Shortage of drugs (meds)

15 years ago

I've been reading about some mysterious shortage of some drugs. One, I think was an important cancer-fighting drug. There were others, even some from the animal world. Vets reported a shortage of some thats used for Heartworm. Yesterday Hub & I went to the clinic for our monthly B12 shot and the nurse said she didn't know the reason, but there seemed to be a shortage of the vials of B12. We got our shots, but she didn't think there was enough at the clinic for all of the other B12 appointments for the day. Strange. Maybe this is just a glitch of the purchasing person not ordering enough. Anyone else experience a shortage of needed meds?

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Comments (12)

heather_on
14 years ago
Yes periodically there are shortages of meds. Sometimes it is because enough weren't ordered but often it is because the supplier can't keep up with the demand. Many meds are made from plants and the plants themselves have to be available as well.
jannie
14 years ago
I saw a list in the newspaper of the drugs that have world-wide shortages. Lucky nothing I take is on the list!
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Chisue, if you've never been on antidepressants, you may not know that they don't keep you from feeling sadness, nor do they give you any sort of a high. They just take away the "gee, I hope that car hits me" feeling. I also think it's really important to differentiate between sadness, over whatever, and depression. When my mother died, I was *so* sad. I cried a lot, I couldn't imagine life without her. I was *not* depressed. I was not hopeless, I was not wishing I were dead, I was able to work. When the sadness faded, I was left with wonderful memories of my mother, a deeper understanding of our mortality, and great empathy for those who were grieving. It was exactly what one would hope for, to go through a difficult time and learn valuable life lessons. When I *was* depressed, all those things were different. I spent most of my time in bed, I missed so much work that my income went way down. I couldn't pay my bills and my mortgage company began foreclosure proceedings. I stayed away from people, and, though I didn't think of killing myself, I prayed constantly for death. I couldn't imagine that anything would get better. Ever. I don't think there was any point to *feeling* this range of emotions. There was nothing good or redemptive in there. It was totally debilitating. Everyone knew something was wrong, but no one thought of depression because I'm a strong, confident woman, generally able to face whatever life brings. But it wasn't a matter of will and perseverance that time; I was ill. Would I have pulled out of it without drugs? Probably. Depression is a cyclical illness, and generally goes away within a year or so, though it often returns. Had I waited for it to go away naturally, I may well have lost my home, my job, and some of my friends. I thank God for the one friend who suggested that I might be depressed and sent me to a doctor. (A GP, by the way, not a psychiatrist.) Chisue, you really seem to be protesting drugs given for sadness, rather than for depression, and I'd agree with you there. Do you think there's no possibility that your friend is depressed?
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Anyone order med.'s on-line?
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Comments (8)
I've never heard that before. My vet has no problem with us ordering our meds online, and recommended the place that we order from (vetcentric.com). I think you do have to be careful that the place that you're buying from is legit. I HAVE heard of online places that tout that you don't need a prescription to buy from them, so who knows what's going on with that kind of situation? They may be doing all kinds of shady things. I just did a little research -- it looks like there may be reasons specifically for your vet being worried about the heartworm medication, though: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2006/606_pets.html It still sounds to me, though, that if your dog has had the heartworm test recently, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to buy the meds online. It's odd.
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Drug prices are crazy (sorry if it was discussed before )
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Comments (63)
Jasdip, I was about to post that I believe it is B.C. that pays for oral cancer drugs, but Ontario does not, when Stacey_mb posted about coverages in Manitoba. I agree that a lot of people think that OHIP will cover them throughout Canada and as you certainly know, it won't. We always take out of of country and province medical/trip cancellation coverage. I can't take generics. So many brand name drugs are no longer sold because of generics so it is a good thing I suppose that I am extremely sensitive to most drugs out there or I would be in serious trouble. And it isn't just the preferred generic it is all of them, and I am not the only one. We are both over 65. I have only one prescription and it has gone generic so how long the the brand name will be available and not stale-dated remains to be seen since we are in year 5. I pay the extra between the generic and the name brand cost under the ODB. Then there is the annual deductible for the ODB which of course I don't even begin to meet. Also, the drug and its use have to be approved to be covered by the ODB. I have been told when in the U.S. that Canadians enjoy free dental, vision and drug coverage. We do? News to me! Obviously not all Americans think this but it is frightening the ones that do. And we do "pay" for our OHIP coverage. I think of this whenever I go to the dentist or the eye doctor - and my husband sees 2 eye doctors. I hope you are coping as well as can be expected. My husband's sister when through the same horrible issue as you when she was your age.
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Any "brilliant" ideas you've had to deal with shortages?
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Comments (71)
Well, it's not exactly brilliant, but the food shortages I've encountered in the grocery stores (much better now than two weeks ago), have made me much more aware of how much I waste. Normally, I will grab a paper towel to wipe up a spill or polish the faucet or whatever, without a thought. Now, I'm getting into the habit of using my old, retired dish towels for this purpose. We've always been pretty good about not wasting food, but I'm becoming even more vigilant these past couple of weeks. More meal planning, more using up things that are in the fridge and all with an eye towards less waste. While we are not yet low on TP, I am becoming more aware of how much I use. Rather than just pull a big wad off of the roll, I'm trying to use about half what I usually do and our rolls of TP are lasting twice as long. When this is all over, I am going to make an effort to retain these new habits as they are good for my wallet and good for the environment. Heh, I'm turning into my grandmother who was a young homemaker during the depression years...
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cecileB
14 years ago
The President as well as the FDA finds a way to prevent drug shortages, which can occur for many reasons, including manufacturing and quality problems, delays, and discontinuations. The agency works closely with manufacturers of drugs in short supply to communicate the issue and to help restore availability. The FDA was ordered to do something to stop narcotic shortages. Obama granted the Executive Order Monday. The president said the issue allows for price gouging, and is hazardous for patients. House Republicans have ignored the work as mere campaign rhetoric. Obama signs executive order to address drug shortages.
RuskitD
14 years ago
Free enterprise is one reason for drug shortages. Companies are buying up the supply of certain drugs and marking them up, up to 600% markup.

