MIAMI (WSVN) - The coronavirus pandemic has been a prescription for trouble, as pharmacists are unable to refill some lifesaving pills.
Two South Florida women are sharing their struggle with accessing the medicine they need for their respective conditions.
Ruby Chaviano is in the same situation as so many others. She has lupus, but she is having a hard time getting the medicine she needs.
“I went to Walgreens to refill my prescription, and I was told my medication was on back order, so they told me to call all the Walgreens in Hialeah and Miami Lakes, and I spent over a week contacting maybe 25 different Walgreens and CVS’s.
Hydroxychloroquine and Z-Pack antibiotics are running low at most pharmacies, and totally out at others, because they’re being used to treat COVID-19, even though the treatment is not scientifically proven to work yet.
Chaviano needs the hydroxychloroquine to keep her lupus at bay.
“We had approximately 1,500 tablets last Thursday at the start of business, and by 4 o’clock they were almost all gone,” pharmacist Dr. Marc Leach said.
Leach, who works at Las Olas Chemist, is saving some of the medicines for his clients who need it the most. He said if the situation gets worse, he may have to get creative.
“We have found companies that are manufacturing the powder in order for us to be able to make it here ourselves,” Leach said, “so that is our Plan B right now.”
Big pharmacies like CVS said they are working with suppliers to try and keep the medicine in stock. They are also doing their best to stop people from stockpiling the medicines and limiting how much they’ll give patients at one time.
“Some of us really need that drug to function on a day to day basis,” said Missy Flynn.
Flynn needs the hydroxychloroquine for her rheumatoid arthritis, and she has been unable to get it.
When asked how much of a big deal it is for her not to have the medication, Flynn said, “It is a very big deal. It is one of the mainstay drugs for arthritis as well as lupus. It helps keep the pain levels down. It helps with fatigue, helps keep us functioning.”
She is calling around and desperate.
For Chaviano, staying persistent paid off. She was able to get a 14-day supply but having to go back out to keep getting more medicine is risky.
“I try to not go out at all. My front yard and my backyard is as much as we’re doing. Now I’m forced to have to go to not only that Walgreens, if they don’t have it available, I have to find anywhere in Miami or even Broward to see who might have it.”
So if you don’t need the medicine, don’t hoard it, so the people who need it to survive have enough.
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