SickKids limits children’s pain medications

Parents will need prescriptions as liquid forms of acetaminophen, ibuprofen are in short supply

Toronto’s SickKids Hospital told caregivers liquid forms of fever and pain medicines for children will no longer be sold over-the-counter due to a nationwide supply shortage.

Caregivers may now need a prescription to get liquid Tylenol or Advil from a pharmacy, SickKids wrote in a letter to caregivers sent on Monday. The hospital wrote the measure would help manage Canada’s shortage of acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

Sarah Warr, spokesperson for the hospital, said in an email to the Star some pharmacies only have these medications in a form that requires a prescription. She added retail pharmacies might still have supplies of children’s Tylenol and Advil in liquid forms

“While some retail pharmacies may have adequate supply of these over-the-counter medications, other pharmacies may only have them available in large quantities that must be dispensed by a pharmacist,” Warr wrote in the email.

“For this reason, the medication may require a prescription.”

Children staying overnight at SickKids will get the medication they need for pain or fevers, the hospital’s letter said.

SickKids also wrote parents can consider giving children other forms of common pain and fever medications. These include chewable tablets, ibuprofen suppositories, or portions of an adult Tylenol or Advil pill.

Warr wrote caregivers should only give children these medications after asking a health care provider or pharmacist, so children get the right dose.

Last week, the Ontario Pharmacists Association told the Star children’s Tylenol has been in short supply in Canada for months. Johnson & Johnson, the maker of children’s Tylenol, told Simcoe.com in a statement last month it was working to meet demand for children’s cold and fever medication.