Several Lakewood pharmacies are limiting the amount of pain relief medication for children that families can purchase, as such items continue to be in short supply across the country.

The shortage has been attributed to what health experts are calling a tripledemic of three different respiratory viruses, Covid, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which has tremendously affected children, and as a result, caused these items to be in short supply.

Children’s ibuprofen (included in Advil and Motrin) and acetaminophen (like Tylenol) are the two main medications that treat flu-like symptoms like fever and cough, symptoms which typically accompany these three viruses.

CVS Health has placed a two-product limit on all such products purchased at their pharmacies while Walgreens said they are limiting online customers to six items. That limit doesn’t apply in stores.

One Lakewood pharmacy, Emes Pharmacy, told TLS they have resorted to making their own Tamiflu from scratch, as demand continues to dwarf the available supply.

Another Lakewood pharmacy, Refuah Pharmacy, has an automated message detailing which antibiotics are available, noting that liquid antibiotics are in “limited supply due to the national shortage.”

Lakewood, which is one of the youngest municipalities in the country, with nearly 30,000 children under the age of six, has been extremely affected by the shortage.

Experts also say that the issue is not a lack of ingredients or other related issues with pharmaceutical companies but rather the demand and lack of employees on the delivery end.

New Jersey based Johnson & Johnson said they were not experiencing widespread shortages of Children’s Tylenol, but noted that the product may be “less readily available” at some stores.

(Photo provided by Dan Alexander)