While obtaining an antibiotic prescription for their children, parents have noticed increased difficulty in filling those prescriptions at their pharmacies.
As temperatures drop and the rate of respiratory infections increase, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns of a months-long antibiotic shortage.
The most obvious shortage is that of Amoxicillin, a common antibiotic doctors use to treat a variety of infections, including ear infections, strep throat, and pneumonia.
Physicians are advising parents to talk to their family’s pharmacist as well as the health care provider who prescribed the medication because there are other alternatives that can be used to fight certain bacterial infections.
Colds, flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 are all respiratory viruses that cannot be treated with antibiotics. However, illnesses that are treated with Amoxicillin, such as ear infections, bacterial pneumonia and sinus infections can happen after a surge of respiratory viral infections.