Shortage of children's pain relief medication leaves parents with fewer options

Jan. 13—Logansport parents searching for child and infant pain relief have options, but those options are currently more slim than usual.

An onslaught of flu, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and COVID-19 have caused a "tripledemic" of illnesses in children and adults across the country, resulting in an unexpected increase in demand for child and infant pain relief like Tylenol and Motrin.

"There are more sick kids at this time of year than we have seen in the past couple years," Dr. Shannon Dillon, a pediatrician at Riley Children's Health, told Associated Press last month.

Store employees and drug manufacturers are not sure when the supply of children's pain and fever relief will catch up with the demand, but experts do not believe the shortage will last as long as the recent shortage of baby formula.

Courtney Beardsley, a pharmacist at JR Pharmacy in Terre Haute, hopes to see medications for children's pain relief back on store shelves soon.

"I think it's going to be pretty short lived. ... We didn't want to increase the panic," she told News and Tribune, a partner of the Pharos-Tribune.

A notice at the top of Tylenol's website states there is no shortage of medication for pediatric pain relief but acknowledges that it might be harder to find than normal.

"We continue to experience high consumer demand driven by an extremely challenging cold & flu season," the notice states. "While products may be less readily available at some stores, we are not experiencing widespread shortages of children's Tylenol. We recognize this may be challenging for parents and caregivers, and are doing everything we can to make sure people have access to the products they need."

A nearly identical notice is posted at the top of the website for Motrin products.

In response to the high demand for children's pain relief medication, some stores are limiting the amount customers can buy. CVS Pharmacy customers are limited to two items.

"To ensure equitable access for all our customers, there is currently a two-product limit on all children's pain relief products at all CVS Pharmacy locations and cvs.com," CVS wrote on its website. "We're committed to meeting our customers' needs and are working with our suppliers to ensure continued access to these items."

That limit was moot at the 717 N. Third St. location on Friday, however, because there was no children's pain relief medication left on the shelves by that afternoon.

There were limited supplies at other pharmacies and stores in Logansport on Friday. The Walgreens at 2301 East Market St. had pain and fever relief for infants but scant options for children older than 23 months. A statement on Walgreens's website said store inventories are updated online throughout the day so customers can check which products are available.

"Retailers nationwide are experiencing supplier fulfillment challenges due to increased demand of over-the-counter pediatric fever reducing products," the website stated. "While Walgreens continues to have products to support our customers and patients, we have put into effect an online only purchase limit of six per online transaction to prevent excess purchasing behavior."

Spots for children's pain relief medication were also sparse at Martin's Super Market and Walmart. The shelves at Martin's held infant ibuprofen, chewable ibuprofen for children and junior strength Advil on Friday afternoon. Walmart had infant Motrin, liquid Motrin for children, chewable Tylenol for children, and liquid children's Tylenol for pain and fever stocked on the shelves Friday.

Beardsley said pain medication may not be necessary for sick children who are not seriously bothered by their symptoms.

"You don't have to treat a fever as long as it's not dangerously high," she said.

Pediatricians at University of California, Davis shared additional tips for parents struggling to find children's pain relief medication. They recommended searching for generic brands, asking friends and neighbors if they have any to share and considering pediatric acetaminophen suppositories.

They advise against giving adult Tylenol or Motrin to children under 12 years old, using expired medication, substituting Aspirin for other medications and giving ibuprofen to children younger than 6 months old unless approved by a doctor. They said not all fevers need to be treated with medication and encouraged parents of sick children to keep their kids hydrated and dressed in "light, loose clothing."