It doesn’t help that I am writing this nursing the cold that my husband so generously gave me but there is just no good news coming from Health Gossip these days, man. Usually I try to find that silver lining, but it’s getting harder to do when it comes to this cold and flu season. Or, as it’s being called, the “tripledemic.” That’s right, apparently getting visited by the Covid, Flu and RSV fairies all at once is as wretched as it sounds. And if that’s not enough, it gets worse. Now we’ll have trouble alleviating the pain from those viruses, because the medicines we rely on won’t be on the shelves. The scary part for parents is, there are already shortages of Children’s Tylenol and Children’s Motrin. The sad part is, it’s not due to supply, it’s just demand.
If you stroll the cold and flu medicine aisle these days, you might notice shelves that are bare, or nearly so. Some medicines that can be particularly hard to find are fever reducers for kids, like children’s Tylenol, Motrin or Advil.
Drug manufacturers point to a big spike in demand. That’s not surprising, given the surge in three respiratory viruses right now: COVID, RSV and influenza, what has been termed a “tripledemic.”
Johnson & Johnson makes Children’s Tylenol and Children’s Motrin. It says there is no nationwide shortage — just a lot of demand.
“Consumer demand for pediatric pain relievers in the U.S. is high, but there are no supply chain issues and we do not have an overall shortage in the U.S.,” company spokesperson Melissa Witt said in an email to NPR. The company says it is “experiencing high consumer demand and are doing everything we can to make sure people have access to the products they need.”
Nationally, sales of pediatric internal analgesics — which includes drugs like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — were up more than 26% in October compared with a year earlier. That’s according to data from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), a trade group that represents manufacturers of over-the-counter drugs.
I feel for you parents out there. We’ve been hearing one bad report after the other about RSV in kids and what this flu season may bring, I would not want to go into it with only a teaspoon of Bubblegum Tylenol left. For anyone who doesn’t have kids, doctors and nurses put a lot of emphasis on fevers in kids. Certain temps call to have the kid brought to the ER or urgent care right away. A school will give you guff for not sending your kid in unless they have a fever, then it’s an automatic, keep them home. So it just feels safer to have those little fever reducing meds on hand. Not to mention how cranky feverish kids are and it’s nice to see them finally get a little peace.
According to this article, though, parents can relax a little on the fever-front. First a reminder to always consult a doctor if you have an infant with a fever. It’s a big deal in infants/babies and needs immediate attention. Everything below is for a toddler or older. The article gives a link how to treat fevers without medicines. Do not give kids aspirin or adult versions of Tylenol or ibuprofen unless your doctor has given consent and direction. And the article said if the kid has a fever but is running around playing and acting like themselves, they should be fine. Don’t send them to school, but they don’t need the drugs. Meds don’t ‘cure’ the fever, they just reduce it and other symptoms for comfort. The immune system does the work on the virus.
And please, don’t stock up on medicine you don’t need. They expire anyway. Just get the amount you need and when it runs out, go out and get yourself some more. That way there will be enough for everyone.
Photos credit: Tima Miroshnichenko and cottonbro studio on Pexels
Already had a shortage since the spring here in Canada…. it’s rough. Being a new parent amid shortages of formula and medication has been a frustrating and heartbreaking experience. Hoping everyone can hang in and takes care
And two major children’s hospitals in Ontario have had to start canceling surgeries in order to redeploy resources to ICUs because of the levels of hospitalization from the respiratory illnesses, something they did not even have to do during the height of the pandemic.
The Red Cross is currently assisting at our children’s hospital. The largest one in Eastern Ontario. This is a nightmare. Facebook groups are just posts of parents begging for info on where to get infants Tylenol. It honestly feels like no one in positions of power actually gives a shit about parents or small kids. We are just expected to manage this.
It doesn’t helped that Ontario’s Premier only gives a crap about highways and his developer friends. He’s dead set on chasing nurses out of the profession and has actually underfunded health and education this year while bragging about his fiscal management.
For US residents, even if the store doesn’t have it you can always hit up your pediatrician to prescribe kiddo some through the pharmacy. It helps to have called around first to verify who has it first, then let the physician know where to e-prescribe it to, because they have so much work to cover.
Additionally, some insurances don’t want to pay for anything that is also over the counter yet, so you can go to goodrx.com and see which chains are cheapest, just in case you have to pay cash, and make up your preferred list of places to call first. And once the chains are out, then you’re stuck w small private pharmacies that will probably need to charge a little more since they can’t bring in the large contracts the chains can.
