Shortages have been impacting us in many areas over the last several years, and children's medication is one of the things that is causing headaches for Strathmore.
Strathmore Value Drug Mart (SVDM) owner Gordon Morck explained the shortage is caused by many factors, and a big one is an increase in demand. With different viruses going around like the RSV flu and covid, children need medication more than before.
This directly leads to another issue, which is people hoarding medications because of the shortages. While Morck can't control the flu, he's working to prevent hoarding.
"We have started keeping some of the children's medications behind the counter so that we can control how many a person gets. When we do occasionally get them in, we tend to dole it out carefully," he said.
Besides the need to make sure as many people as possible have access to necessary medications, Morck added he's heard of people hoarding medication just to sell it online at a markup. As for the SVDM prices, Morck says they haven't changed since last year, despite the current supply issues.
While it looks grim now, Morck hopes this won't be a long-term problem, as he explained the providers themselves are ramping up production. However, if you really need medication right now and are considering using adult medications for a child, Morck says you should absolutely contact a pharmacist for advice on how to do this safely.
"You have to be very careful about using adult medications on children, it will have to be done very carefully."
Some of the children's medications in shortage include:
- Advil
- Tylenol
- Gravol
- Pink-eye medications
Morck added adult cough and cold medication is also experiencing a shortage.
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Fri, Apr 19, 10:00 AM
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