Have you gotten a prescription recently and the pharmacy staff told you that the medication is out of stock or is on backorder? There has been a lot of that going around lately.
There are a couple of causes for the recent shortages. Since the current (2022-2023) flu season started, there has been increased demand on related medications: Tylenol (acetaminophen), ibuprofen, albuterol nebulizer solution, Tamiflu (oseltamivir), Bromfed (brompheniramine-DM-PSE), other cough syrups, and most antibiotics, especially amoxicillin, Augmentin (amox-clav), and cefdinir. With increased demand all over the country, it has been difficult to supply all the pharmacies. And, when pharmacies do get the medications in, there is usually a list of patients already waiting for the supply to come in.
A couple of other drugs have recently become popular for their off label uses, especially Mounjaro. Mounjaro is an injectable drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, but it has been found to also help with weight loss. It is not FDA approved for weight loss, but patients have been having their doctors write prescriptions for the drug and have been paying cash for it if it isn't covered by their insurance. This is causing a shortage on the medication making it difficult to get for the people who need the drug to treat their diabetes.
Production issues can also cause supply shortages. This happens on and off and seems to have gotten worse post-COVID. Manufacturers are unable to produce the medication, for one reason or another, and are unable to supply pharmacies. It also trickles down to other medications, a supply issue for one medication causes increased demand in a similar medication. For example, there has been a recent shortage of Adderall XR (dextroamphetamine-amphetamine salts), both brand and generic have been on back order, so a lot of patients have been switching to the immediate release tablets, causing a shortage for that drug as well.
If you have been affected by any of these shortages, you can always ask the pharmacy staff if there are any locations nearby that possibly have the medication in stock (some pharmacies have access to inventory counts of other locations), just be sure to call that pharmacy to confirm they have the medication before heading over there. You can also ask your doctor for an alternative.
Some antibiotics come in different concentrations and can easily be substituted. Cefdinir suspension comes in two strengths, 250mg/5mL and 125mg/5mL. If you have a prescription for the 250mg/5mL strength and the pharmacy is out of stock, but they do have the 125mg/5mL, the prescriber can change the prescription to match what the pharmacy has in stock.
If you are using Adderall XR and cannot find it anywhere, talk to your provider about an alternative. There are other medications to treat ADHD that are available (for now), but the provider must make the change, if appropriate.
The FDA works with manufacturers to resolve any issues and they have a list on their site to keep track of shortages, how long the shortage has been going on for, and if there is a resolution or an anticipated date of resolution. Click here to see the updated FDA list.
Hopefully, these shortages get resolved soon. There is nothing worse than dealing with a sick kid who cannot feel any better because they are unable to get the medication that will help them get better.
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