Local pharmacist offers up alternatives amid children’s fever medication shortage

Local pharmacist Tim Brady is hoping to educate parents on the alternatives to children pain and fever medicine as the country faces a supply shortage.

He says the adult version of a medication may be safely used as a substitute for the children’s formula, but parents need to consult a pharmacist first.

“You can do things like snapping tablets in half or crushing them. However certain types of tablets have coatings on them are not great for crushing,” said Tim Brady, owner of Brady’s Drug Store.

“Give us a call, we can walk you through it.”

Some pharmacists may also be able to create compound medications as an alternative.

“We can mix them up if we have to,” said Brady.

Tim Brady at Brady’s Drug Store in Essex, Ont. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. (Sijia Liu/CTV News Windsor)

Meantime, Health Canada announced Monday that it has secured a foreign shipment of children’s pain and fever medication to help the country’s dwindling supply.

However, the agency has not specified how many units are coming or how they will be distributed.

“The focus will be hospital because it's just the sickest of the sick. Then it'll eventually trickle down,” said Brady.

Health Canada noted the imported medications will meet all of Canada's standards.

"All information related to cautions and warnings, dosing directions, ingredients, and other important details will be made available in both English and French to ensure parents and caregivers clearly understand what medication they are using and how to give to their children," Health Canada said in a written statement.

Brady has not received notice on when more supply of children’s’ meds will be hitting the shelves in Windsor-Essex.

“We're in the dark,” he said. “We don't know when we're going be getting any stock back in.” 

Empty shelves at pharmacies in Windsor, Ont. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022. (Sijia Liu/CTV News Windsor)