There’s presently a run on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for children. WHYY’s Nicole Leonard reported it, concurrently soliciting professional advice on how to cope.

The cause includes the current tripledemic that has tapped supplies of children’s pain relievers and cold medications:

• COVID-19
• Flu
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a cause of bronchitis

Dr. Mayank Amin, owner-pharmacist at Skippack Pharmacy in Skippack, has seen the difficulty in accessing these remedies.

“We had [a] parent … call us, …looking for just Motrin, Tylenol — any kind of fever reducer,” he said. “I looked at our shelves; it was completely empty.”

For parents questioning what to do, Amin advises:

• Shopping around. Deliveries may be slow, but they are occurring; a store can be out one day and stocked the next
• Preparing to have purchasable quantities capped, owing to short supplies
• Not substituting other medications or adjusting formulas or dosages of similar (but not wholly equal) remedies. Local poison control agencies have seen a rise in dangerous blends of OCT cold-flu mixtures given to children
• Buying generic. “If you happen to go to a store and you see ibuprofen for children or ibuprofen for infants or acetaminophen, it’s the exact same thing,” Amin said. “Make sure you grab that bottle, because that will also help you out.”

Last, Amin calls for consideration among shoppers hunting seasonal medicines for children.

“Help a friend or neighbor who has a kid that’s looking for this medication,” he said.

More on the recent scarcity of pain and cold relievers for kids is at WHYY.

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This video answers some common questions about children and flu.