CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Antiviral medicines have been in short supply for months, but now two other categories of drugs are hard to find. Antibiotics like Amoxicillin and Cefdinir including ADHD medications are now the point of pain.
Charlotte pharmacist Greg Deese tells us it's been the hardest season he's had in 40 years as a pharmacist. He said he's dealing with it the best he can.
"Sundays, I try to order product from my house," he explained to WCNC Charlotte's Colin Mayfield. "Independent pharmacies are close and some are on shorter hours during the weekend. I try to find time to put in orders when others aren't working."
Deese believes it's an issue everywhere right now that comes down to raw materials, many of which come from India and China, but seem to be slowly rolling out around the globe.
To combat this, Deese tries to alter the dosage where he can. On some medications though, they require a new prescription and a doctors visit. Sometimes those actions flag the insurance companies and becomes more of an out-of-pocket cost for a patient.
Demand has skyrocketed while supply has lingered, even through a tripledemic of RSV, flu and COVID-19.
Every day is different he says, sharing that brand names seem to come in routinely, but it's the generic names that seem to creep in.
As the season lingers on, he hopes supply will increase. There's just no telling when global stock will catch up, so it's a waiting game for those who don't have options.
Contact Colin Mayfield at cmayfield@wcnc.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.