Children’s Cold Medicine Shortage: What to Know in Kentucky

Some Lexington pharmacy areas have reported difficulties maintaining Kids’s Tylenol and comparable fever reducers in inventory amid the continued Scarcity of medicines for kids throughout the nation.

In response to a normal inquiry in regards to the availability of Child Tylenol merchandise, a Walgreens worker on Richmond Highway mentioned the shop had solely “six or seven” merchandise in inventory on Wednesday afternoon.

In the meantime, a CVS worker in Todds Highway mentioned the shop was utterly offered out of Kids’s Tylenol by Wednesday afternoon, however hoped to get one other cargo on Thursday by 4pm.

In latest weeks, Walgreens and CVS have Limits the quantity of youngsters’s medication Clients should purchase without delay, in response to a report final month from NBC Information.

As of Wednesday, that was nonetheless the case for CVS no less than, when an organization spokesperson informed the Herald-Chief in an electronic mail {that a} restrict nonetheless applies to prospects.

“To make sure equitable entry to all of our prospects, there are presently two (2) product limits on all youngsters’s ache reduction merchandise in any respect CVS Pharmacy and cvs.com areas. We’re dedicated to assembly our prospects’ wants and are working with our suppliers to make sure continued entry to those gadgets,” Mary Gattuso writes, Chief Director of Retail Communications at CVS.

In response to an identical question, a Walgreens consultant linked to an earlier assertion supplied by the corporate Promote on-line buy restrict solely Six per buyer for over-the-counter merchandise to cut back youngsters’s fever.

Till lately, it was acetaminophen or ibuprofen for kids It was not on the US Meals and Drug Administration’s drug scarcity listingHowever that modified on Tuesday when the Meals and Drug Administration introduced it was shut Monitor provide and work with producers to broaden it.

All of this comes amid early flu season, with Kentucky is experiencing among the highest flu exercise within the nation In latest weeks, in response to CDC information.

the The newest obtainable influenza surveillance report From December 25-31, the Kentucky Division of Public Well being reported 37,825 confirmed circumstances of influenza in the course of the 2022-2023 flu season. There have been an extra 1,307 confirmed circumstances of influenza throughout that reporting interval, which is a lower from 2,132 circumstances have been reported within the earlier week.

What do I do if I am unable to discover chilly medicines for kids?

Dr Carol Steltenkamp, ​​UK HealthCare’s chief medical officer, mentioned provide points had improved considerably, however she nonetheless confronted “intermittent” shortages in her work with sufferers.

“There was such an elevated demand,” she mentioned in a latest interview with the Herald-Chief.

Steltenkamp recommends that folks search for generic options if they will discover them at native drug shops.

She additionally mentioned dad and mom ought to examine with their major care doctor or pharmacist about options, and if that does not work, strive honey. Steltenkamp added that it’s secure to provide honey to infants so long as they’re 12 months or older.

One factor you need to by no means do by yourself is attempt to give your baby a modified grownup dose of acetaminophen or different over-the-counter medicine. That would have antagonistic results in your kid’s well being, Steltenkamp mentioned.

Dr. Giriraj Patil, Chief Medical Officer, Wellcare Kentuckyencourage dad and mom with sick youngsters to hunt pressing care clinics as an alternative of bringing their youngsters to emergency rooms, which have seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 circumstances along with conventional well being emergencies.

Telehealth may also be a terrific possibility for households, Patel mentioned.

the Mayo Clinic additionally recommends the next To deal with a chilly with out medicine:

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