Parents may need a prescription for some children's liquid medication, SickKids warns
Parents of young children may need a prescription for over-the-counter fever and pain medication due to a shortage at some pharmacies, Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children is warning.
In a letter sent to caregivers, the hospital said some pharmacies across the country are dealing with supply shortages of liquid Tylenol and Advil.
"If your child requires the liquid form of acetaminophen, you will now require a prescription," the letter says. "It cannot currently be sold over the counter because it has to be repackaged from large bottles into smaller bottles by the pharmacist."
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, a SickKids spokesperson said that pharmacies such as Shoppers Drug Mart, in addition to SickKids' inpatient pharmacy, are impacted by the nationwide shortage. The hospital says that children staying overnight at SickKids will be able to get the medication, but those who visit the hospital and then go home will need to get a prescription from their health-care provider.
“While some retail pharmacies may have adequate supply of these over-the-counter medications, other pharmacies may only have them available in large quantities that must be dispensed by a pharmacist. For this reason, the medication may require a prescription,” Sarah Warr, senior communications advisor for SickKids, said.
"The health and safety of our patients is our top priority and we continue to closely monitor this situation," Warr said. "We have been working with our vendors and clinical partners to develop and implement strategies to help preserve our remaining supply."
Jen Belcher, vice president of strategic initiatives and member relations for the Ontario Pharmacists Association, says this recommendation doesn't mean customers can’t buy liquid Advil and Tylenol over the counter.
“The prescription does make it easier in the sense that it provides instructions for dispensing of that product. But ultimately, liquid Tylenol has not changed from an over the counter drug to a prescription-only product,” she told CP24.
Belcher explained that the shortage is impacting smaller bottles that are normally sold over the counter, which is why they are recommending parents get prescriptions in some cases so that pharmacists can use larger stock bottles to fill those requests.
SickKids also recommends that parents consider other forms of medication, including chewable tablets.
"Speak to your pharmacist or health-care provider first to ensure you give your child the right dose," the letter adds.
The shortage comes a month after the Ontario Pharmacists Association warned that heightened demand and supply chain constraints were fueling a shortage of cold and flu medication.
"If you go to pharmacies across Ontario and other provinces, you're likely to see a number of different gaps on our shelf," Belcher told CTV's Your Morning in July.
"(The medication) could be back by fall when we return to regular cold and flu season but it's really hard to predict at this point in time and I couldn't say with any degree of confidence, unfortunately."
At the time, Belcher said some children's painkillers were on backorder.
CTV News Toronto has reached out to the Ministry of Health as well as Shoppers Drug Mart for more information on how the shortage is impacting Ontarians.
It is unclear how many pharmacies are affected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
About 1,000 wildfires confirmed so far this year: Here's a quick look at the situation in Canada
Nearly 1,000 wildfires have burned across Canada so far this year. Here's an overview of the situation in Canada.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Tavares scores in OT, rescues Canada from potential upset in 7-6 win over Austria
Captain John Tavares scored 15 seconds into overtime and saved his teammates some embarrassment as Canada held on for a 6-5 win over Austria on Tuesday at the world hockey championship.