To think it shouldn't be this hard to obtain antibiotics..

[PixieBob28]

I'm at wits end. I NEED a certain antibiotic called cefelexin. My son is only 7 months old so he needs it in oral form. He's been on it for a month now and after speaking to the consultant he needs to continue to take it for another 4 months.

I can get a repeat prescription from he GP fine.. but can I find it any local pharmacies? Hell no. I have only got the last month's lot from calling round 15 local pharmacies and I've taken all their stock now.

Apparently Brexit has stopped the manufacturers distributing it to us in the UK. This is what a pharmacist told me the other day, so what is in the stores at the moment is all they have. Apparently we are having a pharmaceutical crisis!

He can't have triamethraprin because the bacteria he keeps producing in his urine has built some sort of immunity to it. He can't have amoxicillin because he is allergic to it. Cefelexin is our only hope.

He is on it because he keeps getting UTI's and nearly died in January after getting sepsis. I'm so scared I won't be able to get any. No one is helping me either, I constantly get told to keep trying and call round.

Tomorrow I'm going to write a list of every pharmacy in 20 miles from where I live and call round and cross them off as I go. Surely it shouldn't be this hard.

My son has to take this antibiotic every single night and once the powder has been mixed the antibiotic liquid only lasts 10 days. I still have PTSD from nearly losing him so this is just an added stress.

Does anyone know how else I can obtain prescribed antibiotic? I'm only asking as I'm desperate. AIBU to think it shouldn't be this hard and worried for our future in the pharmaceutical industry.

Sorry if this isn't the place to post, I'm just a stressed out mummy to a poorly baby

OP off topic but are they trying to find the cause for the recurrent infections or just treating it?

5 months on antibiotics for a 7m old is very excessive isn't it? 😳

Sorry. Cat interrupted me.

I have had to call alternative pharmacies when a patient has said "so and so chemist said it's out of stock everywhere". (I'm looking at you, Boots)

Lo and behold, it's available at two other pharmacies less than a mile away.

So hopefully this is the case for you and you get some this week.

@fiveredbricks

Tell me about it. It makes me sick to the stomach to think he's relying on antibiotics at 7 months old. But what can I do? He's needed IV antibiotics twice and again nearly died because the infection got so bad it turned to sepsis. I just have to put my trust in the doctors that they know what they are doing and that's all I can do.

It has had to be for this long so that they are certain the infection has definitely gone before they investigate. We already know he has scaring to his kidneys. He is having a procedure done through nuclear medicine something about dye through a cannula followed by scans which is planned for this June.

Hope we get answers then, and can make a plan for how we continue.

Sepsis is an absolute bastard though. It honestly scares the living day lights out of me, I think I will forever be on gaurd.

@chlobo89 thank you for signing up just to reply to my topic

Check out prepper forums, most common prescription antibiotics and drugs are sold in pet shops without the need for a prescription.

For instance doxycycline is sold as a fish antibiotic.

I’ve just checked at AAH (who are the biggest Pharmaceutical wholesaler) and they have Keflex suspension 125mg/5ml in stock, most pharmacies will have an account with them to order it in for you

Unfortunately this is not uncommon with medication-I am down to the last Emerade injector pen and none are available to replace -a situation which has been on going for at least 3years -despite the “pret a manger” incident-so unfortunately the government/doctors are aware-but for some reason keep on prescribing unavailable meds-don’t have an answer.

kathmacc alliance have both epipen and jext available to order and aah have emerade 500mcg in stock.

You've had some really helpful posts here op, only thing I will add if you can't get any today is to phone the hospital again and explain the situation, another secretary within the department may be able to organise for a registrar or another consultant to prescribe it for you in absence of your normal consultant.
Hope you manage to get it sorted.

I don’t know much about antibiotics but I know that pharmacies are really struggling to get in a certain drug that children with my son’s condition need to survive. They have all had to go back to the tertiary hospital (GOSH and Alder Hey) in order to get supplies. I would phone the hospital this morning and talk to another consultant/clinical nurse specialist in that department. I’ve even walked in before and spoken to nurses on the ward (once they’ve helped fight for your son’s life they are usually very happy to see you) and they’ve got the right person for me to speak to.

So sorry to hear this. Sounds like you are doing all you can.

I would add to write to your MP. If the pharmacist says Brexit is a factor they are more likely to know than a randomer on the internet. It is true that shortages are down to various reasons but Brexit has already had an impact in that the fall of sterling has made medications much more expensive to import and as the NHS has a finite budget, they aren't able to purchase in the same quantities as pre-2016.

