I've seen a lot of talk about the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin recently. Specifically, about people taking veterinary formulations instead of those approved for human use. Generally, these are folks who either have active cases of COVID-19 or, a small percentage of the time, folks who are worried about catching it, but don't want to get vaccinated.
So I did a little digging around, and lo and behold, Ivermectin isn't some drug no one has ever heard of. Heck, the guy whose research team discovered it won a Nobel Prize, for discovering Ivermectin! Here's his Nobel speech:
Wikipedia notes that it's on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, is FDA-approved as an anti-parasitic, and was prescribed more than 100,000 times in the US in 2018. And it's effective against a lot of different illnesses, most of which Americans will be lucky to never encounter unless they visit tropical developing countries.
So it's generally well-regarded, but medical studies to see if it's effective against COVID-19 have had less persuasive results than, for example, studies to see if the anti-despressant Fluvoxamine is effective against COVID-19. Nevertheless, folks who are wary of the COVID-19 vaccines out there are willing to give it a shot, even in forms that are clearly not intended for human use.
The FDA recently tweeted "You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously y'all. Stop it." I would suggest listening to the FDA.
What many people may not realize is that in late October of 2020, while we were all distracted by pre-election presidential antics during a pandemic, the FDA quietly granted over-the-counter approval to an Ivermectin formulation designed for human use, which had previously required a prescription. Arbor Pharmaceuticals "Sklice" is an 0.5% Ivermectin formulation that is applied to the head and hair, and it can be expected to be every bit as effective against COVID-19 as veterinary formulations taken internally.*
So please, if you must use Ivermectin, use a product approved for human use, and follow the instructions on the packaging, just like you would with any other over-the-counter medication. There's no point making yourself sick in an attempt to become, or stay, healthy.
Good luck!
