Antibiotic shortage becoming a growing problem in pharmacies

Little Rock, Arkansas – It is getting harder for people to obtain medicine that is in great demand. The antibiotic amoxicillin, which is frequently used to treat bronchitis, pneumonia, strep throat, and other conditions, is noteworthy.

Amoxicillin is used all year round to treat a variety of illnesses, including ear infections and UTIs. However, due to the high number of respiratory viruses going about at the moment, physicians and pharmacies are having to come up with novel treatments.

Every day is a struggle at the Little Rock, Arkansas, Kavanaugh Pharmacy to ensure that everyone receives what they require. A month ago, pharmacist Anne Pace reported that it has become more challenging to fill some prescriptions.

“Amoxicillin”, Pace named. “During the summer we may go through one or two of them. This time of year, six, seven, eight a day easily.”

Every winter, when flu season intensifies, the use of amoxicillin rises.

This year Pace said, “Demand for it has probably far exceeded what it has been in the last year or two in just this time of year, and so maybe the manufacturers of it were not quite prepared to have the supply where we need it right now.”

Pace postulates The lack of COVID measures like masks as they become less widespread may be contributing to the scarcity in addition to supply chain problems. More individuals may be falling sick with flu-like symptoms as a result.

“Every day I feel like I’m telling my staff, well, here’s another drug that we can’t get”, Pace admitted.

She used Cefdinir as an illustration of how the lack of amoxicillin is influencing other medications you might be prescribed. Cefdinir is your first choice if you have a penicillin allergy, but some doctors are prescribing it to the general public because the availability of amoxicillin is uncertain.

Pace indicated the location of the Cefdinir shelving at Kavanaugh’s Pharmacy.

“It’s empty. We can’t get any right now,” she said.

“Doctors are writing prescriptions for these products, not knowing if they are available. And so they are trying to substitute it for maybe what their second choice would be, which may then end up being harder to get because it’s not as common”, Pace explained.

She said that in some instances, this is causing patients’ medical care to be delayed.

By acquiring more than necessary whenever stock of amoxicillin becomes available, Kavanaugh Pharmacy has managed to avoid a shortage. The pharmacy additionally purchases several strengths of the antibiotic that they ordinarily wouldn’t stock and works internally to determine how to adjust the strength.

She requests that everyone who is impacted exercise patience.

“A lot of just back and forth communication, trying to still make sure we get the best medication for the patient based on what we have, but it changes day to day”, Pace concluded. “We need to solve the problems today.”