People poison themselves when trying to treat or prevent COVID-19 with horse dewormer drug

• People use ivermectin, a paste used to deworm horses, in a mistaken attempt to treat COVID-19.

• While it may be safe for humans in some forms, people use equestrian doses, ABC reported.

• Ivermectin can be toxic to people and cause seizures, difficulty breathing, and heart problems.

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People try to treat and prevent COVID-19 by taking ivermectin, a drug commonly used to deworm horses – and they poison themselves in the process.

ABC News reported an increase in calls to drug-related poison control centers. The Missouri Poison Center alone saw a 40 to 50 call increase in the regular number of messages they would receive a day before the pandemic.

Experts urge people to avoid the allure of bogus “cures,” which could cause health problems as serious or worse than a COVID-19 infection.

Rather than wait for the drug to pass through the proper channels, people instead receive equestrian prescriptions through their vets and use horse-sized doses on themselves, said Julie Weber, president. from the American Association of Poison Control Centers, to ABC News.

“We just had the case of a person using a veterinary source of ivermectin, a horse medicine, which contains a much larger dose of the drug,” Weber told ABC News.

Ivermectin is not a cure, treatment or preventative drug for COVID-19, but it is one of the many unproven and dangerous hacks promoted on the internet.

Other dangerous hacks promoted online include consuming bleach to poison oneself with cleaning supplies and taking the antimalarial hydroxychloroquine – a drug promoted by former President Donald Trump, despite warnings he is ineffective and may be harmful.

Ivermectin can be tolerated in small doses but can poison an adult in large amounts

Ivermectin is commonly used as an anti-parasitic cream on dogs, cats and horses. It can eliminate lice, scabies and worms in mammals.

The story continues

While smaller doses of the drug can be tolerated by humans, with few side effects other than nausea, rash, and increased heart rate, taking a dose of ivermectin intended for a pet the size of a compact car can poison you.

According to the Missouri Poison Center, severe overdoses of ivermectin can lead to seizures, coma, lung problems, and heart problems.

The Missouri Poison Center recommends that people refrain from taking their pets’ medications and instead wait to get one of the COVID-19 vaccines or see a doctor if they think they’ve been infected with the coronavirus. .

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people who have accidentally poisoned themselves with household cleaners trying to disinfect their homes has jumped 20% since the start of the pandemic.

If you think you or a loved one has taken a high dose of ivermectin, call your local poison control center or dial 911.

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