Local families impacted from children medication shortage

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Pharmacy shelves wiped out.

As RSV and flu cases shoot up, especially among kids, stores are selling out of pain and fever relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen

"Just trying to find it we had to go to several stores just to find one and it was with the pharmacist and they were only allowing one per customer," Sydra Ochinero-Burmudez says.

The Ochinero-Bumudez family desperately needed Children's Tylenol for their 14-month-old.

He had been sick with a cold and his moms were doing all they could to track down the precious medicine.

"As a new parent, I have a lot of anxiety just making sure that he's safe in general," Gordie Ochinero-Burmudez says.

She says they, like many parents, faced a similar struggle to find baby formula just a couple of months ago.

And their search online didn't bring much relief.

"You look online and they're sold out or it costs 9 bucks for a small bottle," Sydra says.

The Fresno County Department of Public Health is reminding parents of other options to help their sick kids.

"There are some measures parents can try at home to bring a fever down including bathing child in lukewarm water," Dr. Trinidad Solis says. "You don't want to do it in really cold water because that can cause them to shiver and actually increase temperature."

She also recommends looking for generic acetaminophen and ibuprofen which may be easier to find than popular name brands like Tylenol and Motrin.

It's also important to keep in mind adult medications are not appropriate for kids without consulting with their pediatrician and when using the children's medicine, although it's scarce, do not cut down the dose.

"I would recommend giving the dose appropriate on the back label of the medication," Dr. Solis says. "Not more or less, it's based off of the child's weight."