Across Canada, consumers are noticing the bare shelves at their pharmacies this cold and flu season.
Many have taken to Twitter to document how childrenās and adult cough syrup, throat lozenges and cold medications are hard to find.
While supply chain issues have been blamed for months as the reason behind the shortages, the chief pharmacist officer at the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) says the current problem has as much to do with increased demand, with more people now catching cold viruses and with flu season ramping up.
"These are not widespread manufacturing shortages of medications. Products are arriving in pharmacies, but it's the soaring demand and the needs from patients that are causing the empty shelves," the CPhAās Dr. Danielle Paes told CTVNews.ca Wednesday in a phone interview.
"I think the perception when you don't see a product is that you need to stock up, and I think that's contributing to it as well."
This is the first cold/flu season people are experiencing since the pandemic without masking and physical distancing restrictions. Experts say the increase is because people are catching viruses since their immune systems have not been exposed for two years.
WHAT ITEMS ARE MISSING?
An Ottawa resident tweeted a photo from the Shoppers Drug Mart in the Ottawa CF Rideau Centre, showing sparsely stocked shelves in the cough, cold and flu section.
The scene in the Shoppers in the Rideau Centre. I did find some half decent supplies, like Nasonex, in the World Exchange Plaza, which is undergoing renovations.
ā Rexanna Keats (@RexannaKeats)
The tweet mentions she found āhalf decentā supplies at another store, but other shoppers arenāt so lucky. Another Twitter user in Hamilton, Ont., said she couldnāt find any adult or childrenās cold and flu medication or throat lozenge at her local Shoppers Drugmart.
The local Shoppers has gone from having no child cold and flu medication (for months) to having no child or liquid adult cold and flu medication, and no throat lozenges of any kind.
ā cottage mom era (@je2fs)
Weāre doing great. Living, loving, laughing with it
Across Canada, the situation seems to be the same, with many people noticing fewer cold/flu essentials on shelves.
"It is Canada-wide, which is why weāre seeing it all over the country,+' Paes said. "Itās something weāre definitely monitoring."
A Twitter user in Alberta referenced a conversation she had with her local pharmacist on how long the issue has persisted.
Had trouble finding children's Advil in July in Alberta.
ā Heather Hanwell, PhD MPH MSc (@DrHanwell)
The shelves at multiple places were bare for most children's cold and flu meds.
In the middle of summer.
Pharmacist said he'd never seen anything like it.
SHOULD BUYERS BE WORRIED?
Kristen Watt, owner of Kristenās Pharmacy in Southampton, Ont., told CTVNews.ca she understands why cold/flu medication is a scarcity.
Watt said in anticipation of cold and flu season in the fall of 2020, pharmacists stocked up on medications only to see no demand because everyone was masked up and staying home.
"Then we didn't have most of the regular cough, cold (and) flu season, and so all of our stock expired, and we didn't order a lot more," she said. "So it's my assumption that production ramped down, and now we're seeing increased demand because people are not masking, they're not distancing and so supplies need to ramp up."
Watt said she is not concerned about the lack of stock.
"There is really poor evidence for benefit for any of those cough (and) cold products, especially the ones that are combo products,' she told CTVNews.ca Wednesday. Watt acknowledges there was a supply shortage, "but (for) most of us, at least in pharmacy and medicine, it's not overly concerning because (medicines) that are supposed to reduce phlegm, they don't actually do that."
Instead, she recommends lots of fluids, rest, and hot beverages for soar throats and sinus rinses for congestion.
"People are having symptoms that they haven't had in a few years and of course they are bothersome," she said of the situation.
Watt said the most important thing she tells her clients is to get vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19 and stay home if they are sick.
MORE STOCK TO COME?
For those who prefer to take those products, however, Paes believes the shortage will come to an end. She told CTVNews.ca production levels among manufacturers have been 35 per cent higher than normal. The low stock is due to more viral infections spreading among communities.
"Viruses didn't take a vacation this summer. And they continue to be present in our communities," she said. "Typically, what happens in the summer months is manufacturers sort of use that time to build up their supplies heading into cough and cold and flu season, they weren't able to accumulate supplies."
ONGOING SHORTAGES OF CHILDRENāS MEDICATION
Toronto emergency doctor Kashif Pirzada said on Twitter that he and his family have been through four colds since his eldest child returned to school. Heās seen more children coming to the hospital and being treated this year with the return to school and lifting of mask mandates.
"They're not just for COVID(-19), fluā¦ Every virus is back pretty much," he said. "And my family is no exception."
Pirzada was relieved when his family in New York agreed to bring childrenās medication across the border during Thanksgiving.
Got an emergency supply of childrenās cold and flu meds from family in ����
ā Kashif Pirzada, MD (@KashPrime)
Absolutely bonkers that weāve run out of basic medications, weāve run out of pediatric beds in our hospitals, and barely a peep from our leaders about any of this!
For months, Children's Tylenol and Advil liquid medications have been extremely difficult to find. The shortage is due to increased demand this season and heightened transmission of cold viruses, Pirzada says.
ALTERNATIVES TO DEAL WITH A SHORTAGE
Pirzada recommended parents consult with local pharmacists and measure out child-sized dosages of adult medication if needed. He also pointed to a tweet from Kyro Maseh, a pharmacist in Toronto, who broke down how parents can safely give adult Tylenol and Advile to children.
For parents struggling with tyelnol/advil shortage, you can grind up regular strength tablets with some water and mix with applesauce or pudding if your child is above 11kg as per photo here��. When liquid formula returns, please refrain from buying it if ��
ā Kyro Maseh (@KyroMaseh)
Pirzada said alternatives to medication like Vicks VapoRubāa topical ointment designed to act as a decongestantāhumidifiers and honey can help children (and adults) feel better without cold medication.
He also mentioned adults (but not children) can take anti-allergy medication, like Reactine, and decongestants, like Mucinex, in replacement of Tylenol cold medications.
