Iowa doctor, veterinarian explain why you shouldn’t use ivermectin to treat COVID-19 – Burlington Hawk Eye

COVID misinformation: FDA warns about ivermectin as COVID treatment

It's just one of the many online rumors floating around about the coronavirus, treatments and the vaccine.

Staff video, USA TODAY

Antiparasitic medicines such as ivermectin should not be used to treat or prevent COVID-19, doctors for people and animals warn.

While ivermectin is an approvedtreatment for certain parasitic roundworm infections, it has not been shown to be an effective treatment for COVID-19. Additionally, taking over-the-counter medication meant for animals can have dangerous side effects.

There are people across the country that are doing all sorts of things,Great River Health Chief Medical Officer Michael McCoy said. I have seen the reports all across the country of people ending up in emergency departments due to taking ivermectin.

Ivermectin is used in animals to treat fleas and in humans to treat lice. It can also be used to fight ringworm and a number of other parasitic infections. McCoy said he has no clue why the drug has become popular among those seeking alternative treatment for COVID-19.

According to Mitch Hiscocks, a past president of the Iowa Veterinary Medicine Association, ivermectin has been shown to potentially have an effect on the Zika virus, which has spread through mosquitoes, though the reason for this effect isn't quite known.

It looks like (someone) jumped two steps and said ivermectin could treat coronavirus, Hiscocks said.

'You are not a horse': FDA warns against use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19

Whether ivermectin actually treats Zika virus isn't known, what's actually known is that in a laboratory study there seems to be some small effect. Fundamental differences between the Zika and COVID-19 viruses, evidenced by the difference in how theyare spread, could be whatever is potentially making ivermectin have some use against Zika virus, which is spread through mosquitos.

In laboratory settings, ivermectin seemed to slow the production of Zika virus. Laboratory studies, however, are completely controlled by scientists and there is know way to know if occurs in a lab will occur if treating the virus in humans or animals.

Aside from the unproven success of ivermectin as a potential treatment for COVID-19, humans taking ivermectin from farm stores that is meant for animals is problematic for a handful of reasons.

1. Not all forms should be ingested

Ivermectin comes in many forms. There are forms of ivermectin thatare meant for oral consumption, but unless it specifically states it ismeant to beingested, it's likely not meant to be taken orally. Paste, creams or liquid non-oral formulations may be mixed with chemicals that should not be ingested even at small doses.

As an example, Hiscock saidtopical ivermectin that is used to treat cows is more than 90% alcohol, which could cause skin issues if applied topically or serious complications if ingested.

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2. Overdose risk

Ivermectin at farm stores is usually meant for treating large animals, like cows and horses. A safe dose for an animal may look like 1 cc per 100 pounds, so taking even a teaspoon could result in ingesting more than twice the safe dose, resulting in serious medical complications.

People are taking crazy doses that are meant for veterinary or animal purposes, McCoy said.

Overdoses of ivermectin can cause low blood pressure, problems with balance, seizures, liver injury, and it can eveninduce comas.

3. Dosage based on species

The other problem with humans taking doses of ivermectin meant for animals is that while dosing is based on weight, it is also based on species. So even if someone were to get their hands on ivermectin and take what appears to be the dose for their weight, this dose still could be a drastically different than what is safe for humans.

4. Allergies

Additionally, some people may be allergic to ivermectin, as are some dog breeds.If a dog were to be allergic to ivermectin and ingest it, it could cause the dog to have severe neurologic deficits or perhaps even die due to how severely it effects their nervous system.

Bottom line, if it doesn't say it's meant for humans, you shouldn't be taking it, Hiscocks said.

While those infected with COVID-19 should not attempt self-medicate with ivermectin, they also should not wait to seek treatment from medical professionals.

McCoy said it is very important that patients seek treatment for COVID-19 and not wait until they are so sick they need to be hospitalized. It's a problem McCoy said can cause a number of unanticipated issues.

I think we are seeing patients that are sicker because they waited, he said.

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McCoy said hospital bed availability doesn't just take into account the number of physical beds. It also depends on the number of patients staff numbers can adequately support.

When considering how many patients a hospital can take, acuity, or the complexity of care required for patients in a hospital unit, must also be considered. The higher the acuity of a unit, the more staff members are needed to care for patients in the unit. Patients who come in sooner may not need to be hospitalized or may have a lower acuity number, meaning the hospital can accept more patients.

More: Iowa COVID hospitalizations highest since January, 25% increase since last week to nearly 500

The hospital also still must do all of its other routine functions in addition to providing COVID-19-related care. So just because the hospital has many beds free does not mean those beds are set aside for COVID-19 patients.

I heard a comment the other day of people saying, 'Why are there people still wearing masks? COVID is over', McCoy recalled.

McCoy said COVID-19 is most definitely not over for southeast Iowa. In fact, numbers at Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center continue to go up.

More: Des Moines County COVID-19 vaccine tracker: 41% of people fully vaccinated

As of Wednesday, Des Moines County had one of the highest seven-day positivity rates in the state at 16%, with 142 new cases reported in the past week.

McCoy said the hospital has not yet issued a mandate for its staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Conversations about whether Great River Health, the health system that operates Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Centers in West Burlington and Fort Madison,will mandate the vaccine are ongoing and the policy could eventually change, but McCoy said it's too early to know.

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Iowa doctor, veterinarian explain why you shouldn't use ivermectin to treat COVID-19 - Burlington Hawk Eye