Frustrations are growing nationwide over unfilled prescriptions.
Widespread drug shortages are making it harder for many Americans
to find their medications.
It's getting worse. Misty Heman lives in Minnesota and says
it's like a full time job to track down ADHD
medication for her three sons.
Have you found any hacks or is this just you
deal on a day by day basis,
day by day basis? Sometimes I won't give some of
my kids meds,
like at 3:00, so I know I have them for
the school day if I have to.
Heman says she's had to switch her kids to different
prescriptions based on what's available.
It's a daily struggle shared on social media.
Whoever or whatever is causing this shortage cut it out.
Need my medicine, with users posting about how they're unable
to pick up prescriptions on time or forced to change
their treatment schedules.
My 7 year old does not have his ADHD medication
because both of the pharmacies are out of it.
The issue Ringing an alarm on Capitol Hill.
Drug shortages are a significant public health risk of the
highest national priority.
This cancer doctor telling lawmakers the drug shortage could be
a matter of life or death for some patients.
Many of my colleagues have been forced to make impossible
choices,
including to choose which patients will be prioritized to receive
potentially curative therapy.
According to an American Cancer Society survey,
one in 10 people being treated today say they've experienced
drug shortage in the past year.
When we talk about a shortage of drugs for cancer
treatment,
that that could actually be a life or death,
couldn't it? We also don't know the long term harms.
Because we don't have the data about switching between cancer
drugs.
We probably won't know what will happen until a few
years from now.
You know, patients may forego a chance at a cure.
The problem is widespread. One in three U.S.
hospitals are severely affected by drug shortages,
and by early fall there were
305 ongoing drug shortages nationwide,
the most in a decade.
Why are there shortages of life saving drugs in this
country?
The main reason for most of these shortages is a
quality problem at the manufacturing facility.
It is across all drug classes.
But most, again, most of these are generic drugs.
I mean, it's it's just wild to think about this
happening in the United States of America.
If, if this does happen to someone,
if they're struggling to find a medication that they need,
what should they do? What could they do?
So all over the country today,
people are scrambling to get a prescription filled and they're
going to have trouble,
right? So the first thing experts say is don't panic.
You know, you have to make a plan,
Talk to your doctor. Maybe your doctor can write a
prescription for a different drug that is works.
Similarly, you could also ask for a
different dosage. Sometimes that works.
Some things are extended release or quick release.
You can you can work around that with your doctor.
But also the experts say,
use the portal with your doctor's office.
Have you noticed how if they want you to sign
up for,
you can really be texting and talking in real time
with your doctor's office on this?
And doctors and doctors offices know this is happening too.
So they're working with patients trying to figure out how
to get around it.
Last week the Biden administration
said that they were going to use the Defense Production
Act to try to ramp up domestic manufacturing of these
drugs.
So we can longer term figure this out.
But it is a real problem and it's a problem
that's been worsening for about a decade.
We were looking for a prescription for amoxicillin or something
and we went to three different
CVS's. But on the 4th one we fact they just
happened to have it.
So and these moms, you get lucky and these moms
and dads say it's a it's a part time or
full time job just trying to keep your your house
stocked with the right medicine.
Yeah. Thanks Christine. It's a good story.