Here's why it's hard to find children's pain and fever medicine in NC right now

Medical experts say it's just a matter of demand, and it'll ease when the current waves of COVID-19, influenza and RSV do.

Posted 7:58 p.m. Dec 20, 2022 — Updated 11:37 p.m. Dec 20, 2022

Laura Leslie

, WRAL capitol bureau chief

GARNER, N.C. — Parents of sick kids across the country are having a hard time finding medications to relieve pain and fever.

CVS, Walgreens and Target have limited purchases of children’s pain-relief medicine.

CVS is restricting both in-person and online purchases to two children's pain relief products. Walgreens has limited online purchases to six over-the-counter fever reducers per transaction, but it does not have an in-store purchase limit. Target said it is limiting online purchases.

The limitations come as the U.S. deals with a "tripledemic" of respiratory illnesses: COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The tripledemic is putting the squeeze on supplies of medications like children’s Motrin and children’s Tylenol.

Medical experts say it’s just a matter of demand, and it’ll ease when the current waves of viruses do. In the meantime, makers of those products are running 24/7 trying to keep up.

Stores limit purchases of children's pain-relief medicine

Raleigh mom says it’s been hard to find ibuprofen for her daughter

Raleigh mother Olivia Brewer said she has had a hard time finding ibuprofen for her daughter Magnolia.

“We went to multiple locations to find some,” Brewer said. “It’s tough with a little one driving around town.”

“It’s the sickest season I’ve seen in a very long time,” said Dr. Hope Seidel with Cary Pediatric Center. “It’s hard."

Seidel said she isn’t surprised it’s hard to find children’s medications.

“We're actually seeing a surge of tons of different kinds of viruses right now,” Seidel said. “But the most common that you're seeing in the news is RSV, and flu and COVID.

“And all of those cause a fever in kids for the most part.”

Manufacturers deal with increased demand

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) represents the companies who make the medications. The group said in a statement that sales of those medicines are up 65% compared to last year.

"Supplies of these products are being replenished as quickly as possible, and there is not a widespread shortage in the U.S.,” CHPA wrote. “However, with demand for children’s pain and fever medicines reaching unprecedented levels following this early and severe flu season (along with cases of RSV and COVID), we understand why some retailers have adjusted to impose limits on purchases.”

CHPA Senior VP Anita Brakman told WRAL News the problem isn’t the supply chain. She said it’s just sky-high demand. However, she said, the trends appear to have peaked.

“Our major manufacturers of children's Tylenol, children's Motrin, children's Advil, the store brands have all of these types of products, they are manufacturing 24/7,” Brakman said. “And they're telling us they're getting the raw materials they need to do so, and they're doing everything they can to keep that increased capacity going until we get through this.”

In the meantime, Brakman is asking people not to rush out and stock up.

“That means another family, another child might not be able to get the medicine they need,” Brakman said. “So please, just buy what you need.”

Tips from Dr. Hope Seidel with Cary Pediatric Center for parents having a hard time finding fever-reducing medications:

Prioritize sleep: “When we can get the temperature down, I recommend doing it at a minimum at night for our younger kids,” Seidel said. “Sometimes that affects sleep, and sleep is so important for healing.

"So oftentimes prioritizing the time that we give [medications], and then watching for how our child looks more than what their actual number is, can sometimes allow you to conserve the fever-reducing medicines a little bit better.”

Try a tepid bath to reduce a fever: “Just bringing the bath down with a little bit of kind of room temperature water can bring their temperature down more quickly and more comfortably for them,” Seidel said.

Get yourself and your children vaccinated for COVID and flu: “The thing that is the most frustrating is, is that at least flu and COVID, to some extent, are preventable from spread by getting vaccinated, and there is still vaccine available for both of those,” Seidel said.

Don’t go to holiday gatherings if you’re sick. Consider wearing a mask and distancing: “Earlier in the pandemic, we were worried about children giving COVID to adults," Seidel said. "But the truth is that RSV actually looks like a cold in an adult, and can sometimes be really, really devastating for a young infant or a child who has an underlying illness.”

Don’t substitute adult drugs without a doctor’s guidance: “Tylenol can be very dangerous in an overdose, for example, for young children,” Seidel said. “And the doses are very specific for their weight, as opposed to adults when our weight doesn't make quite as big of a difference. I wouldn’t recommend it without the guidance of your pediatrician.”

Don’t automatically run to the ER: “A fever is a symptom of something. It can be a sign of a really concerning bacterial infection, or it can be a sign of a viral infection. So it really depends on what the cause is of the fever, but the number itself is typically not always a good indicator of that,” Seidel said, adding that it’s not uncommon for the flu to cause fevers of 103 or 104 in children. “It’s a really common misconception that we have to run to the hospital when a temperature is high.

"And the shortage notwithstanding, typically, it's ideal to try and get the temperature for your child down first, and then assess how they're doing.”

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