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
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.