RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — If it feels like everyone around you is sick, they probably are.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reports that respiratory illnesses have been steadily increasing over the past two months.
Recent data shows that 12% of emergency department visits are due to a respiratory illness. This is an increase from a few weeks ago.
Hayes-Barton Pharmacy is busy this time of year due to an increase in respiratory illnesses.
“When people gather for Thanksgiving, cold and flu season starts, so we have a lot of people coming in for all kinds of cold medicine,” said pharmacy owner Brent Talley.
This time last year, shoppers were having a hard time finding medications like Theraflu. So far, Talley hasn't had any problems stocking the shelves with cough and cold medicine.
“You're going to see more Mucinex going off the shelves, you're going to see a lot more just cough medicines going off the shelves. So we're seeing a lot of that, and then some antihistamines. We’re also looking at medications,” Talley said.
What you may have a hard time finding this season is nasal decongestant. Some pharmacies have removed phenylephrine from their shelves because the FDA has deemed it ineffective in treating patients.
“We've never actually moved most of them anyway. If someone asked us, we'd tell them straight up, 'You can try this, but it doesn't really work that well.' I’ll just say that,” Talley said.
If you're looking for an alternative, Talley recommends keeping it simple.
“Avoid complex products that contain large amounts of different ingredients,” Tully says.
He argues that patients should aim to treat specific symptoms.
“If you have a cough and that's all you have, take a regular cough medicine. If you're in pain, take Tylenol, Advil, or Aleve,” Talley said.
With holiday gatherings just around the corner, the need for these types of medications is likely to remain stable.
