Stop taking ivermectin at home to treat COVID, MS health dept. urges as poisonings spike
More and more Mississippians are using a horse de-wormer medication as an at-home treatment for COVID-19, and it’s causing a spike in calls to poison control, the Mississippi State Department of Health said Friday.
Mississippi Poison Control is receiving increased reporting of ivermectin ingestion. While there is a human form of the medication that can be prescribed by doctors, residents are buying the animal paste at farm supply stories and taking it at home, according to the health department release.
The health department says taking the animal medication can be harmful and lead to hospitalizations in serious instances.
“There are approved uses for ivermectin in both people and animals,” state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers said in the news release. “Patients should be advised to not take any medications intended to treat animals and should be instructed to only take ivermectin as prescribed by their physician.”
Earlier this month, Singing River Health System CEO Lee Bond told the Gulf Coast Business Council that one person had been admitted to a Jackson County hospital for injecting ivermectin to treat their coronavirus symptoms.
Here’s a breakdown from the health department:
- At least 70% of recent calls to the Mississippi Poison Control center have been related to ingestion of livestock animal formulations of invermectin published at livestock supply centers or farm stores.
- MSDH says 85% of callers had mild symptoms, but one person was instructed to see a doctor.
- There are no current hospitalizations due to ivermectin poisoning.
Symptoms associated with ivermecticin toxicity include rash, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, neurological disorders, and severe hepatitis, which would require hospitalization.
The health department is asking any Mississippi physicians, providers and hospitals who identify patients with illness related to ivermectin ingestion, either prescribed or live stock formulas, to report it to poison control at 1-800-222-1222
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 10:50 AM.
