The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has again warned against the use of the repellent ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19.
The FDA tweeted, "You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Please stop." I posted a link to an article on the FDA website detailing why ivermectin, commonly used as an animal repellent in the United States, should not be used as a preventive or treatment for COVID-19. .
According to the FDA's article dated May 3, which was linked, "We have received many reports of patients who needed treatment or were hospitalized after taking ivermectin, which is used in horses, on their own."
The FDA has approved the use of ivermectin in certain doses for the treatment of parasites, but it is not an antiviral drug, noting that ivermectin specifically for animals is different from what is allowed for humans.
"Animal drugs are often used in large animals such as horses and cattle, so they are often in high concentrations," he said. "A high dose is very toxic to humans."
"Many inactive ingredients in veterinary products have not been evaluated for human use," he said.
Therefore, "overdose of ivermectin can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, allergic reactions, dizziness, seizures, coma, and even death," the FDA warns.
Mississippi health officials have recently informed local hospitals that there has been a surge in calls to poison centers from people taking veterinary ivermectin to treat COVID-19, according to US media The Hill.