KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Drug shortages continue to impact pharmacies, and patients in the Kansas City metro and nationwide.

A clinical pharmacist at Price Chopper in the northland tells FOX4 they’re experiencing medication shortages across the board. She also said it’s an issue for pharmacies beyond the Kansas City metro.

“It is widespread. It is not just Price Choppers. It is pharmacies across the country,” Clinical Pharmacist Molly Kabella said.

Kabella said they’re seeing a shortage in all types of general medications that patients take every day, and acute medicines.

She said it’s hard to pinpoint why, typically it stems from manufacturers and wholesalers.

“We’re at the bottom of the food chain, when it comes to the supply of medication,” Kabella said. “So, somewhere along the line, whether the manufacturer can’t get the supplies they need to make it, or supply chain in the shipment process, or wholesalers not being able to stock the same quantities they normally would and then it trickles down to us, where we just can’t get as many as we typically need to support our patients.”

Kabella said right now, Lidocaine patches and diabetes related medications have been hard to stock.

“We have gone up to about a month without some of our injectable diabetes medications,” Kabella said.

HyVee told FOX4 its pharmacies in Gladstone and Liberty are experiencing a temporary shortage on one specific strength of Hydrocodone.

“We do have alternative strengths or alternative medications that we can work with providers to prescribe,” A HyVee spokesperson said in a statement.

Kabella said it’s tough on pharmacists, too. They spend a lot of time on the phone with patients and doctors finding alternative medications.

“It’s just another layer of things that we have to do, but it’s necessary for the patient. So, we do our best to help in whatever way that we can,” Kabella said. “We’re doing everything we can to get them in stock and fulfill the prescriptions that we receive, but in the meantime, communication with all of your health care team is going to be important.”

If you would like to submit a drug shortage report to the Food and Drug Administration, click here.