What you need to know about the children's medicine shortage - Newsday

Finding a vessel of children’s cough medicine oregon symptom reliever is proving to beryllium a situation connected Long Island and astir the U.S. That has near galore hopeless parents wondering what to do. Newsday spoke with a section pediatrician and pharmacist to assistance parents navigate the shortage.

Q: Why are children’s symptom relievers and cough medicines successful specified abbreviated proviso astatine my section pharmacy?

A: Seasonal respiratory viruses, specified arsenic flu and RSV, started aboriginal this year, according to wellness experts. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing. All of these factors person created a greater request for children’s over-the-counter medicines similar liquid acetaminophen and ibuprofen — the generic names of Tylenol and Advil oregon Motrin, respectively.

Tom D’Angelo, proprietor of Franklin Square Pharmacy, said helium has seen sporadic shortages. “We get it connected the shelves but past it gets bought retired beauteous quickly,” helium said. “A batch of kids are sick truthful it’s selling fast.”

Q: Can my pediatrician constitute a medicine for these medicines alternatively of trying to get them implicit the counter?

A: Some of these medications tin beryllium created by licensed pharmacists done a process called compounding, which are disposable astatine immoderate pharmacies.

“We person to bash it by medicine individually,” said D’Angelo. “The constituent costs are overmuch higher for america to bash it properly."

He said a merchandise similar a children's fever reducer that would usually outgo $7 would outgo $25 for the pharmacy to compound.

Q: Do I request to springiness my kid fever-reducing medicine if they person a fever?

A: Fevers are not unsafe for children successful astir cases, said Dr. Eve Meltzer Krief of Huntington Village Pediatrics. “Fever is conscionable portion of the way our immune systems combat disconnected infection,” she said. “The fever reducers conscionable marque (children) much comfortable.”

She said it’s besides important to measure however your kid is acting. If they are playful and happy, that’s a bully sign.

“If fever is accompanied by lethargy wherever your kid is not being each that responsive, if they are having trouble breathing and if they are not drinking capable to beryllium urinating normally, those are each signs to beryllium calling your doctor,” Meltzer Krief said.

She said precocious fevers of 104 and 105 that can’t beryllium brought down are decidedly reasons to question aesculapian attention.

Q: What are immoderate different harmless ways I tin easiness my child’s symptoms and bring down their fever if I don’t person entree to medicine?

A: Meltzer Krief said that cough suppressants and decongestants mostly aren't recommended for children due to the fact that studies person shown that they don't work. She said by keeping a child’s caput elevated, they tin respire amended done their chemoreceptor and perchance easiness their cough.

“Definitely person a chill humidifier going successful their country due to the fact that the vigor tin beryllium truly drying,” she said. “Saline drops and suctioning from the nose, particularly successful younger children and babies earlier they slumber and earlier they devour volition assistance them respire much comfortably … immoderate location remedies are arsenic effective. If it's kid implicit a twelvemonth of age, you tin springiness them a small chromatic to assistance with a cough.”

Other suggestions to trim fever include having them portion chill fluids, giving them a lukewarm, but not cold, bath oregon applying lukewarm compresses to the body.

Parents shouldn’t panic, she said, oregon see utilizing big medications for their children. She urged them to call their pediatricians for proposal oregon to sermon immoderate concerns.

Q: What bash I bash if I deliberation a pharmacy oregon store is charging excessively overmuch for children’s acold medicine?

A: New York State Attorney General Letitia James enactment retired a informing connected Monday that her bureau is alert of reports that immoderate stores are charging 2 oregon 3 times the retail worth of these medications. State instrumentality bars merchants from selling goods that are captious to people’s health, information oregon payment astatine an excessive price, according to her office.

Consumers tin study terms gouging calling 1-800-771-7755 oregon filling retired a form online.

James said they should study the circumstantial accrued prices, dates and places wherever they were observed and supply copies of income receipts and photos of advertised prices if available.