The purpose of writing to your MP is to ask them to avoid a no-deal Brexit which would impact the pharmaceutical industry very heavily, and people like your son as a consequence. MPs need to know that their are real life consequences for their constituents. Any type of transition arrangement should keep medication imports flowing largely as normal.

*Check out prepper forums, most common prescription antibiotics and drugs are sold in pet shops without the need for a prescription.

For instance doxycycline is sold as a fish antibiotic.*

Please don't do this ive never seen such ridiculous and dangerous advice than this.

Sadly the use of fish antibiotics happens in the US for people self-medicating who can't afford to seek proper medical care. I'm hoping it's a sloppy reference to american preppers forums, rather than becoming a thing here.

Be very, very thankful for the NHS.

Have you tried a hospital pharmacy? They were the only ones stocking a weird medication I was on once....

Great news, after calling number 26 on the list there is a pharmacy that has 4 bottles in stock so I'm off there in a second after I've given little one his bottle.. it's 2 towns away (30mins) but will keep us going until at least we hear back from the hospital. Thank you again for all the recommendations and support .

Ps. It happened to be a Boots!

Boots should have been able to tell you that! When I've gone to a branch and they've been out of stock of my prescription they've always been able to direct me to a branch it is in stock. I think you've had to do a lot of running around that you shouldn't have had to do, but glad you have got it sorted now.

I have 2 local Boots to me and went in-store to both the other day and neither told me they could check I will remember that in future though thank you.

Please don’t scaremonger. This isn’t a brexit issue (not least of all because brexit hasn’t actually happened yet so why would it cause a supply chain issue-think about it). We’ve had similar issues with my sons medication for over six months. There was a production problem of some sort which meant a drastically reduced output which cause a supply and demand imbalance. They still haven’t resolved it. The pharmacist advised us to return to our GP and seek an alternative prescription temporarily. I would think that was your best bet although the consultant obviously in your case. Given how hopeless the NHS I would suggest going private of you can afford it. Maybe they will actually cure him instead of robbing you off woth never end antibiotics.

I hope your son gets better soon

Don't have any advice re the antibiotics but my eldest son had his first UTI when he was 6w old and also had to have IV antibiotics a lot. He had the scan you mentioned (with the dye) and various other ones which I've forgotten as he's now 4. He didn't have scarring to his kidneys but he did have reflux on one side of his kidneys which was causing the UTIs. It's all resolved now tho, he just grew out of it and was discharged from the consultant. Fingers crossed for your son xxx

Find a small independent Pharmacy, go in and speak to the pharmacist. They will very likely take on the ringing round for you. My Dad used to be a pharmacist (small village, he is retired now or I'd tell you where and he'd do it for you!) Every now and again he'd get a tricky prescription. He would spend a huge amount of time looking for the stuff, ringing round and generally sorting it. Pharmacists only get paid the same pennies dispensing fee no matter the effort put in so you need to find one who is small, independent and committed to their patients. You may then want to keep using that shop to give your business to someone who really cares.

Kath, we've had major issues replacing our sons out of date Epipen jrs apparently they're harder to get than standard Epipens. I spent the best part of 4 days trying to locate a chemist with any in stock. We needed 4 as we're quite rural, 2 for school and 2 for his anaphylaxis box thst we have to carry at all times. They're rationing them here, we had to get our gp to split them over 2 prescriptions so the pharmacist could order them as they are refusing to give any more than 2 per prescription, even then tbey hsd to order them in and we had to wait. Its been going on for ages.

No advice on the actual antibiotics but I know some pharmacists have been reluctant to fill a prescription for the specific meds I've needed in the past because of the cost to them, at least that's what I've been told. Ie what I needed was very expensive compared to the cheaper alternative.

I wonder if that is more the issue. My son has a particular medication which only gets ordered in when the pharmacy receive his prescription. But at least they can order it and it takes a day.

Yay glad you managed to find some i came back on to offer to call your local store for you and kick them up the bum because i double checked at work today and it is available!

Hi, don't have time to RTFT so sorry If this is resolved but I had a similar problem a while back (not due to brexit though I don't think) and just so happened to end up in A&E for a different reason and the hospital pharmacy ended up giving me my full prescription. Maybe try your local hospital pharmacy if possible?

Glad to hear you have some now OP

In future would this be any use?

www.lloydspharmacy.com/en/cefalexin-250mg-5ml-oral-suspension