Many store shelves in short supply of cold medicine

HONOLULU (KHON2) — More and more people are getting sick this holiday season; and if you take medicine to make you feel better, you might be in for a headache.

The Federal Drug Administration has issued a drug shortage notice on the antibiotic amoxicillin.

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“We’re seeing a high number of respiratory illnesses, that being influenza, RSV and just common colds,” Pediatrician Dr. Theresa Wee said. “Now along with that, we get secondary bacterial infections like we’ve been seeing a lot of ear infections or bacterial pneumonia. So we’ve just had a few phone calls where maybe certain pharmacies did not have amoxicillin.”

Antibiotics are not always the answer, especially against the number of viruses floating around, unless they have led to a bacterial infection.

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“If you overprescribe antibiotics, what you’re doing is you’re making yourself more resistant in the future. If you’re really sick, then antibiotics are not going to be working,” Dr. Wee said.

Cold medicine, especially for keiki, is also in short supply. The FDA has not put them on the shortage list, but the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists has placed liquid ibuprofen on the list.

Dr. Wee said if you can’t find children’s medicine, don’t give adult medications to your child. There are ways to treat illness without it.

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“I generally will tell my parents to just treat the symptom, have them blow their nose, suction the nose. I like to maybe have them sit in a humidified bathroom. Make sure they’re drinking a lot of water to hydrate and keep that mucus clear and Tylenol if they have fever or pain.”

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