Amoxicillin shortage hitting parents
At 2 years old, Carter Williams has needed to take amoxicillin daily to curb the effects of having multiple spleens from birth, also known as polysplenia.
His mother, Cecilia Geibel, of Oakland Township, said it has been difficult for the past month to find a consistent source of the antibiotic. She said she has read about a nationwide shortage of amoxicillin, which may eventually require her and her son’s doctor to find an alternative.
“I ended up calling multiple places; I called Giant Eagle, and I ended up getting it filled there,” Geibel said. “As of today, I have to get it filled at Rite Aid, because practically no one in the area has it.”
Jon Valentino, a pharmacist at Institute Hill Pharmacy in Butler, said suppliers have been having a more difficult time getting amoxicillin, in part because of the recent high demand for it.
“Amoxicillin is pretty much nonexistent now,” Valentino said. “They just have to use different alternatives as far as antibiotics.”
As far as finding an alternative, Geibel said she has found solid versions of amoxicillin, but her son, 2, has had a hard time swallowing it. Carter needs to take 2 milliliters of amoxicillin twice a day, so Geibel is considering other antibiotics now.
“My son's heart doctor, she pretty much said if worse comes to worse, she'll give me a different antibiotic,” Geibel said. “I called multiple places, and she figures, at this point, I'm not going to be able to find (amoxicillin).”
Dr. Megan Nash, a Butler Health System family practice physician in Slippery Rock, said in early December that the 2022-23 season is shaping up to be a double flu season. She said UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh is overwhelmed with RSV cases.
“There are definitely a lot of respiratory issues overwhelming the hospitals,” Nash said.
Dr. Richard Filiaggi, chairman of pediatrics at Butler Health System, said in early December that doctors are seeing an increase in diagnoses of these diseases, but not an increase in serious illness causing hospitalization.
“Maybe that’s throwing every immune system a curve ball,” he said. “The three viruses known to cause illness are circulating at possibly a higher rate than before.”
Pharmacist Valentino said the shortage might subside in the coming months once the spread of illness slows down and demand for amoxicillin lowers.
Until that happens, however, Geibel plans to continue looking for amoxicillin for her son, simply because it has been what she has given him since he was born. Additionally, she used to get amoxicillin sent to her in the mail, which she liked because she tries to avoid going into potentially crowded public spaces.
“I'm not looking forward to if I have to try a different antibiotic,” Geibel said. “With RSV and COVID going around, I don't really want to test them out, but I'm probably going to have to eventually.”
