DALLAS (NewsNation) — In the heightened respiratory virus season, parents are scrambling to find over-the-counter medicines as some pharmacies have placed limits on some children’s pain and fever relief medications.
As the days grow colder, the tripledmeic: flu, RSV and COVID-19 risks only get hire for kids. Limits on medicines at local pharmacies, like CVS and Walgreens, have some parents concerned as demand is so high stores can’t replenish their shelves fast enough.
“Scary feeling to have just like the outage for the formula,” said Miranda Gonzoles, a parent.
“Some of the shelves are very bare anything you need medical-wise,” said parent Karimah Henderson.
CVS Health has placed a two-product limit on all children’s pain relief products bought through its pharmacies or online.
Walgreens is limiting customers online to six purchases of children’s over-the-counter fever-reducing products. That limit doesn’t apply in stores.
Both companies cited shortages due to high demand and supply challenges.
In response, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents the drug manufacturers, said, “Supplies of these products are being replenished as quickly as possible, and there is not a widespread shortage in the U.S.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said manufacturers expect the availability to increase in the near future.
“You want to help them and get them what they need, and if they don’t have those resources that’s a setback for a parent or mom,” Gonzoles said.
Meanwhile, experts recommend consumers try generic medicine or travel to more than one store pharmacy to find medicine in stock.
Experts encourage consumers not to stock up on medicines and only buy the amount that they need, so it doesn’t lead to a larger shortage.
This year, more than 150,000 people have been hospitalized with the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The RSV hospitalizations rate is about 34 out of 100,000 people but appears to be trending down.
The CDC says flu activity appears to be declining in some areas.
Even with high demand, manufacturers stress there’s no widespread shortage.