Parents have been searching high and low for over-the-counter pain and fever relief for their kids for weeks and they are turning to pharmacists for help. 

Local pharmacies are always busy places but they have been particularly so over the past three years. They have been instrumental in providing information, filling prescriptions, administering vaccinations and so much more. 

Now, post-pandemic, pharmacies are now dealing with an early flu epidemic. They are tasked with helping weary parents deal with a flu season that is primarily affecting children and doing so with no or very little over-the-counter medications. Pharmacist and co-owner of Two Pharmacy, Ian Kruger, says they can help. “We have access to compounded ibuprofen and acetaminophen which are both over-the-counter products. It's hard to believe, but amoxicillin, in suspension form and chewable, is on backorder right now. So, we've been working hard to compound that one, for sure.” Compounding is defined as “The process of combining, mixing, or altering ingredients to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient.”  

At Two Pharmacy they are asking people to come in and talk to the pharmacists who will ask the appropriate questions and make sure that customers are educated about the safe usage of the medication. Kruger says, “We would actually set it up like it's a prescription, even though you don't need a prescription.” By following that protocol the pharmacist can track and monitor the medication and be in contact with the customer. This means that accessing compounds from the pharmacy can take a bit more time than picking a box of children’s pain relievers from the shelf. However, since those shelves are empty, it is probably worth the wait. 

Canada Health is saying that a shipment of one million bottles of children’s pain reliever medication will arrive in Canada for foreign suppliers beginning next week. Kruger says that he personally has not received any communication as to that yet.  So, they will continue along day to day with compounding for their customers. The primary worry is that they will run low on compounding supplies.  

Kruger says, “We are all terribly busy everyone is busy. Times are tough right now, but we're doing our best to keep up to the demand of providing Cochrane with what they need.”