Cefalexin 500mg Capsules – 3-Day UTI Course (6 Capsules)

Cefalexin is a prescription-only antibiotic from the cephalosporin group. At Ways Pharmacy it is supplied as a 3-day course for women aged 16 to 64 with an uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection (UTI, often called cystitis), when nitrofurantoin — the usual first choice — is not suitable, for example because of an allergy or kidney function. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed your symptoms and confirmed that an antibiotic is needed and cefalexin is suitable.

How to access this medicine

1. Start your free online assessment. Answer the health questions online and confirm your identity (upload photo ID, or show it on a video call).
2. Pharmacist reviews and speaks with you. A GPhC-registered pharmacist contacts you by phone or video. The pharmacist checks for warning signs of a kidney infection and confirms whether cefalexin is suitable. If you are 16 or 17, a parent or guardian must join the video call.
3. If suitable, order and pay on this page. Once the pharmacist confirms the medicine is suitable, you order and pay on this page, or call 020 8106 7084. If it is not suitable — including when the pharmacist recommends self-care instead — you pay nothing, and the pharmacist explains your other options. If you have already paid and the pharmacist finds the medicine is not suitable, you receive a full refund.
4. We post your medicine or you collect it. Orders placed by 3pm on a weekday are posted the same day (see our shipping policy), or you can collect from Holborn.

There is no separate consultation fee. If the medicine you chose is not suitable, the pharmacist may suggest another option.

About this medicine

Dosage

• Take one 500mg capsule twice a day for 3 days
• Swallow with water
• Finish the whole course, even if you feel better sooner
• Drink plenty of fluids; paracetamol can help with pain while the antibiotic starts to work

Most women start to feel better within 24 to 48 hours. Call NHS 111 if your symptoms get worse, you develop a fever or back pain, or you do not start to improve within 48 hours. One course is supplied per episode. See our UTI treatment service for details.

Warnings and who should not take this medicine

• Men, and women under 16 or over 64 — please see a GP
• Pregnancy, a missed period or any chance you could be pregnant
• Signs of a kidney infection: a temperature of 37.9°C or above, shivering, pain in your back or side, feeling sick or being sick, or new confusion
• Symptoms for more than 7 days, a UTI in the last 6 months, or 3 or more UTIs in the last 12 months
• A urinary catheter, or a known problem with the structure or function of the urinary tract
• A weakened immune system, or diabetes that is poorly controlled or has complications
• Unusual vaginal discharge, genital itching or irritation, or symptoms that could be a sexually transmitted infection
• Anyone allergic to cefalexin or other cephalosporin antibiotics. Tell the pharmacist if you have ever reacted to a penicillin
• Tell the pharmacist if you take warfarin or have kidney problems

Possible side effects

Common side effects include feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach upset and rash. Stop taking it and get urgent medical help if you develop swelling of the face, lips or throat, difficulty breathing or a widespread rash, or if you have severe or bloody diarrhoea.

Regulatory information

• Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (POM), supplied under a Patient Group Direction after pharmacist assessment
• Pharmacy: Ways Pharmacy, 77 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4ET · GPhC-registered premises 9012227
• Patient information leaflet: electronic Medicines Compendium (emc)
• Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme

This page gives factual information about a prescription-only medicine and is not an advertisement to the public. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed that it is suitable for you.