FORT SMITH, Ark. — Looking at the shelves of Prince Drug in Fort Smith, pain and fever medication for kids is in short supply.
Pharmacist Daniel Lunsford of Prince Drug says he has witnessed an increase in customers looking for certain medications, especially for kids, as respiratory illnesses like RSV, the flu, and COVID are on the rise.
"Demand is just outpacing supply right now and there's not any manufacturing issues," said Lunsford. "People are just buying up the product that's available out there."
Pharmacies in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas are all dealing with a similar issue. Children's Tylenol and ibuprofen shelves are virtually empty.
The manufacturer of Children's Tylenol says empty shelves are not due to a supply chain issue but instead caused by high demand due to a more active cold and flu season.
For Lunsford, the short supply has forced his staff to turn away customers looking for any relief to provide their children.
"We just don't have anything that we can do, and so, it's very difficult, very frustrating," says Lunsford.
Even prescription medicines have been difficult to come by to help treat respiratory-related illnesses.
"Amoxicillin was one that we have been having a lot of trouble getting in," said Lunsford.
Back on the shelf, the inventory of medicines to treat other symptoms of the illnesses going around has also been thin. Lunsford explains while there may be a temptation to take any medicine that can provide relief, anything expired should be avoided.
"You may have some stuff left over from last year, well maybe it was from three years ago and it's two years out of date," said Lunsford. "Some medications can be toxic once they get that old."
If you are helping a sick little one at home, Lunsford suggests calling pharmacies in your area. Checking inventories before leaving the house can help relieve some of the stress as a result of driving and checking multiple locations.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.