How to Find Mupirocin in Stock Near You (Tools + Tips)

You've got a prescription for mupirocin and a skin infection that needs treating. The last thing you want to do is spend your afternoon on hold with every pharmacy in town, only to hear "sorry, we're out of stock" over and over again.

The good news: mupirocin is not in a national shortage. It's widely available as a generic. But "widely available" doesn't mean every pharmacy near you has it on the shelf today. Here's how to find it efficiently.

Step 1: Know Exactly What You Need

Before you start calling pharmacies, know the details of your prescription:

Formulation: Is it the ointment or the cream? The 2% ointment is much more commonly stocked than the 2% cream.

Tube size: The ointment comes in 15g and 22g tubes. The cream comes in 15g and 30g tubes.

Generic vs. brand: Both Bactroban and Centany brand versions have been discontinued. Your prescription will be filled with generic mupirocin — this is standard and equally effective.

If your prescription specifies the cream but your pharmacy only has the ointment, ask your prescriber if the substitution is appropriate. For many conditions (like impetigo), the ointment and cream are used similarly.

Step 2: Use medfinder to Check Multiple Pharmacies at Once

The fastest way to find mupirocin in stock near you is to use medfinder. You enter your medication, dosage, and ZIP code, and medfinder's team contacts pharmacies near you to find which ones currently have your medication in stock. You get the results texted to you — no hold music, no repeated explanations to pharmacy staff.

This is especially useful in situations where:

Your usual pharmacy is out and doesn't know when a restock will arrive.

You need the medication quickly (e.g., treating an active skin infection in a child).

You're in an unfamiliar area and don't know which local pharmacies to try.

Step 3: Start With High-Volume Pharmacies

Large chain pharmacies typically stock generic mupirocin reliably. Your best bets in order of typical inventory reliability:

Costco and Sam's Club pharmacies — tend to stock generic medications in bulk at the lowest cash prices.

Walmart pharmacies — wide distribution network and robust generic inventory.

CVS and Walgreens — high-traffic chains with frequent restocking cycles.

Kroger and other grocery chain pharmacies — often overlooked but well-stocked on common generics.

Step 4: Ask Your Pharmacist to Call Their Network

Most pharmacists can check inventory at nearby locations within the same chain — and some can initiate a transfer of your prescription to a better-stocked location with just a phone call. When you talk to your pharmacist, use these exact words:

"Can you check your other nearby locations for mupirocin 2% ointment [22g]? And if it's available, can we transfer my prescription there?"

Step 5: Try Mail-Order or Online Pharmacies

If you have a few days before the infection becomes urgent, mail-order pharmacies often have deeper inventory on common generics like mupirocin. Options include:

Your insurance plan's mail-order pharmacy (often 90-day supply at lower cost)

Amazon Pharmacy (ships nationwide with Prime)

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs (markups limited; worth checking pricing)

Step 6: Check GoodRx for Prices While You Search

GoodRx's pharmacy locator shows participating pharmacies and estimated prices near your ZIP code. While it doesn't guarantee real-time stock, pharmacies displaying very low mupirocin prices on GoodRx tend to be high-volume generics dispensers with more reliable stock. The GoodRx coupon price for a 22g tube of mupirocin ointment can be as low as $4–$7, compared to the $40–$77 retail price.

What to Do If Mupirocin Is Still Unavailable

If you've exhausted your local options, contact your prescriber. There are FDA-approved alternatives to mupirocin for impetigo and secondary skin infections — including retapamulin (Altabax) and ozenoxacin (Xepi). For a full breakdown, see our article on alternatives to mupirocin.

In most cases, though, persistence pays off. Mupirocin is one of the most commonly prescribed topical antibiotics in the U.S., and the supply chain is generally healthy. With the steps above, you should be able to find it at a pharmacy near you.