HOUSTON – Medications are in short supply for several reasons including manufacturing delays, supply chain issues, and other pandemic-related complications.
The FDA officially considers 141 drugs in shortage, including some life-saving drugs like:
- Albuterol
- Amoxicillin
- Penicillin
- Epinephrine
- Nitroglycerin
Now, heading into the 2023 cold and flu season, some store shelves seem bare.
Technically, there’s no shortage of cold and flu medications at this time, and empty store shelves in this case are just a telltale sign that illness is spreading in your area.
CVS and Walgreens both said in a statement that there’s really no issue and they’re able to supply enough cold and flu medication, for now.
But, another thing to keep in mind is that phenylephrine, which is an ingredient in many popular over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, has been deemed ineffective in easing nasal congestion in tablet form by FDA advisors. This means you might not have that as an option on store shelves anymore.
If you’re desperate for relief, you might try other oral decongestants like the ones behind the pharmacy counter.
ENT doctors and allergists also encourage using nasal rinses to relieve congestion.
“Things like saline rinses can be very helpful. You may have heard of Neti pots, and that’s where you use either boiled water that’s been cooled or distilled water and it typically has salt and baking soda in it to flush out the sinuses and the nasal passages,” Dr. Sandra Hong, Allergist, Cleveland Clinic.
Using these with tap water, as opposed to distilled or previously boiled water, can lead to a brain infection or death in extreme cases.