Caring for a sick child has become even more stressful than usual for many U.S. parents in recent weeks due to shortages of Children’s Tylenol and other medicines.
AP Photo | Leon Keith
LIMA — Following a spike in COVID-19, influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus cases among children, over-the-counter pain and fever reducers for this age group became scarce.
Many pharmacies limited the number of bottles of children’s Tylenol customers could purchase due to an increase in demand, but with lowering cases of the viruses, many parents can purchase as much as they need if the drug is in stock. Kyle Miller, manager of the outpatient pharmacy at Mercy-Health St. Rita’s, said in the Lima area, there is still a “pretty big” shortage, but it is improving.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, acetaminophen — the active ingredient in Tylenol — is not in shortage. But many local pharmacies have low stock of Children’s medicine.
Miller said the shortage is not due to a “broken supply chain,” but rather an increase in demand with the “tridemic” of the last few months.
“All of those unexpectedly started hitting kids at the same time, and that essentially wiped out the supply,” Miller said. “The supply has yet to catch up with that increase in demand.”
According to the Ohio Department of Health, COVID-19 and influenza cases have steadily decreased since December. RSV cases are more difficult to track, but the season started earlier than typical and cases appear to be dropping off.
Dr. Susan Kaufman, vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at Lima Memorial, said virus cases often increase in the colder months because people stay indoors in close contact to keep warm. She said when children are outside during the summer, virus cases typically decrease.
Miller said Tylenol, or acetaminophen, is used as a fever reducer and pain reliever. Ibuprofen, or Motrin, can also relieve pain, fever and inflammation.
“Dosing does differ with those two medications, so if [parents] were instructed to get Tylenol and they instead get ibuprofen, they have to make sure they read the instructions for that new medication,” Miller said.
Kaufman said parents who go to multiple stores may find children’s Tylenol, but if they must use a different product than what they normally use, they should be careful.
Kaufman said Tylenol is metabolized through the liver, while Motrin is metabolized through the kidneys. She said doctors may recommend one over the other if a child has medical concerns related to either organ.
Children who can swallow pills can take adult medication with a doctor’s dosage advice depending on how much they weigh, Kaufman said.
Kaufman said not every fever requires a fever reducer as it is the body’s natural response to a virus, but a temperature of 105° F or higher is a medical emergency. Parents should look out for symptoms of dehydration — dry mouth, infrequent urination, dark-colored urine, lethargy and sunken eyes — and make sure their child is drinking plenty of fluids when feverish.
Children with fevers should not be overdressed or covered in warm blankets, Kaufman said. They can take a lukewarm bath, have a cool compress on their head or neck and have a fan in the room to keep air flowing.
Miller said parents should not stockpile children’s medicine because that could further extend the shortage, creating a bigger problem for other kids. He said parents should instead purchase what they need when they can find the medicine.
“All the medications will have an expiration date, so they might end up throwing it (unused medicine) out anyways,” Miller said.
Many pharmacy chains introduced limits on purchases of children’s pain relief products to prevent parents from stockpiling.
CVS maintains a two product limit on all medicine of this nature in store and online, Mary Gattuso, lead director of retail communications, said in an email.
Rite Aid and Walmart are not limiting purchases of children’s pain relief medications.
Casey Adams Jones, communications lead at Johnson & Johnson, said in an email the company is experiencing high demand “driven by an extremely challenging cold & flu season.” She said they are not experiencing a widespread shortage of children’s Tylenol or Motrin, although the products may be less readily available at some stores.
“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, including maximizing our production capacity, running our sites 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and continuously shipping out product,” Adams Jones said.
Kaufman said to avoid illness, children six months and older should get the flu shot, which can by given through March 6 for this flu season. She said everyone should practice good hygiene with regular hand washing.
Miller said he’s noticed an overall, “intermittent” increase in stock of children’s Tylenol. He said the demand for the medicine will likely decrease as the weather gets warmer and virus cases continue to go down.
Kaufman said parents should be open to other children’s medication options.
“What’s important to remember is that you don’t always have to get name-brand Tylenol; you could get generic acetaminophen,” Kaufman said. “You don’t have to have Motrin or Advil; you could get the ibuprofen.”
