Children's Tylenol shortage pushes parents to source from the US

The nationwide shortage of cold and fever medication for children has made parents come up with some unorthodox solutions, and going across the border has quickly become the only reliable way to get the medicine.

One Metro Vancouver man is trying to help his community amid the shortage by driving to Washington State to buy Tylenol and bring it back for parents.

Andy Shen, who splits his time between Langley and Coquitlam, says although he isn’t a parent himself he sees how stressed his friends with kids are.

“Not everyone’s in the same position as me where they can just drive down to the States. When you have kids you’re more anchored at home, whereas right now I do have that opportunity.”

He usually crosses the border about once a week, and lately, he’s made it his mission to bring back as many boxes of children’s Tylenol as he can.

Once back in Metro Vancouver, he gives the boxes to families in need at cost. Each box works out to CDN $11 — after he converts from USD.

Shen has become both a supplier and triage specialist as he prioritizes getting boxes to families with kids who are sick right now. Sometimes that means turning down a couple with a baby on the way or telling a family they can’t buy more than one box.

He’s even had to deal with some unscrupulous customers — one person apparently bought his boxes for $11 and resold them for $20.

“For me, that’s just ridiculous. Come on. It’s kids being sick. Don’t take advantage of them.”

He’s received tremendous interest from parents in the children’s medication from all across Canada — people in Edmonton and Ontario want a box just as bad as parents in Vancouver.

It’s gotten so dire that, according to Shen’s spouse who works in a hospital, parents are waiting hours in the ER hoping to get hospital-supplied cold medication for their children.

Kathleen Reid, a mom to a two-year-old who’s pregnant with another baby, doesn’t drive but instead had a friend in the US mail her children’s Advil and Tylenol. It’s been sent by express post and should arrive this week.

“I’m obviously lucky to have alternative solutions,” she said. “There’s definitely people trying to help each other find it … I just never really thought there would be a shortage like this.”

Reid remembers seeing headlines about the shortage in the summer and is shocked that in mid-November, in the middle of cold and flu season, it’s still such a problem. She also wonders what families who can’t get across the border will do — for instance, those without passports or those without a vehicle.

“It’s anxiety-inducing for parents … It shouldn’t be an issue in a country like Canada, right?”

The Government of Canada confirmed in an October 26 statement that there’s a shortage of acetaminophen and ibuprofen products for infants and children across the country. The government says the shortage has been due to unprecedented demand this respiratory virus season.

Although there are price-gouging rules in effect for Canadian retailers, many parents have complained after seeing store shelves empty and bottles of children’s Advil listed for $300 online.

The government is taking measures to increase supply, including importing ibuprofen from the US and acetaminophen from Australia. The federal government announced Tuesday that foreign-purchased acetaminophen will be available for purchase in local pharmacies in the coming weeks.

“We are committed to exploring every possible option to end this shortage,” the government said. “In the meantime, if you cannot find infant or children’s fever and pain medication that you need, you can speak to the pharmacist about available alternatives. ”

An adult dose of cold medication is too much for infants and children, and the pill can be a choking hazard. Infant medication typically comes in liquid form with a dropper — making it easier to put in the child’s mouth.

Amid the crisis, Some public health workers have released guides recently on how parents can crush adult Tylenol and measure an approximate dose for their kids.

The shortage of kids acetaminophen & ibuprofen has been stressful for parents

Thanks to our amazing SMHAFHT pharmacists Brenda Chang, Doret Cheng, and Jon Hunchuck @UnityHealthTO @UofTFamilyMed for this handy resource on how you can split and/or crush adult tabs for kids pic.twitter.com/q7rW2DndXt

— Tara Kiran (@tara_kiran) November 15, 2022

The BC Pharmacy Association says parents can visit their local pharmacist to get help figuring out dosage for children over two.

Compounding pharmacies can also make liquid solutions for parents out of adult acetaminophen pills. But Angie Gaddy, director of communications for the BC Pharmacy Association, noted these solutions have a shorter shelf life and said parents shouldn’t buy them unless their child is sick.

“There are a number of solutions that don’t require panic buying,” Gaddy said. “In short, if a child has pain or a fever, parents and caregivers for children should always first speak to a pharmacist.”

As for Shen, he’s deleted his social media posts about Tylenol because because he’s not sure if the Canada Border Service Agency would have a problem with him bringing it in. He knows he can’t help everyone, but hopes his cross-border runs have made a difference for some Canadian families