Here’s why Children’s Tylenol and Motrin are so hard to find right now—and what parents can do if they’re struggling to get medications

If you’re having a hard time finding over-the-counter medications for your kids, you’re not alone. As respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sweeps across the nation, combining with flu season and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, kids are falling ill in record numbers, swamping ERs and pediatricians’ offices and causing shortages of children’s formulas of acetaminophen and ibuprofen—better known as Tylenol and Motrin.

“The shortages aren’t everywhere,” infectious-diseases specialist and professor of preventive medicine William Schaffner told the Washington Post. “There are spot shortages.”

Schaffner pointed to the “tridemic” of RSV, COVID, and the flu, saying the three respiratory illnesses “have hit children early and fiercely and simultaneously.” In areas where rates of these illnesses are particularly high, he said, parents have hurried to stock up on children’s Tylenol and Motrin, leading to “isolated shortages.”

“Everybody is sick, and everybody needs medicine at once,” added Joanna Dolgoff, a pediatrician and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatricians.

Schaffner said he believes these shortages will be short-lived, but there’s always the possibility that they could go on for weeks or even months. And even if they do resolve quickly, that “doesn’t help somebody whose child is sick today,” Dolgoff said.

So what should parents do if they’re struggling to find over-the-counter medications their sick kids need?

Dolgoff said the shortages are mostly focused on name-brand fever reducers and painkillers, like Tylenol, Motrin, and Advil. She said parents may have an easier time finding the generic versions and store brands, which are labeled as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. But she also noted that it isn’t always necessary to treat a fever in a sick kid.

“A fever itself is not dangerous unless it gets super high, super quick,” she said, adding that for most kids, treating the fever doesn’t treat the underlying illness or shorten its duration (although it can help make a sick kid more comfortable, which is valuable too).

For parents who can’t find medication, Dolgoff offered this advice: Keep the sick child’s room cool, and place a fan nearby to keep cool air moving. Have the child drink plenty of extra fluids, and if they’re really uncomfortable, use a sponge or rag soaked in tepid (not cold) water to help them cool down. Don’t give children the adult forms of over-the-counter medications, even at reduced dosages. If your child is extremely sick or if you have other questions, give their pediatrician a call.

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