Tulsa mom drives 60+ miles to fill son’s prescription amid medication shortage
By Stef Manchen
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TULSA, Oklahoma (KJRH) — A drug shortage led one Tulsa mother to drive more than 60 miles to Eufaula just to make sure her son didn’t miss a day on his medication.
Zachary Scott has been on Fluvoxamine for the last 12 years to support his mental health. His mom, Ginger Scott, is the one who picks it up for him.
For the last four months though, Scott said filling Zach’s prescription is no easy task.
“They kept telling me it’s on back order until February. This was in January,” she said. “Then in February, I’d call them, and they’d say it’s on backorder until the end of the month or until March. So, I’d call back then, but in the meantime, I still had to find it.”
Scott began calling and visiting new pharmacies around the area to see if they might have Fluvoxamine in stock. She said he couldn’t go without it.
“If I was gone and not here on this earth, I don’t know how he would get it,” said Scott. “I don’t think he would know how to get it, and then he would be off of it, and I don’t know what would go on from there.”
When she heard that a pharmacy in Eufaula may be able to help her, she didn’t hesitate before getting in the car.
“They had some in their warehouse, and they got it for him in March,” said Scott. “Then, in April, I had to go to Tahlequah at that Walgreens and get it. And so now, I’m like, well, I don’t know where to go.”
2 News called Freeland Brown Pharmacy on Peoria Ave. to learn more about why shortages like this happen.
A pharmacist said it was their professional opinion that a lack of medication was due to a geopolitical matter.
After more than a decade on a medication that works for him, the last thing the Scotts want to do is change up Zach’s prescription.
The last thing his mom wants to do is keep having to hunt it down.
“I started getting fearful; I’m like, what are we going to do?” she said. “Am I going to have to go to Dallas? Do I need to call some pharmacies in Dallas to get this stuff? I don’t know what else to do.”
Until the shortage is resolved, Zach has to take a different dosage and more pills to make up for his type of Fluvoxamine not being available.
According to the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, there is a shortage of the extended-release version of the drug, which is what Zach takes. There is no cited reason for the shortage.
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