Antibiotic shortage

[Garysmum]

I’m a bit concerned there is a potentially serious antibiotic shortage. I know amoxicillin is in short supply around the world.
I have a prescription for a different type of penicillin- 8 pharmacies had none at all in any form. But several had no antibiotics at all- no forms of penicillin no clarithromycin, erythromycin no metronidazole etc - they couldn’t suggest what could be prescribed as an alternative.
being immunosuppressed I can get very ill very quickly. It’s all very well having to drive a 50 mile round trip when your child or parent is unwell but when you’re unwell and have nobody to do it for you - not great. I would expect this is the same for vulnerable elderly people many of whom don’t drive. None of the pharmacies would order it in either as it’s out of stock with all the suppliers.
I understand from my grandma life pre antibiotics wasn’t fun - she was sent to a nursing home with scarlet fever as a child with no treatments.
Is it just my area -South East or are others equally impacted?

Have you spoken to 111 ?

I couldn’t get through sadly. But eventually one pharmacy rang another one of its stores hence the 50 mile round trip.
Ancedotal evidence and pharmacists have made statements to the press to suggest there are shortages but the government have said not.

Oh dear.

What a worry.
I was in boots yesterday and a lady was sent away to find her antibiotics somewhere else.
It's ghastly.

It’s a supply issue currently because of the Strep A situation. Hopefully it will catch up with itself but I agree it’s very worrying.

My hospital trust (and it can't have been the only one) recently sent a trust wide email about the shortage of certain Co-Amoxiclav dosages, with numbers and links to various resources about finding alternatives.

If hospitals are running out of different dosages, then pharmacies will be feeling the pinch too.

This is the start of winter. What on earth is going on! Place's must have noticed their stocks not coming through like normal?

It's nothing to do with stock not coming through from what I've heard, its because they are being prescribed for anything that might be strep A because of the current issue with that. People will be taking kids to the GP when usually they would have just cared for them at home.

I know someone whose been prescribed two lots for 10 days on a just in case basis as her kids tonsils look abit swollen and she’s collected them from the chemist already even though they don’t currently need them and once made up they have a limited shelf life!! Selfish behaviour like that is not helping matters

I’m not sure you can call parents worrying about their children dying ‘selfish’ behaviour. It’s a huge worry and so people are scared. Completely natural.

Can you order the prescription through an online pharmacy?

HRT is in very short supply at the moment (always!) too.

@RudsyFarmer it is when they are not needed currently and if not used within 14 days will need to be binned.
my own children have high temps, one for four days, but no rash, no strawberry tongue etc so I’m treating the fever and observing, not running to the drs and demanding antibiotics when it’s not clear yet why they have a fever 🤷🏻‍♀️

Well good for you @makingmiracles, but I can understand why people are worried about their kids!

Can we please not do the ‘selfish’ thing again? Prophylactic antibiotics are a potential strategy to stop serious strep A outbreaks. People being given them are not selfish.

It's terrifying isn't it?

My twins were prescribed antibiotics yesterday and I was turned away by my local chemist as they had none....luckily one further afield did so we have them but by God it's worrying.

The start of winter, bugs running rampant and an antibiotic shortage.

Call me dramatic but this feels as close to Victorian Britain as we've ever been. 😔

Ah yes how "selfish" of a mother to worry about her children!!

🙄

Nope, sorry don’t agree. If you are collecting antibiotics that your children don’t currently need, then there’s a good chance someone else’s children who actually have strep symptoms won’t be able to obtain them easily. If everyone does that, more children will die who are actually I’ll with strep because they can’t access antibiotics. It is inherently selfish, like hoarding toilet paper etc during covid

Well, I hope you have told your acquaintance this.

Local chemist here is south west has just said he’s ok with getting Clarithromycin. DGD been prescribed it for possible strep a. GP said their current guidance is to have a very low tolerance to prescribing it for children.

I think collecting both prescriptions is a bit much, but it’s absolutely nothing like stock piling toilet.

There is not a supply shortage, but there is a spike in demand at the moment due to strep A. If people clear the proverbial shelves just in case (see toilet paper) then everyone will be screwed.

i live in a small town with 2 pharmacies, both Boots. Just been told for the second day in a row that they can’t fill my daughters prescription for liquid penicillin and they can’t order it as it’s out of stock at their warehouse, now waiting on a call from the GP to confirm when an alternative prescription will be ready. I also tried a couple of late night pharmacies yesterday that are 30 miles away and no luck with them either.

My mother has a number of health conditions and has been given an "emergency pack" of antibiotics and steroids. I think thats because she has COPD but she does have a lot of other conditions too.

@Garysmum Could your GP do this for you since you're also vulnerable?

I work in healthcare and all our local pharmacies are out of penicillin. Apparently wholesalers also out. But it’s ok cos the government say there’s loads 🤷‍♀️

We are south east too. Prescribed penicillin for DD yesterday and got it same day. I am not saying there isn't a problem but for anyone who is reading this thread and panicking, there are some good news stories!

I got some amoxycillin last night too for myself up here in Yorkshire. The pharmacist did say they were low though as she counted them out.