RiteMED Cefalexin Overdosage

Clinical features of cefalexin overdose may include nausea, vomiting, epigastric distress, diarrhea, and hematuria.
Unless 5 to 10 times the normal cefalexin dose has been ingested, GI decontamination should not be necessary.
It is important to protect the patient's airway and support ventilation and perfusion during overdose. Meticulously monitor and maintain, within acceptable limits, the patient's vital signs, blood gases, serum electrolytes, etc. Absorption of drugs from the GI tract may be decreased by giving activated charcoal, which, in many cases, is more effective than emesis or lavage; consider charcoal instead of or in addition to gastric emptying. Repeated doses of charcoal over time may hasten elimination of some drugs that have been absorbed. Safeguard the patient's airway when employing gastric emptying or charcoal.
Forced diuresis, peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, or charcoal hemoperfusion have not been established as beneficial for cefalexin overdose; however, it would be extremely unlikely that one of these procedures would be indicated.
There have been reports of hematuria, without renal impairment, in children accidentally ingesting more than 3.5 g of cefalexin in a day. Treatment has been supportive fluids and no sequelae have been reported.