BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — An important pain medication is running low at area pharmacies. The opioid Hydrocodone is in short supply, and some people are having trouble filling their prescriptions.
“As of now, I do have some in stock, but not something that would last more than a couple of days,” explained Chuck Barone, head pharmacist, Ivylea Pharmacy in Kenmore.
Barone confirming there is a shortage of Hydrocodone. he scrambles each day to make sure he doesn't run out, but he's not sure if it’s a manufacturing or supply and demand issue.’
“We're kind of in the dark just like everybody else, other than just checking every morning trying to order whatever we can get in stock,” Barone noted. “There are a lot of issues with our ability to order it.”
The shortage was brought to our attention in an email from a concerned viewer named April who has been prescribed the drug because she has m-s and lives with chronic pain, but recently learned her Wegmans pharmacy could not refill the drug because of the shortage similar to what Barone is dealing with.
“We do receive several calls a day, people calling around different pharmacies, seeing if we had the medication in stock. And really, it's just an order on a daily basis. We'll check every morning. If we can buy a bottle then we'll try and get a bottle in,” replied Barone.
I received a statement from Wegmans regarding supply shortages:
“We have been experiencing intermittent supply issues on these products. When supply concerns arise, we are working closely with our customers and their physicians to find alternate medications to meet their needs.”
Wegmans
“They can even go as far as engaging a patient advocate at their insurance company. Right? Who has the network to work with and can look around as well,” remarked Dr. Horacio Capote, director of neuropsychiatry, Dent Neurologic Institute.
Dr. Capote works with patients on pain management.
“It's really extremely difficult to do while you're in the midst of a crisis, it does turn out that sort of breathing exercises calming techniques, meditation, all that stuff actually does help,” Dr. Capote commented.
Both Dr. Capote and the pharmacist tell me some patients can try over-the-counter remedies like Ibuprofen or Tylenol, but it often doesn't work as well.
The pharmacist tells me he has seven distributors he buys the drug from, but because of DEA regulations, he's limited in what he can purchase.
“We can't order 10 bottles if we wanted to. We are limited based on the amount of prescriptions that we do for that certain type of medication,” Barone described. “Hydrocodone or codeine in general is a highly addictive medication. It's very restrictive, especially in New York State, so there are a lot of issues that come with addiction, and abuse, and those are the things that we, as pharmacists, need to deal with as well, to make sure that patients are taking it the way they're supposed to and that they are doing it in accordance with New York State law.”
