Seriously, do not take ivermectin to treat COVID

[Cattledog]

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On Thursday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new warning against using the drug ivermectin to treat COVID-19. The drug is FDA-approved to treat a narrow range of parasitic infections including onchocerciasis (or river blindness) and strongyloidiasis. It’s also used to treat head lice and rosacea, and veterinarians often prescribe the drug to treat parasitic infections in animals as well. If administered incorrectly and at the wrong dose, it can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea and, in the worst cases, hypotension, confusion, or even death, according to the CDC report.

Since the pandemic began, researchers have been investigating using ivermectin to treat COVID-19, as very early and preliminary data hinted that the drug might kill viruses. In June of last year, researchers reported in the Journal Antiviral Research that ivermectin was successful in stopping the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in cells in a petri dish. But, importantly, the dosage necessary to achieve this was extraordinarily high, and if given to humans would likely have dangerous, if not deadly side effects.

Despite this, the idea that ivermectin helps treat COVID-19 became quite popular during the pandemic, prompting the FDA to issue a warning against its use in March of 2021. To date, no large-scale clinical trial has found ivermectin to be effective against COVID-19, and researchers have largely dismissed it as a research target.

https://www.popsci.com/health/ivermectin-covid-treatment/

[Johnny2X2X]

1. There is literally no premise for its use

I know there are some people studying it, but there's no basis for why an anti parasitic would have any effect whatsoever on a virus.

This stuff springs up on Message Boards and then millions of non science trusting dimwits treat it like it's real. They did it with HCQ and now this, who is making money off from it?

All it takes is for one website to promote something and this spreads, what's next? If Trump or someone close to him said sticking your head underwater for 30 minutes without taking a breath would cure Covid, thousands of Trump voters would be drowning.

[Ms. Toad]

7. Premise for its use

Since the pandemic began, researchers have been investigating using ivermectin to treat COVID-19, as very early and preliminary data hinted that the drug might kill viruses. In June of last year, researchers reported in the Journal Antiviral Research that ivermectin was successful in stopping the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in cells in a petri dish.

That's a good enough premise to explore whether this particular anti-parasitic would impact this particular virus.

Not good enough to go out and try it as a treatment, outside of clinical trials. But it's a bit of a stretch to say there is no premise.

An autoimmune live disease my daughter has is effectively treated with an antibiotic (which has prevented or delayed many liver transplants). It shouldn't work, but it does for many. Had someone dismissed as having no premise for its use, that exploration was premised on observations a pediatrician made when she treated her patients for a gut bacteria - and noticed that the treatment for the gut bacteria also put the autoimmune disease into remission. That's how some pretty miraculous treatments are discovered.

I don't hold out any hope for ivermectin as a treatment for COVID. But there was enough spark in that early observation to be worth exploring.

[andym]

2. 1000's of drugs look good on cultured cells for numerous diseases: few actually work

in humans for various reasons. Hydroxychloroquine worked well in cultured cells too, btw. However, human trials showed no effect for hydroxychloroquine-- turned out the cell line used was more limited than normal human lung cells in how Sar-Cov2 could bind.

Ivermectin kills invertebrate parasites by binding to invertebrate glutamate-gated chloride channels in nerve cells, hyperpolarizing them nerve cells causing paralysis and death.

Ivermectin appears to have antiviral activity against numerous viruses possibly due to an off-target ability to block transport of proteins into the nucleus of cells by binding to importin (IMP) α/β1. Here is the paper showing that it worked against Sars-Cov2 on cultured cells: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166354220302011 They mention that similar favorable cell culture data for dengue virus led to a human trial which showed NO efficacy. That is typical of something working in cells on a dish but not in animals or people.

But looking at the data for Covid-19 they needed >5 uM dose of ivermectin for 50% efficacy (it's off-target after all) [they need closer to 10 µM] and normal human dose only brings the tissue level to .0873 µM-- which is 60 times too little to do any good. Basically ivermectin was DOA for Covid-19 after that realization. Data on dosing from from https://ascpt.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cpt.1889

[viva la]

3. Everyone should get the vaccine-

Too many people are for some reason trying to find reasons not to do the sensible thing. I don't get it, but really, when they are more eager to take a pill that's supposed to flush parasites (not viruses) out of barn animals (yeah, it's got human uses too, but most of these people are buying the animal product), they simply shouldn't be encouraged to do anything but get the vaccine and wear a mask.

I really don't understand them. Here's the safe, effective, and approved preventive, administered by a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.

Here is something potentially dangerous, which is designed for something else entirely and you'll have to self-administer, without any real knowledge of dosage or contra-indications.

Why would they choose the horse pill????

[democrattotheend]

6. Am I right that the danger is taking the animal product, not a prescribed human dose?

From what I understand, taking a prescribed human dose is pretty safe, even if it's not likely to be effective. The problem is people taking it into their own hands and getting it from pet stores. Am I wrong about that?

[Ms. Toad]

8. Two dangers-

The first one is largely what you identified - people are taking products not intended for humans.

The second is that, at least in theory, the dose needed to potentially be effective against COVID would be fatal to humans (regardless of whether it was prescribed by a doctor or obtained from sources not designed fro human consumption)

[Wingus Dingus]

4. Let them try whatever folk remedy they want. I don't know why people care.

I think it's ridiculous that people are putting animal dewormer in their applesauce and peanut butter, but I'm all for letting them do it to their heart's content.

[Ms. Toad]

9. The problem is that these are the same people

who are filling up our hospitals so people with non-self-inflicted emergencies are dying while waiting for beds.

[viva la]

10. They are relying on this instead of getting a vax

Also, I read that many are showing up very sick in the hospital, and demanding to be given the dewormer, and getting angry when they're told the doctor won't do that.

[IcyPeas]

5. out of curiosity just looked up on GoodRX what it costs.... it's not that expensive

https://www.goodrx.com/ivermectin?dosage=3mg&form=tablet&label_override=ivermectin&quantity=30&sort_type=popularity