Ivermectin poison control calls rise in Minnesota amid COVID-19 misinformation

(FOX 9) – The Minnesota Poison Control System saw a slight increase in August in calls for exposure to ivermectin, a supposedly bogus drug to treat COVID-19.

Ivermectin is a dewormer used for pets and livestock. In this form, the drug can be very concentrated and could be toxic if taken by humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While there is a human version of the drug, it is not an antiviral drug, nor does it have FDA approval or clearance to treat COVID-19. A recent National Institutes of Health clinical trial also found insufficient data to recommend ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment.

However, misinformation has led some to turn to the drug amid the rise of the delta variant. The CDC issued a health advisory this week after an increase in hospitalizations for people using ivermectin for horses and a study found a 24-fold increase in prescriptions for ivermectin at pharmacies compared to the pre-period. -pandemic.

Nationally, poison control centers experienced a five-fold increase in ivermectin exposure calls in July compared to the pre-pandemic period, the CDC reports. According to the Minnesota Poison Control System, Minnesota has also seen a recent increase with only one ivermectin exposure call in July, rising to nine in August.

High doses of ivermectin can lead to overdose. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and can lead to decreased consciousness, hallucinations, seizures, coma, and death. The medicine could also have an impact on the effect of other medicines.

The CDC recommends that people get the COVID-19 vaccine because it is the “safest and most effective way to avoid getting sick and protect against serious illness and death” from the virus and the variant delta. Regardless of vaccination status, the CDC also recommends wearing masks indoors.