There has been a rise in self-medicating COVID-19 cases by taking ivermectin. Omaha physicians have a few concerns with people using this.
Ivermectin is anti-parasitic medication, or deworming agent, discovered in the 1970s. It targets external parasites like scabies or body lice and internal parasites like worms.
Co-executive director of the Global Center for Health Security and Infectious Disease Physician at UNMC, Dr. James Lawler said ivermectin behaves differently in various populations.
“There is a difference in the populations that we use it which may make some of the side effects of the drug more pronounced,” Lawler said.
Education Coordinator at Nebraska Regional Poison Center, Jenifer Rohda, said there is a big difference between the human and livestock doses of ivermectin.
“Horses and cows are much larger than humans are and so those doses are going to be more concentrated,” Rohda said. “The active ingredients and the inactive ingredients are going to be at different concentrations that may not be appropriate for human use.”
While people self-medicating may be using an incorrect dosage amount, they are also using the wrong medication for COVID-19. Lawler said this concerns him.
“People who would benefit from those therapeutics and where they would actually significantly reduce their odds of getting hospitalized or dying, are ending up on a drug that doesn’t work and therefore aren’t getting the benefit of the drugs that that do work,” Lawler said.
Since January 2021, Nebraska Regional Poison Center has received 30 total calls regarding ivermectin.
Both Rohda and Lawler recommended consulting with your physician for treatment recommendations for all COVID-19 symptoms and cases.
