Tag: Ivermectin

Thoughts on the FDA Settling Lawsuit Over Social Media Post on Ivermectin

I just saw the news item about the FDA settling a lawsuit brought by three Texas doctors who opposed the FDA’s social media posts as well as an FDA website page entitled “Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent Covid-19.” I have highlighted a link to that article which is cited by the NIH article on Ivermectin.

I wrote a blog post in 2021 about the tweets the FDA wrote advising against Ivermectin for Covid-19. I initially doubted they were made by the FDA because the language didn’t sound professional. I guess I was wrong. The FDA will be deleting the social media posts and the FDA web page.

I think the social media posts were unprofessional because of they had a mocking tone. I’m not sure why the FDA should delete the article on their website. I can’t see that it’s very different from the NIH article, which cites it. The NIH tells it like it is. Will they be compelled to retract their article as well based on the idea that they’re interfering with medical practice?

I understand the concept of using drugs off-label. There are psychiatric drugs in that category (the anesthesia drug ketamine being used now for depression, for example). And there are good reasons for allowing off-label uses of some drugs.

However, as one expert points out, it can lead to shortages of the drug for other FDA-approved purposes. One example is Ozempic, the Type II diabetes drug (GLP-1 receptor agonist), which has been prescribed for weight loss so much that it has led to a shortage of it for diabetes. And I just found out that Oprah Winfrey had to leave Weight Watchers because she revealed she’d been taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist.

Incredibly, some have entirely misconstrued the lawsuit judgment. The FDA definitely still does not approve Ivermectin for treating or preventing Covid-19.

Update: I forgot about a blog post mentioning Oprah Winfrey and GLP-1 receptor agonists by Dr. George Dawson (Real Psychiatry) posted on December 19, 2023, “The Ultimate Key Opinion Leader.” Dr. Dawson wrote at length about key opinion leaders in medicine and psychiatry.

CDC Health Advisory Warning Against Using Ivermectin for COVID-19

I’ve seen a few warnings including the CDC Health Advisory issued August 26, 2021, against using Ivermectin in COVID-19. Ivermectin is a prescription drug used to treat parasitic infections in farm animals and humans. There’s no credible evidence supporting the use of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 in humans and its use is currently restricted to research trials.

There have been calls to poison control centers across the country from people who suffer side effects, which can include nausea and vomiting, seizures, confusion, hallucinations and more from ingesting animal grade Ivermectin. It can cause death. Certain politicians and doctors are recommending and prescribing it for humans. At least one person has been hospitalized for treatment of side effects.

I saw the FDA warning tweet quote: “You are not a horse; you are not a cow; Seriously y’all. Stop it.” I’m not sure if that was from an FDA official, mostly because I doubt that the word “y’all” would be standard usage for FDA announcements. In any case, the FDA strongly advises against using Ivermectin to either prevent or treat COVID-19.

Merck, the manufacturer of the agent, warns against it as well.

Most of the headlines I’d seen until today were connected to Mississippi and Texas. This morning, I saw a story revealing that Iowans are also buying Ivermectin in animal supply stores, probably to self-treat or prevent COVID-19. One customer claimed it was safe for humans, purchased the product and left the store.

Nobody’s going to tackle a customer who insists on using Ivermectin in a misguided effort to treat COVID-19. There’s no law against it, so nobody’s going to call the police to intervene.

There’s a song titled “Iowa Stubborn” from the Music Man, a show starring Meredith Willson, who was from Iowa. I’m hoping the “chip-on-the-shoulder attitude” will eventually lead Iowans toward making the common-sense, community minded decisions (for which we are also known) that will eventually free us from the grip of the pandemic.

In times like these, I wonder—what would Chet Randolph think?