Waterloo pharmacy offering up alternative during children's pain medication shortage
A Waterloo pharmacist is trying to fill the gap left by the persistent shortage of children’s flu and cold medications.
Phil Hudson, who is also the owner of Beechwood Wellness Pharmacy, is mixing up equivalent products as a temporary solution to the problem.
“We make them at the same strengths that the commercial product will be available at, but we would label them individually for each patient.”
The location is one of the few compounding pharmacies in Waterloo Region that create medications from scratch.
Hudson has been making liquid children’s pain reliever medication since store shelves went bare last month. He’s been getting as many as 20 inquiries a day.
“Many parents are desperate, and they’re desperate because they’ve been to four, five, six pharmacies and none of them have it,” Hudson said.
He warns that it’s not a long-term remedy for the nationwide drug shortage.
No prescription is needed and Hudson will continue to provide this option for families in need for as long as he can.
“When parents don’t know what to do they end up in [the emergency room],” said Kelly Grindrod, a professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy. “They end up at their doctor’s [office] asking for advice and the system doesn’t have capacity.”
She said it’s unclear when we could see children’s medications back in stock and that could be challenging for parents as COVID-19, influenza and RSV circulate in the community.
“This is going to be a difficult viral season for a lot of kids. A lot of things like mask mandates have been dropped and a lot of viruses are spreading through schools, daycares, etc.”
Grindrod is hoping for a more reliable drug supply.
“Really what we’re seeing is just how incredibly important this is for Canadian guardians and parents, and we need to be able to ensure we have access to them.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.