(WXYZ) — It’s that time of year when people are getting sick with common colds and viruses, which is fueling demand and emptying pharmacy shelves.
For many metro Detroit parents, shopping around to find common kids' medicines has been a trend for weeks now.
Right now, one of the drugs hardest to find is liquid amoxicillin.
“If you're driving around with a sick kid trying to find medicine, that's tough," parent Leroy Zagata said.
Zagata, a spouse of a channel 7 staffer says his pharmacy didn’t have enough of an anti-biotic to fill his daughter’s prescription. And with two sick little ones at home, he was just grateful he was able to get it filled elsewhere.
“We were lucky that it was out there, but definitely already seeing the effects of stuff not being readily available," he said.
The shortage is impacting common over-the-counter medications too. Zagata said he had a hard time finding Mucinex and even children’s Tylenol. Local doctors say they are also feeling the effects.
“Now we're getting to a point where I have to start prescribing amoxicillin, crossing my fingers that it's in stock, if it's not I have to find out, well what do you have in stock," Dr. Sean Sulivan, the medical director at Birmingham Pediatrics and Wellness said.
Nate Bazzi, a local pharmacy owner says one of the medicines in short supply is a common antibiotic—amoxicillin. It’s used to treat things like ear infections in kids and is often taken in liquid form for younger children.
The moment he gets a new shipment he says it flies off the shelf.
“We have been working with multiple wholesalers so as soon as it does become available we order it and stock up on it,” he said.
The problem is so widespread that chains like CVS and Walgreens have limited how many children’s pain relievers customers can buy at one time.
“We have to take time out of our day and sometimes help these families call around to different pharmacies. It puts on a strain on our staff too,” Dr. Sullivan said.
Doctors are urging families to be patient. They’re hoping to see fuller shelves in the next month or so.
