Your Patients Can't Find Labetalol — Here's How to Help

When a patient calls your office saying their pharmacy can't fill their Labetalol prescription, it creates a time-sensitive situation. For patients with uncontrolled hypertension — especially pregnant patients — gaps in blood pressure medication can have serious consequences.

This guide gives you a practical, step-by-step approach to helping your patients find Labetalol in stock, plus alternatives and workflow tips to handle these situations efficiently.

Current Labetalol Availability

As of 2026, Labetalol oral tablets (100 mg, 200 mg, 300 mg) are produced by multiple generic manufacturers and are generally available in the market. However, availability at individual pharmacies can be inconsistent due to:

• Lean inventory systems at chain pharmacies that don't stock medications with lower dispensing volume
• Wholesaler allocation limits during periods of increased demand
• Regional variation — pharmacies in areas with high obstetric volume may deplete stock faster
• Strength-specific shortages — the 200 mg and 300 mg tablets may be harder to find than the 100 mg

The injectable form (5 mg/mL) continues to experience more significant supply constraints and should be addressed through hospital pharmacy procurement channels.

For the full supply picture, see our provider shortage briefing for 2026.

Why Patients Can't Find It

Understanding the patient experience helps you respond effectively. When patients hear "we don't have it" at the pharmacy, they often:

• Don't know they can transfer the prescription to another pharmacy
• Assume the medication is unavailable everywhere
• May stop taking the medication without telling you
• Don't have time to call multiple pharmacies, especially if they're managing pregnancy complications

Many of these issues can be addressed proactively.

What Providers Can Do: 5 Steps

Step 1: Direct Patients to Medfinder

Medfinder allows patients to search for pharmacies that have their medication in stock. Recommending this tool saves your patient the frustration of calling pharmacy after pharmacy.

Consider adding Medfinder to your patient-facing shortage communication templates. A simple message like: "If your pharmacy doesn't have Labetalol in stock, visit medfinder.com to find a pharmacy near you that does" can make a big difference.

Step 2: Call the Pharmacy Directly

A call from your office to the pharmacy carries weight. Pharmacists may be able to:

• Place a special order with their wholesaler
• Check other locations in their chain
• Provide a timeline for when stock is expected

This takes 2-3 minutes and can resolve the issue quickly.

Step 3: Prescribe a Different Strength

If one tablet strength is out of stock, another may be available. For example:

• If 200 mg is unavailable, prescribe 100 mg with instructions to take two tablets per dose
• If 300 mg is unavailable, consider 200 mg + 100 mg combinations

This increases pill burden but maintains treatment continuity. Discuss with the patient to ensure adherence.

Step 4: Recommend Independent Pharmacies

Independent pharmacies often have access to multiple wholesalers, giving them more flexibility to source medications that chains can't get. If your patient has only tried chain pharmacies, suggesting an independent pharmacy can be the solution.

Step 5: Have a Ready List of Alternatives

If Labetalol truly cannot be found, having a pre-determined alternative saves clinical time:

For patient-facing information on alternatives, share: alternatives to Labetalol.

Workflow Tips for Your Practice

Integrating shortage management into your workflow reduces the disruption these situations cause:

Proactive Patient Communication

When you know a medication is experiencing supply issues, proactively reaching out to affected patients — via patient portal message, phone call, or at their next visit — prevents urgent calls later. Your care team can batch these outreach efforts.

EHR Alerts

Some EHR systems allow you to set alerts or notes on medications experiencing shortages. Adding a note to Labetalol prescriptions reminding staff to check availability can prompt earlier intervention.

90-Day Prescriptions

When patients do find Labetalol in stock, prescribing a 90-day supply (if clinically appropriate and insurance-covered) gives them a buffer against future supply disruptions.

Patient Education Handouts

Create a simple handout for patients that includes:

• What to do if their pharmacy is out of stock
• Link to Medfinder
• Instruction to call your office before stopping or changing their medication
• The importance of not stopping Labetalol abruptly

Coordinate with Your Pharmacist

Building a relationship with a local pharmacist — especially at an independent pharmacy — can give you a reliable channel for sourcing hard-to-find medications. Some practices maintain a list of "go-to" pharmacies for shortage situations.

Final Thoughts

Labetalol shortages are manageable with the right preparation. By directing patients to Medfinder, maintaining flexibility with tablet strengths, and having a ready list of therapeutic alternatives, you can minimize gaps in your patients' blood pressure management.

For the full clinical and supply context, read our Labetalol shortage briefing for providers.

For helping patients with cost concerns, see our provider's guide to helping patients save money on Labetalol.