I have to confess – I actually stocked up on ivermectin paste to treat my patients.
This was long before the COVID pandemic though…
What to Know About Ivermectin
So what was I doing with ivermectin paste, a horse dewormer?
As most folks know, ivermectin does have other uses!
It is actually FDA approved to treat parasitic worms – in humans.
“Sklice is a single-use lotion with ivermectin 0.5% as the active ingredient, for the topical treatment of head lice infestations in patients 6 months of age and older. Sklice is for external use only and should only be used on the scalp and dry hair in accordance with label directions. Sklice is not approved for any other use.”
FDA Approves Lotion for Nonprescription Use to Treat Head Lice
And surprisingly, topical ivermectin (Sklice) is FDA approved to treat head lice. Available with a prescription since 2012, Sklice (ivermectin lotion, 0.5%) was switched to a nonprescription or over-the-counter status in 2020.
Then it disappeared…
Sklice was no longer available with a prescription and isn’t yet available OTC on pharmacy shelves.
With few inexpensive options for hard to treat head lice, some pediatric providers came up with the idea of mixing ivermectin paste for horses with a thick moisturizer, like Cetaphil, and offering that “off-label” to treat kids with head lice. Unlike the people who are ingesting ivermectin paste to try and prevent or treat COVID, since you are using this mixture topically, there is thought to be little risk of side effects.
And instead of paying almost $300 for a tube of Sklice (0.5% ivermectin lotion), you could pay about $6 for a tube of concentrated ivermectin (1.87% paste) – for horses…
Still, it is probably best that this kind of off-label use is truly a last resort.
And only used when there is a good indication that it is going to work!
What to Know About Ivermectin for COVID
Using ivermectin (for horses…) to treat head lice isn’t too hard to justify when you know that topical ivermectin is FDA approved to treat head lice…
Using ivermectin, whether it is for people or horses, to prevent or treat COVID???
“The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 in people or animals. Ivermectin has not been shown to be safe or effective for these indications.”
Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19
That’s a very bad idea!
What should you do instead?
Get vaccinated!
“The most effective ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 are to get vaccinated, wear a face mask, stay at least six feet from others in public places, wash hands frequently and avoid large crowds of people.”
Why ivermectin should not be used to prevent or treat COVID-19
Although some initial studies showed that ivermectim can reduce the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in petri dishes, other real world studies do not support using the drug.
So why do people take ivermectin to try and prevent and treat COVID?
While some may simply not want to get vaccinated and they may view ivermectin as a “good” alternative, those folks will either end up being lucky (when they get better on their own) or very disappointed (when they get very sick).
Ivermectin has not been shown to be safe or effective at preventing or treating COVID.
More on Ivermectin
- Is It Too Late to Get a COVID Vaccine?
- The Latest on Masks to Keep Kids From Getting COVID
- 7 Things You Need to Know About COVID-19
- The Truth About COVID-19 Vaccines
- I’m Not Anti-Vaccine, I Just Don’t Believe in the COVID-19 Vaccine
- FDA – Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19
- CDC – Rapid Increase in Ivermectin Prescriptions and Reports of Severe Illness Associated with Use of Products Containing Ivermectin to Prevent or Treat COVID-19
- IDSA Guidelines on the Treatment and Management of Patients with COVID-19
- FDA Approves Lotion for Nonprescription Use to Treat Head Lice
- Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 5: But it won the Nobel Prize!
- Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 4: Fraud, incompetence, or both?
- Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 3: Conspiracy theories and grift
- Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, take 2: FLCCC conspiracies
- Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19
- Why Was a Major Study on Ivermectin for COVID-19 Just Retracted?
- Flawed ivermectin preprint highlights challenges of COVID drug studies
- Why ivermectin should not be used to prevent or treat COVID-19
- WHO advises that ivermectin only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials
- Reality check: There’s still no compelling evidence for ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19
- Fact Check: Ivermectin Deworms Livestock AND Treats Human Parasites, But Manufacturer Does NOT Recommend It For COVID-19
- Popular Podcast Host Uses Ivermectin To Treat COVID-19
- Texas poison control calls about ivermectin significantly increased this month, year
- Misinformation, Conspiracies About Ivermectin Spread Online and Offline
- Fact check: Ivermectin is not a proven treatment for COVID-19
- Dr Daniel Stock makes false claims in viral video
- Ivermectin Falsely Heralded as Cause of India’s Declining COVID-19 Numbers
- Can the use of ivermectin as a prophylactic drastically reduce the risk of getting COVID-19?
- The US National Institutes of Health did not recommend ivermectin to treat Covid-19 patients
- Why Are People **REALLY** Taking Horse Dewormer for COVID-19?
- Ivermectin, Convalescent Plasma and Hydroxychloroquine: One Year of Rotten Apples
- Dubious COVID-19 Treatments and Preventives
- Clinical Trial – Ivermectin Treatment Efficacy in Covid-19 High Risk Patients (I-TECH)
- Clinical Trial – An Outpatient Clinical Trial Using Ivermectin and Doxycycline in COVID-19 Positive Patients at High Risk to Prevent COVID-19 Related Hospitalization
- Clinical Trial – Outpatient Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 With Ivermectin, Fluvoxamine, and Metformin (COVID-19)