In need of Chloramphenicol -pics attached

[RedEyeBaby]

Sorry for the shameful traffic post in aibu and also I've name changed but my two year old has contracted sticky eye / conjunctivitis.

He is suffering very badly- his eyes are fused together. Thing is the pharmacist doesn't have any of the drops he needs and told me to ring around. I can't source it.

Please help us mumsnet, have any of you in the Yorkshire area been able to find these drops today?

We are going to central London by train tomorrow so if anyone in London knows too..

I'm so grateful x

How many have you tried?

id get off mumsnet and keep trying to call!

I tried to get some the other day - nada. The only stock the pharmacies have right now is for prescriptions only.

So, get a prescription from your GP (hahahah! Sorry!) and the pharmacy should be able to ‘release’ some of their tiny stock to you.

Call your doctor, or go to a minor injuries unit / walk in centre if you have one, and get a prescription.

Out of stock everywhere. Get onto your GP for a prescription of fusidic acid drops. Our GP did it by
online consultation.

Aw they look uncomfortable, call the gp see if you can get a prescription but for now get some cotton wool and use cooled boiled water to gently clean his eyes just 1 sweep per ball then change it for a fresh 1 . It will help for now

Sorry, to clarify, I called the doctor who referred me straight to the pharmacy. Pharmacist said there's an epidemic with it and there's none around.

Our pharmacy had none recently either , it was the pharmacist who advertised about cleaning with the cooled boiled water and cotton wool .

Call your local optician. They usually stock it.

www.pharmacyonline.co.uk/product-landing/chloramphenicol-infected-eyes-1-w-w-eye-ointment-4g/?ref=PPC&gclid=Cj0KCQiA6fafBhC1ARIsAIJjL8kxLTLM03kcGlMMH5oUYnrN-1XB3attYyuhtK0RTNDmiUvct50NrKsaAiIuEALw_wcB

www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk/eye-infections/chloramphenicol-0.1-eye-ointment?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6fafBhC1ARIsAIJjL8nV-tJXhf3Cbf_LfyYsp-yPOzLeCurhzglpmRmGeP-OMMoS1JoAB94aAlOTEALw_wcB

www.simpleonlinepharmacy.co.uk/medications/chloramphenicol/

www.clickpharmacy.co.uk/chloramphenicol-eye-ointment

These places all have it in stock and will deliver tomorrow if that’s any good? I managed to get some last week in my local Boots pharmacy so may be worth trying ones like that as well as Lloyds etc

Moorfields eye hospital A and E could help tomorrow.

I work in a supermarket and recently started to work on our pharmacy counter. For the last couple of weeks practically every other person has been presenting with gunky/sore red eyes and our, very meagre, stock of chloramphenicol has been wiped out and none of our suppliers have them in stock.

I echo a PP that until you can find somewhere in stock, use cooled boiled water to keep them clean and get rid of the gunk.

You can treat conjunctivitis yourself it usually goes away by itself in a week or so. You can look at the nhs website for advice

good luck

Sorry, did the pharmacist say there is an epidemic of conjunctivitis? We have struggled so much with it since Christmas. Was shocked to find out there is only one type of medicine in the entire country to treat it. And it didn't help us much at all. Had to get eye drops from abroad after all.

While you are looking you can rinse the eyes with tea or saline solution. Helps a bit.

Try some local opticians. I have got quite a few boxes next to me on the shelf.

We were able to get it on prescription in London (drops for my daughter and ointment for me). Ask the GP for a prescription, and ask them to make it an open one so you can pick it up at any pharmacy. Then ring around to see who has it.
For our baby son, the GP recommended bathing his eyes with saline solution (cooled boiled water, 1 tsp of salt per cup), using cotton wool - a different clean piece for each eye. You could try that until you find the chloramphenicol.

Thank you all for the good advice - very much appreciated. It broke my heart when he called out when he woke up, I can't see, mummy!

Yes they said there's an epidemic. The only place I've taken him to interact with others has been wacky warehouse. Whilst there I saw the staff member cleaning so she was definitely trying her best, and the other children didn't appear to have red eyes like this so I'm not sure what's happened.

It’s very contagious - spreads like wildfire. It’s very hard to remember to wash your hands each time you touch your (itchy!) eyes even as an adult, let alone a child. So he really could have caught it anywhere where he put his hands on things and then touched his eyes.

I'm wondering how come I haven't caught it. I have a compromised immune system but I'm OK so far. This is the second time he's had it :-(

I'm in Scotland and have just had to get a second set of these prescribed.

I've got them from a boots chemist and a local small chemist. If you have an optician I'd phone them and ask where you can get them. Optician should also give some comfort drops which really help. If also give him an antihistamine if he was mine, as it at least takes the itch away.

Sending hugs and hope you find some

Oh and also, they are sold out of the drops most places, but the ointment has the same ingredients. You just apply it less frequently

This is almost certainly viral conjunctivitis (most likely adenovirus). Chloramphenicol will make absolutely no difference to his recovery. Just soak off the crusts with a damp flannel.

I don't agree with Drbunny. My 1yo had eventually to take oral antibiotics it was so bad. We all caught it, even extended family. It needs treatment. Horrible stuff. I still cannot say I have totally recovered.

My pharmacist told me that this is what the nhs advise these days as.most conjunctivitis will get better by itself anyway.

Fingers crossed that you avoid it.
All four of us caught it here, courtesy of our daughter’s nursery!

www.nhs.uk/conditions/conjunctivitis/