Here is a link that might be useful: Companies exploit, profit from drug shortages
lynn_d
14 years ago
Some of the biggest issues are the cancer fighting drugs, due in part to greed. Oncologists are paid for the drugs they prescribe and in many cases they are writing the Rx for the more expensive, (brand name necessary) medication instead of the more economical generic. So much so that the manufacturers of the generics have cut back on the amount they are producing.
michelle_phxaz
14 years ago
I was prescribed Opana for my back pain, the doctor made it out for 15mg. I tried to fill it and they only had 2 left and couldn't give me a raincheck for the rest of the prescription since it is a narcotic.

I finally figured that if I were prescribed 20mg, all the Walgreens have it, so I am taking that now, no problems getting it so far, knock on everything.
sleeperblues
14 years ago
In my profession (anesthesia) we have been dealing with issue for several years now. First it was propofol (the Michael Jackson drug). My hospital actually never ran out, but we were close. Then it was the muscles relaxants to temporarily paralyze for surgery. Now it's fentanyl, our most used narcotic. It makes my job extremely difficult to do. All of these drugs are off-patent, and it seems highly suspicious to me. I do suspect gouging for the pharmaceutical industry to make more money off of cheap drugs.
lazypup
14 years ago
Last week I had to take 12 antibiotic tablets as a prep for a minor surgery procedure and prior to that I have taken a total of 11 generic aspirin this year.

That is the sum and total of all my meds & suppliments for the year so far
lydia1959
14 years ago
When I went to get my B12 refill I was told by my doctor that I may not be able to get it due to reasons that RuskitD mentioned above.
jannie
14 years ago
I heard a report on this subject just yesterday. The drugs that are in short supply are older, proven, generic drugs, around since the 1960's. The reason they are in short supply is the factories where they're made are getting old. No one thought to repair and retro-fit the factories. Lots of drugs are made outside the US. There's not much hospitals can do. I'm on a lot of meds, for high blood pressure, high cholesterol , high triglycerides, and kidney failure. I've asked my doctors and they say, my specific drugs are very popular, and insurance companies pay well for them, so they'll not go out of stock. Seems reasonable. Supply and demand.
jannie
14 years ago
Hospitals and doctors have also been using alternate medications when supplies get low. That's why we the public haven't heard that much about this.
marie_ndcal
14 years ago
All above, and since many drugs are produced outside the US, and there are always new drugs on the market it has been rough on many of the medical providers. Also the insurance companies almost demand you get generic and in many cases generics just won't work. The research into new drugs does cost money, but then if they were produced in this country it might help. Put more people to work and not have to worry as much as so many being recalled--like Tylenol which is very hard to get because of contamination. Also since we are overwhelmed on TV and advertising to get this drug for this illness, etc, we are only ourselves to blame. After all it is the job of the drug companies to convince us that we cannot live without their meds. And the medical staff just does not have time to check out everything we demand or the sales reps insist they have to have.

Shortage of drugs (meds)

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jannie

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