Valley residents tell ABC15 there's a continued shortage of children's pain relief medication.
"I'm frustrated. I am. I just want my son to have the right medicine and you know, get what he needs," says Jessica Allen, mother.
As a mother, Jessica Allen wants what's best for her 8-year-old son Liam. She says right now, that's not possible.
"I live in New River, Arizona and we have to travel 15 minutes or more, to the next town, to get medicine... and every place is out of medicine," says Allen.
Jessica's family had a stomach bug and now currently has the flu.
She's hoping to treat her son with children's Tylenol chewables, but tells ABC15 she hasn't been able to find it for the past two weeks.
"My son has special needs and he doesn't necessarily like medicine, and it's very hard for him. So, I have to find him the right thing, that tastes the right way," says Allen.
We first heard about a nationwide shortage of children's pain relievers in early December.
Now, days into the new year, many shelves are still empty.
ABC15 stopped by several different stores throughout the Valley, seeing signs with item limits on children's medication and in some spots.
ABC15 was told Tylenol has been on backorder for the past month.
Medmetrics is a pharmacy in Chandle, uses its own lab to compound specialized medications that are customized to each patient.
They are hoping to provide some relief to those left without options.
"The have to have a prescription but, we could compound the equivalent dosage for children's Tylenol, the equivalent dosage for children's ibuprofen. Whether it's a pediatrician or doctor they use, they can call in a prescription or send it over," says Nathan Parker, pharmacist in charge at Medmetrics Family Pharmacy & Compounding.
They also have a physician assistant who works in the pharmacy who can help do that as well. Jessica is hoping that might work for her, otherwise, she says she isn't giving up on her search.
"It's not right and it's not fair and my goal is to just let these people see what we're going through... because it is hard," says Allen.