Also, not everybody’s favorite at this point in the pandemic, but gawd, masking + quality hand washing or ethanol based hand sanitizer + reinforcement to keep their fingers out of their eyes helps reduce transmission for everything.
Also…… fricking RSV 🤮
@R Word on the “fricking RSV.” Both of my kids are currently down with it, and the older one (3 years old) is borderline for going to hospital since his O2 level is at 89%. But since the hospital is already full of kids with RSV we’ve been told to stay home and monitor. And it’s only the first week of December….
@Guest please be careful and watch yourself. I got RSV from my daughter two years ago. It didn’t show as it did in kids, rather it caused chest pains that triggered a panic attack that made the chest pains worse, and repeat.
I wound up in the hospital because we thought I was having a heart attack. My pain was so bad they had to give me morphine to stop it.
Please take care of yourself and watch out for chest pains/signs in yourself.
This is a fact. I had to go to 3 places to find children’s Tylenol and could only get chewable tablets. 2 of my 3 have had flu (after flu shots) and I’m sure the rest of us will get it. So many illnesses around here.
Well crap, I was literally just asking my husband last night if we had anymore children’s Tylenol because I couldn’t find it in the med cabinet and he pulled out one little bottle of bubblegum ibuprofen lol. My youngest just got her first flu shot yesterday along with another one at her yearly and she was cranky and obviously uncomfortable a few hours later. I’m glad we all have had our flu shots and Covid boosters though.
My 19 and 13 year old sons are both really sick. I can’t find anything on the shelves. It’s so frustrating.
Um they can take adult medicine? As the mother of a six month old please tell me you’re not using kids Tylenol.
Adult cough and cold medicine is also in short supply in some stores. I’ve had a terrible time finding it for my parents who caught RSV.
We’ve been dealing with this in Canada. Luckily my kids are old enough to take adult strength. My 12 year old has been sick with everything since Halloween. He’s been the sickest he ever was and missed two weeks of school, then was back for almost two weeks, then was off a week again with a new illness. It’s been rough.
49% of my kid’s grade is out sick. We’ve gone through a full bottle of Tylenol and he has been sick since Friday. Only one bottle of cough medicine when I went to the store yesterday. It’s really bad out there 😞
I am so sorry you all are going through this with your kids. I went through it too when mine were younger, but never with Covid lurking or a medication shortage. I myself am allergic to Aspirin and Tylenol (I have Sampter’s Triad) so I wouldn’t be on the lookout for it.
Is anyone else in Houston? Is there a spike in sick kids here, or a shortage of these meds? We just got back from out of town so I’m a bit out of the loop. I think my niece and two nephews are fine. My brother-in-law was at our house yesterday and he wouldn’t have come if anyone at home were sick.
Hang in there. I’m thinking of you and the kiddos.
I’m in Houston (northeast suburbs) and so far there hasn’t been an uptick that I’m aware of amongst our friends/neighbors. My kids are bigger (10 and 15) so the children’s medication shortage isn’t something I was aware of, but I hope that parents of little ones are able to find what they need and that everyone stays as healthy as possible.
My daughter was running a fever all weekend and we’re down to our last dose of bubblegum Tylenol. She’s on the spectrum and only likes the bubblegum flavor. Went to two stores and the shelves were totally bare. We lucked out with her fever finally breaking yesterday.
I’m so sorry and I know how tricky it is with a kid on the spectrum. Mine was able to tolerate the chewables, but it was a battle. Her fever was just too high to not give her anything. It did get better after 2 days and we are now just dealing with a cough. I hope your little one improves soon!
In Canada, the Conservative party leader would have you believe it’s all Justin Trudeau’s fault. But, just like inflation, it’s happening elsewhere. Imagine how powerful Trudeau is so also disrupt America’s supply chain.
Problem is that most medication is produced in China and/or India.
If we would put production back to our countries than we wouldn’t have to deal with this crap.
I have two kiddos ages 3 and 7. We have been lucky and not had any major illnesses. But I would suggest keeping a supply of medicine in the house…this goes for children and adults. This way you have it when you actually become sick, and don’t have to run out sick, and possibly infect others on a hunt for Tylenol, Motrin, etc . Yes medicine expires, but doesn’t take much to do an inventory once every 6 months or a year and see what is expiring or has expired and buy more.
