Having trouble finding antibiotics for your kids? You’re not alone. Health care providers and pharmacies are trying to deal with a nationwide shortage.”Right now, there’s just so much sickness and there’s just not enough meds,” said Unity Point Nurse Practitioner Janae Brown.Brown is a nurse and a mom. The antibiotic shortage is hitting her hard.”I’ve dealt with it personally and professionally. I have a son with asthma, and he had influenza A. So you want to get him Tamiflu and we couldn’t get it,” said Brown.Brown explains the antibiotic shortage is all about supply and demand. Too much RSV, flu and COVID-19 is creating a massive demand for drugs – especially for kids. But companies rely on ingredients that often come from overseas.”The supply chain is just a mess. That’s a huge problem that won’t be fixed with one solution and it won’t be fixed quickly,” Brown added.”It really isn’t just Amoxicillin it’s really all antibiotic suspensions that out of nowhere we have a shortage for,” said Rachael Renfrew with Medicap Pharmacies.Renfrew says it’s frustrating to tell customers they’re out of certain antibiotics. They urge customers to shop around. Different pharmacies work with different wholesalers. Medicap will even work with other locations within its network to help find the right drug.”There is opportunity each day with the wholesalers for additional supply if they can get ahead of it,” said Renfrew.In the end, the experts say there are enough drugs out there, it just requires patience and trying a different pharmacy than you’re used to.”It’s frustrating, and I really feel for patients,” said Brown.
Having trouble finding antibiotics for your kids? You’re not alone. Health care providers and pharmacies are trying to deal with a nationwide shortage.
“Right now, there’s just so much sickness and there’s just not enough meds,” said Unity Point Nurse Practitioner Janae Brown.
Brown is a nurse and a mom. The antibiotic shortage is hitting her hard.
“I’ve dealt with it personally and professionally. I have a son with asthma, and he had influenza A. So you want to get him Tamiflu and we couldn’t get it,” said Brown.
Brown explains the antibiotic shortage is all about supply and demand. Too much RSV, flu and COVID-19 is creating a massive demand for drugs – especially for kids. But companies rely on ingredients that often come from overseas.
“The supply chain is just a mess. That’s a huge problem that won’t be fixed with one solution and it won’t be fixed quickly,” Brown added.
“It really isn’t just Amoxicillin it’s really all antibiotic suspensions that out of nowhere we have a shortage for,” said Rachael Renfrew with Medicap Pharmacies.
Renfrew says it’s frustrating to tell customers they’re out of certain antibiotics. They urge customers to shop around. Different pharmacies work with different wholesalers. Medicap will even work with other locations within its network to help find the right drug.
“There is opportunity each day with the wholesalers for additional supply if they can get ahead of it,” said Renfrew.
In the end, the experts say there are enough drugs out there, it just requires patience and trying a different pharmacy than you’re used to.
“It’s frustrating, and I really feel for patients,” said Brown.