As Houstonians barrel towards the 2023 cold and flu season, the specter of medicine shortages haunts the aisles of the local pharmacies. According to a statement obtained by Click2Houston, the FDA has put 141 drugs on the list for being in short supply, from albuterol to nitroglycerin. While the shelves might echo ominously in the cold remedy department, CVS and Walgreens have confidently declared there's enough medication to go around—for now.

Dr. Aleem Kanji, a Houston endocrinologist, shares with the Houston Chronicle about the troubles with Trulicity and Ozempic, two Type 2 diabetes medications. While Trulicity patients are scrambling, those using Ozempic, which has gained notoriety for its weight-loss side effects, still seem to snatch their prescriptions without much ado, despite the national shortage earlier this year.

As the Houston Chronicle notes, a Senate report got down to brass tacks, showing that late 2022 had a peak of 295 medications on backorder. Although the situation's taken a turn for the better, more than a hundred drugs are still hard to get, according to the latest from the FDA.

For those with stuffy noses and stubborn sniffles, the plot thickens. Phenylephrine, a popular solider in the battle against nasal congestion, has been red-flagged by the FDA for ineffectiveness, making it a likely absentee on store shelves. Desperate times call for tried-and-true measures, with ENT specialists pointing to the humble Neti pot as a go-to for relief. "Things like saline rinses can be very helpful. You may have heard of Neti pots, and that’s where you use either boiled water that’s been cooled or distilled water, and it typically has salt and baking soda in it to flush out the sinuses and the nasal passages," Dr. Sandra Hong from Cleveland Clinic told Click2Houston. However, remember to sidestep tap water to avoid the rare but real risk of brain infections.