One of the most frustrating challenges we have dealt with over the past few years is the increasing incidence of medication shortages/backorders. This year has seemed especially bad as medications we have used for a long time just suddenly vanish from the supply chain. Currently we are dealing with these shortages:
—Interceptor — our preferred Heartworm Prenventative disappeared this past winter and has not yet become available again. We are using Heartgard Plus in it’s place, and we hope to have Interceptor back in stock this fall
—Phenobarbitol — this commonly used anti-convulsive has offered an inexpensive medication to manage seizures in our epileptic patients. Earlier this month, we were informed that the price of Phenobarbitol had drastically increased, and once our current stock is dispensed, clients can expect the price of prescriptions to markedly increase (5-10 fold is possible) . We have been switching some of our patients over to Zonisamide for other reasons, and now the newer medication will have approximately the same cost as Phenobarb.