Here in Europe it’s not just the fever and cough syrups that are rarely available because of supply chain issues with China and India, but also things like electrolytes because influencers peddle those as a cure-all for hangovers.
When and if they’re tagged by pediatricians or kids’ hospitals and told that a) it doesn’t work like that and b) they’re being egotistical brats, they shrug it off.
It’s really not fun working in the health sector ATM.
Be well @ CB’ers with sick family members!
@NANEA- Here’s a web page from U Virginia on home rehydration formulas,
https://med.virginia.edu/ginutrition/wp-content/uploads/sites/199/2021/01/Homemade-Oral-Rehydration-Solutions-9-2018-1.pdf
Hello
Many people probably already know this, but the dollar stores usually carry a variety of over counter medications too, including Tylenol and ibuprofen. Same products, same ingredients and my local stores are almost never out (Florida). I buy all my pain relievers from dollar tree . . . . Whole bottle, only $1.25!
In rare event closed or out, dollar general usually is fully stocked.
I have a three year old and five month old and this whole situation sucks. We all got Covid around Halloween and surprisingly the unvaccinated four month old at the time seemed to have the easiest time. She’s breast-fed so maybe she got some antibodies but she just had a very low fever for one night while the rest of us were down for a few days. I’m much more afraid of RSV though and luckily we don’t have to go to many places or be around people very much. My state has had a Pediatric bed shortage going on for weeks now anyways. Apparently all the hospitals are already stretched beyond capacity and people are being treated and waiting rooms and hallways. Not good at all.
R says, Good advice.
Our insurance won’t pay for anything OTC even with prescription.
At least with a prescription they will order it and hold it for you.
I will pay for it myself. What’s money or a credit card for when you have a sick loved one?
Where is Big Pharma on these needed children items? Get on it.
Why does it seem like so many things are broken these days?
Worker shortages, supply shortages, price increases.
I lived thru the Jimmy Carter years with gas shortages and wear a sweater, turn your thermostats down, etc. Feels like we are back in those times again.
Trick I learned during various pandemic shortages: convenience stores/gas stations often have at least a version of what you are looking for. When Costco and Target have run out, chances are your little corner store still has some stock. Hope this helps someone
I have nothing productive to add to this post but just wanted to say I really appreciate you reporting on it and hugs to all the posters ❤️
My 3 yo just had surgery and the pharmacy at the Children’s hospital is rationing Tylenol. He was supposed to get 3 boxes and got 1. Luckily they had enough ibuprofen. But this is nuts. First antibiotics, now pain relievers?
There’s also a National shortage of children’s antibiotics – my kid has had strep twice in the past month and both times it took two days to find an antibiotic in stock (and I live in NYC, for God’s sake!). Liquid amoxicillin is worth its weight in gold right now.
Wow I am floored by all these comments.
I am not a hoarder (but I’m sure asshats are going to hoard).
I live in a country where those prescriptions are free and I save all of them because we don’t use them.
This post has been eye opening. Take care celebitchies
I think folks got way too comfortable with the narrative that the pandemic was over. Wash those hands, mask, protect yourself and your family. This winter is going to rough between Covid, Flu, RSV and whatever nastiness is unleashed into the atmosphere. Get boosted and mask.
My son had an episode of fever seizures. I have never felt so helpless, so guilty, and so AWFUL before in my life. Remember you lose most heat through your NECK, not your head (carotid arteries vs. Capillaries), and when you are trying to cool your kids down make sure the front part especially, but also the nape of the neck, is cooled down. I feel for all you parents of young children out there. 😭 Remember you have to take care of YOURSELF as well, nothing stops YOU from potentially getting sick! I will get my flu shot TOMORROW.
I am so sorry thanks for the post
We have had a shortage since the Spring in Canada. It’s been months since we saw any on shelves. We’re all just asking each other on Facebook and borrowing from neighbours when our kids desperately need some. Seeing some people scoff that you don’t need to treat fevers in children is so annoying and unhelpful (usually the same people who scoffed about formula shortages). Our child gets viral ear infections when they get colds. Holding them while singing and rubbing their back to try to distract them while they scream in pain for hours is heartbreaking. If anyone is in the same situation I have found putting a warm water bottle on my chest and laying their ear against it while keeping them upright is very helpful. It’s the only way to give them any relief, but holding them upright all night so they can get some rest is backbreaking. We have had RSV, Bronchitis and Influenza in the last 6 weeks and just got sick again with who knows what. We are completely exhausted.