, dizziness, depressed mood, and anxiety. Never again. I cannot wait to be off it. Doctors throw drugs at patients without consideration for side effects. I called the doctor, they said to complete the prescription. No wonder patients stop taking antibiotics. Awful drug."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 16, 2020

For Skin or Soft Tissue Infection "Was prescribed this medication, cephalexin, for a minor UTI over a year ago and again more recently for a periodontal infection. Bleeding gums have cleared up in two days, but now I'm not sure I'm not peeing blood. Was prescribed 500 mg 4x a day for 7 days, but now I'm paranoid that it's causing another problem or that I may have overdosed. Because it's a sulfur medication, it tastes and smells like rotten eggs and is very hard to even get down. I much prefer Bactrim, don't ever want to take this again."

• Hat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2022

For Bacterial Infection "Infected cyst in neck. I dreaded this antibiotic. Other times I've been on it, it's the same story. Anxiety, nausea, depression, belching, and insomnia. Know that it takes several weeks to return to normal and take a good probiotic. It is a nightmare, but better than sepsis from an infected cyst running wild."

• Mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 15, 2019

For Bacterial Infection "My middle finger randomly swelled up around the cuticle. Doctor guessed it was an infection, so he prescribed me 500 mg of cephalexin, 3 times a day for 7 days. I have never had side effects from any antibiotic/drug until now. I'm on day 3, and I'm over it. I've been so tired the past two days, and my anxiety has skyrocketed, which is the worst part. I can't tell if my finger is even getting better, I don't know if I should power through or just quit now. Though seeing several other people experience the anxiety side effect as well puts me a little at ease. Also, the taste-ugh. I will never take this medicine again."

• nat...
• December 7, 2015

For Skin or Soft Tissue Infection "Was on cephalexin 4 times a day for 1 week to treat an infected burn. It treated the infection nice and quick with a few side effects. I threw up twice while on it despite taking the pills with food as instructed. It caused nausea and diarrhea near the end of my prescription, which made me feel horrible. I also had increased anxiety while on the medication."

• SoM...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2018

For Kidney Infections "22-year-old female, got diagnosed with UTI (first time), started Keflex within 3 hours of the UTI symptoms starting. Right after taking the meds, I started getting chills (probably my body fighting off the infection), then a low-grade fever. Terrible headaches. Nausea. Dry mouth. Some dizziness when getting up. Super fatigued. Anxiety. Today is day 3 of taking 500 mg 2x a day. Still hurts to urinate, but not nearly as bad as day 1. Sometimes my headaches go away a couple of hours after drinking the med. Might need to call the doc tomorrow to see if I can switch meds, because I’m not sure if I can put up with the 10-day prescribed treatment."

• Joa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 13, 2021

For Skin or Soft Tissue Infection "I was given this for an infected hangnail on my finger. 500 mg 2x a day for 7 days. Within hours after the first dose, I saw improvement. My finger was less red, less swollen, and less painful. Side effects: tummy upset (bloating, gassiness), softer stools, and I felt a little jittery, like you've just drank 3 cups of coffee, only I don't drink caffeine. But I have a very sensitive tummy (IBS), and they only lasted for a couple of hours after each dose and were mild."

• Ell...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 13, 2023

For Skin or Soft Tissue Infection "This was prescribed for a laceration injury on my hand from the ER after it was cleaned and stitched up. 500 mg four times a day. I had so much nausea the first day I vomited up the mint tea, which was all I had taken that day, then started using Zofran but still could not eat anything. I was also constipated that day. I was so tired I spent most of the day asleep. I am now on day 3 and still have to force myself to eat or drink and have lost 7 lbs. Constipation turned to mild diarrhea. I also have a headache and backache and am so tired. I have four more days to go, my doctor has approved my reducing the dose to three times a day, and I am trying to stay the course. I want to thank all the previous commenters here since so many of the symptoms they reported settled my mind (I also feel I am more anxious than usual) about what was happening to me."

• SMc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 26, 2018

For Skin or Soft Tissue Infection "I was on 500 mg four times a day for the week. It was great the first few days until I woke up because my stomach started burning. I had consistent diarrhea the whole day and the next. I also started feeling anxious to the point of a possible panic attack, which I haven’t had in about 3 years. Needless to say, yes, it helped my infection, however, I would rather have it than go through that again. I had to leave work halfway through my shift because of it, so I tossed them in the garbage."

• RDo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 19, 2023

For Bacterial Infection "I am on my last day of a 10-day course of cephalexin for an infection in my dental implant. For the first 3 days, I experienced extreme anxiety from taking it (yes, it was the medication causing it). It also increased my pulse and my blood pressure, so I took a very small dose of Benadryl with it during those 3 days, which helped. Keflex also constipated me for some reason. It seems to be healing the infection as my gums have quit bleeding, and it isn't red anymore."

• Rac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 1, 2018

For Kidney Infections "I started taking this antibiotic about 12 hours ago before bed. Though the UTI symptoms subsided, they were replaced with a spell of horrible side effects from the medication. I woke up every couple of hours to drink water because I felt dehydrated, then I would quickly throw the water up. I had frequent sleep paralysis nightmares and was beginning to hallucinate, experience anxiety, and have a sore throat. When I cough, it gives me a splitting headache. The absolute delirium I feel mixed with the blurry vision I was experiencing, joint pain, and confusion on top of everything else absolutely freaked me out. So much so that I was even scared to lay down alone in my room. I walked very hunched back to my computer due to back pain and looked up the medication to find that many have experienced all of these symptoms as well. I am really agitated that I have to take this medication for 6 more days. I don't think I will finish it."

• PPa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2018

For Bacterial Infection "Effective for cellulitis. By far the worst antibiotics I’ve ever taken. Anxiety, dizziness, nausea, constipation, headache."