Quebec pharmacy shelves still bare as children's Tylenol shortage continues

Montreal father Daniele Insogna has made more than a dozen trips to the pharmacy this month and almost always leaves empty-handed.

He's looking for children's Tylenol.

"You ask a lot of pharmacies, 'Do you know when it's coming back in?' 'No clue.'"

Isogna has three kids below age six. His middle child, age four, has serious health issues and gets fevers often.

"I'm in the children's hospital every other week," Isogna explained.

His got sick recently, and Isogna realized they were out of children's acetaminophen.

"I pulled out Google maps and called up Pharmaprix and Jean Coutu from Beaconsfield all the way to Place Versailles, evem some in Vaudreuil and Laval," he said.

"I went so far as to call Tylenol, or Johnson and Johnson."

Across the city and country, it's hard to find over-the-counter medication for children.

The shelves have been bare for over three months -- and there's no sign of improvement.

"Tylenol, we're actually completely out. But we have one box of chewable acetaminophen, which is the generic brand," Brome Lake pharmacist Jean-Marc Belanger told CTV News.

Johnson and Johnson, the company that produces Tylenol, says it's ramped up production.

But it may not be fast enough with cold and flu season and ongoing supply chain issues.

Pharmacists warn not to panic buy and say there are backup options.

"Us pharmacists, we can buy compounded-made formulas of those medications," said Belanger. "So if we know in advance, and we know that your child must have one specific type of medication, we can find a lot of alternatives."

Insogna found an alternative after weeks of searching and countless phone calls.

"I actually found a pharmacist who had a dose for older kids that's liquid, and said, we'll give you the correct dosage to be able to give it to the kids," he said. "We're making do with that."