Rural Oklahoma hospitals overwhelmed by people overdosing on ivermectin

So many rural Oklahoma people overdose on horse medication that they overwhelm local hospitals.

Dr Jason McElyea, a doctor from Sallisaw, Oklahoma in the southeastern state, told Oklahoma City KFOR that hospitals in his area were clogged with patients overdosing on ivermectin after using the medicine to treat COVID-19.

Many people use ivermectin, which is approved by the FDA for human use in certain situations, in doses intended for large animals such as horses, and in case of overdose.

The volume of overdoses has become a problem for the whole community, as people in need of treatment for other problems, such as bullet victims, wait in danger to access the emergency room.

“There is a reason you need to have a doctor to get a prescription for this product because it can be dangerous,” McElyea told KFOR of the drug.

“… emergencies are so sustained that gunshot victims have found it difficult to get to facilities where they can get definitive care and be treated.”

The surge in overdoses also prompted ambulances to receive calls.

“All their ambulances are stuck in the hospital waiting for a bed to open to accommodate the patient and they don’t have any, that’s all,” the doctor told KFOR.

“If there is no ambulance to take the call, there is no ambulance to come to the call.”

Ivermectin can be used safely in doses of around 200 micrograms and is often prescribed to people at these levels for conditions such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.

However, it is not a treatment for viruses like Covid, and has never demonstrated its ability to fight viral infections in humans.

The antiparasitic drug has been mistakenly viewed by some as a potential treatment for COVID-19 after some misinterpreted a March 2020 study conducted in Australia.

Dr Timothy Geary, one of the world’s leading drug experts, told DailyMail.com that the concentrations of the drug used in the study, which showed ivermectin can inhibit virus replication, were so high that they could not be used in a person. .

The drug can be dangerous in high doses and cause many potentially devastating side effects such as blindness, nervous system damage or even death.

McElyea reports that many in her community are using the drug in dangerously high doses.

Many have failed to acquire the prescription drug and instead purchase over-the-counter veterinary versions from grocery stores.

However, a standard dose for a horse is much larger than a dose for a human, causing an overdose when using versions of the drug designed for cattle.

“Some people taking inappropriate doses have actually made themselves worse off than if they had caught COVID,” McElyea said.

He told KFOR he had seen patients suffering from cramps, muscle pain, nausea and vomiting.

The worst cases that have been seen are people with vision loss after taking the drug.

McElyea reports that the tractor store in his area is out of medicine and he pleads with other members of his community not to self-medicate using the potentially dangerous drug.

“You must be asking yourself, ‘If I take this medicine, what will I do if something bad happens? “What’s your next step, what’s your backup plan?” he said.

“If you are taking any medication that could affect your health, do so with a doctor on board.

“… It’s not just something you search the internet and decide if it’s the right amount. ”