Whether it’s a big-box store or a local pharmacy, pictures and videos around greater Cincinnati have shown empty shelves of cold and flu medicines.Joe Lutmer, the owner and pharmacist at Tischbein Pharmacy, said he believes this cold season has started much earlier than normal and that the medication shortages have been a continual problem. “Every single day, it’s a new problem. Every single day, we have to contact all our different wholesalers and find out what the availability of these products are,” Lutmer said.Whether it’s prescribed antibiotics or even over-the-counter medication, Lutmer said trying to keep products on the shelves has been like a revolving door. He even has had to reach out to his secondary and tertiary wholesalers just to get medication in stock again. “Our shelves at certain times have been completely empty of one product and then comes back on, and then it’s empty of another product,” Lutmer said.Suppliers of these medications haven’t given Lutmer any answers yet as to why these shortages are happening, but he believes this early start to the cold and flu season is partly due to the pandemic.As we return to lifestyles not seen since before the pandemic, he said people’s immune systems haven’t strengthened fully yet. “We are dealing with the issues that we dealt with two or three years ago when we had the flu in a normal season, but it’s coming earlier now because we are getting back into contact with each other,” Lutmer said.Lutmer said to make sure people check their medication supplies at home and stock up on any medications that target specific symptoms in case they aren’t able to get antibiotics.”It’s important to have a good supply of cold remedies at home. Make sure you check all of the expiration dates of what you do have at home right now, and just make sure that they’re still in good use,” Lutmer said.And the best thing to do overall is rest and stay plenty hydrated as someone gets over their illness.
Whether it’s a big-box store or a local pharmacy, pictures and videos around greater Cincinnati have shown empty shelves of cold and flu medicines.
Joe Lutmer, the owner and pharmacist at Tischbein Pharmacy, said he believes this cold season has started much earlier than normal and that the medication shortages have been a continual problem.
“Every single day, it’s a new problem. Every single day, we have to contact all our different wholesalers and find out what the availability of these products are,” Lutmer said.
Whether it’s prescribed antibiotics or even over-the-counter medication, Lutmer said trying to keep products on the shelves has been like a revolving door. He even has had to reach out to his secondary and tertiary wholesalers just to get medication in stock again.
“Our shelves at certain times have been completely empty of one product and then comes back on, and then it’s empty of another product,” Lutmer said.
Suppliers of these medications haven’t given Lutmer any answers yet as to why these shortages are happening, but he believes this early start to the cold and flu season is partly due to the pandemic.
As we return to lifestyles not seen since before the pandemic, he said people’s immune systems haven’t strengthened fully yet.
“We are dealing with the issues that we dealt with two or three years ago when we had the flu in a normal season, but it’s coming earlier now because we are getting back into contact with each other,” Lutmer said.
Lutmer said to make sure people check their medication supplies at home and stock up on any medications that target specific symptoms in case they aren’t able to get antibiotics.
“It’s important to have a good supply of cold remedies at home. Make sure you check all of the expiration dates of what you do have at home right now, and just make sure that they’re still in good use,” Lutmer said.
And the best thing to do overall is rest and stay plenty hydrated as someone gets over their illness.