Over-the-counter medication in short supply amid 'tripledemic' concerns
Prepare yourself because you might have to go to multiple stores to get the medicine you need to fight a cold or flu.
"Couldn't find any Tylenol for the kids," said father Adam Covington. "No luck, but keep trying."
Parents are struggling to find cold and flu medicine as a "tripledemic" of RSV, COVID-19 and the flu have driven up the demand for over-the-counter medication, especially for children.
"Remember, we did not have anything for two years," said . "We sat at home. We masked. We worked from home ... "Our herd immunity for all these respiratory viruses also dropped significantly."
In a statement, a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson said that the company is trying to meet the demand in many ways, including by maximizing production.
"Some products may be less readily available due to this increased demand but we are not experiencing an overall shortage of Children's Tylenol or Children's Motrin in the United States," the spokesperson said in the statement.
Doctors cautioned against stockpiling medication because it may expire.
"It is not a good idea to use it after the expiration date because there are issues such as liver toxicity with Tylenol," said .
Parents are taking this seriously and doing what they can to keep families healthy.
"We are getting the flu shot this year," said . "Trying to stay up on our vitamins and even cautiously still wearing our mask in certain places."
The trio of viruses is also impacting prescription medications, like Tamiflu.
