Efficacy of two dosage schedules of cephalexin in dermatologic infections.

Is the administration of oral antibiotics four times a day as necessary as some pharmacokinetic studies indicate? The efficacy of cephalexin administered twice a day was compared to the same drug administered four times a day for the treatment of skin and skin structure infections due to staphylococcus and/or streptococcus. The 154 outpatients in this four-clinic study ranged in age from 1 month to more than 70 years. A random number table was used to assign patients to either the twice a day or the four times a day regimen. The total daily dosage was the same in each regimen. Administration twice a day proved equally effective to the four times a day regimen. Both regimens were more than 97 percent effective and side effects were minimal.