TREASURE COAST — Many Treasure Coast pharmacies are out of a common generic blood pressure medication thanks to a nationwide shortage of the drug.

A series of product recalls began the shortage of generic Toprol XL and now the drug, which patients are not supposed to stop taking suddenly, is nearly impossible to find. Treasure Coast Walgreens and CVS stores, as well as other pharmacies all are out of the medication and unsure when the supplies will return.

“We are actively pursuing alternative sources of supply but at this time, there is only one approved manufacturer with very limited supplies,” Walgreens representative Vivika Vergara said.

In the mean time, here’s what consumers can do:

First, talk to your pharmacist and doctor. Also, figure out what your insurance will and won’t cover.

Some patients might be able to just switch to the brand-name, Toprol XL. Area pharmacists said the cash difference between the drugs, without insurance, was about $13.

Other doctors are advising patients to switch to a similar drug, Lopressor. Pharmacists said the main difference is that Lopressor must be taken twice a day, instead of once.

WHAT IS TOPROL XL?

Toprol XL is the brand-name of a type of beta blocker most commonly used to treat high blood pressure and chest pain. Toprol and its generic version, metroprolol succinate, work by decreasing the force and rate of heart contractions and must be taken regularly to control blood pressure.

WHY IS THE GENERIC SUPPLY DWINDLING?

The main two main suppliers of generic Toprol, ETHEX Corp. and Sandoz, issued a series of recalls of the drug late last year after warnings from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. KV Pharmaceutical, the ETHEX subsidiary that made metroprolol, stopped production of all its products in January because of financial difficulties.

By Hillary Copsey, TCPalm.com