# Ivermectin Isn't Horse Medicine! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [August 31, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831 "2021-08-31T16:18:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2021, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/61 "2021-09-01T21:09:13Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > It does appear that veterinary ivermectin is formulated differently than ivermectin for human consumption, and some of the ingredients in veterinary ivermectin are toxic to human beings. And, of course, the dosages and concentrations are going to be wildly off. From my own investigation, it seems like any anti-viral properties that Ivermectin _might_ have are at dosages higher than are is safe to use in a human. Those dosages aren’t human dosages. So a proper human dosage of Ivermectin is, in essence, equivalent to taking a perfectly good medication and throwing it down the toilet since it’s not going to do anything. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/62 "2021-09-01T21:59:35Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Generally there’s a decent body of evidence supporting it. At times I’ve prescribed things that haven’t been shown to help much if at all, because the risk is low and there’s nothing else to try. I’m guessing that you’d agree with me that pushing ivermectin while making the vaccine sound problematic, which is what the FLCCC is doing, wouldn’t be something you’re a fan of. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/63 "2021-09-01T22:13:12Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > I’m guessing that you’d agree with me that pushing ivermectin while making the vaccine sound problematic, which is what the FLCCC is doing, wouldn’t be something you’re a fan of. I’m not Quadgop, but this is my point. What you’ve said in that quote is the valid criticism of that doctor. That they prescribed something off label, or a drug that is also a veterinary medicine, is not valid criticism, because those same practices can be medically sound, not-harmful actions taken by competent medical professionals. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/64 "2021-09-01T22:20:01Z")
But in this particular case, the doctor doing the prescribing is a grifting quack and I’m assuming the hospital would be happy to inform the judge of that fact. Sometimes grifting quacks end up being right (broken clock and all that), but that shouldn’t be the default position for judgement. I don’t fault the woman for wanting to try everything, but I think judge should be wary of forcing a hospital to use a treatment that they are uncomfortable using due to an unknown risk/reward balance (i.e. the science behind it), just because some quack wants to try it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2021, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/65 "2021-09-01T22:49:04Z")
It’s one thing to prescribe off-label when there’s a reason to believe that that off-label use will be beneficial. But here, there isn’t. There is literally no reason to believe that ivermectin would be at all effective against covid. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2021, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/66 "2021-09-01T23:34:03Z")
Of course. Again, though, it isn’t the act of prescribing off label that is the problem. This is the problem, as you say: > There is literally no reason to believe that ivermectin would be at all effective against covid. Plus ivermectin can cause harm. So risk/benefit says this is major quackery. A quack could also write a prescription for someone to take 10,000 mg of ibuprofen for their Covid aches and pains. The fact that treatment for aches and pains is an on-label use for ibuprofen wouldn’t make the quack’s prescription OK. And a doctor prescribing something off label is a routine and unremarkable thing. What is remarkable is when whatever the medication is has no likely benefit, and there are potential harms, such that a competent doctor would not prescribe the treatment. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/67 "2021-09-02T01:01:32Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > The issue with using it to treat COVID _isn’t_ that it’s “horse medicine”. It’s that it’s an anti-parasitic, and COVID is of course a virus. It’s an inappropriate treatment for the SARS-COV-2 virus. But it’s a perfectly appropriate treatment for many parasitic infections in humans. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/68 "2021-09-02T02:17:12Z")
_Seinfeld_ anticipates the ivermectin craze. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/KbAmJ1PQCoM/hqdefault.jpg "Seinfeld Clip - Kramer's Takes Medicine For Smuckers The Dog") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbAmJ1PQCoM) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/69 "2021-09-02T03:39:59Z")
I think we need a second opinion. Any horse dopers around? ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/70 "2021-09-02T12:18:12Z")
I once spent about a month on a working ranch. The rancher regularly used livestock medicine on himself and his children. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/71 "2021-09-02T12:31:34Z")
Not good enough. We need a real horse. Advice straight from the horse’s mouth. Mister Ed, where are you? ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/72 "2021-09-02T13:16:22Z")
Didn’t you know? Mr. Ed was actually a zebra. > **[Mister Ed was a Zebra](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/mister-ed-zebra/)** > > Was Mister Ed a horse? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/73 "2021-09-02T15:10:09Z")
Mr. Ed was an actor. Good actors can play any part. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/74 "2021-09-02T15:39:37Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’ve prescribed ivermectin about half a dozen times in my career (approaching 40 years now) and it was always for particularly intractable cases of scabies. For topical application or ingestion? > [@gdave](#): > > The “nit” I’m picking is that it’s simply factually inaccurate to call ivermectin “horse dewormer”. [You know what’s a good treatment for nits](https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html#:~:text=*Ivermectin%20lotion%2C%200.5%25%20was,dry%20hair%20without%20nit%20combing.)? ---
**Author:** ![Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/section_maker_jupe/32/1424_2.png) [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Section_Maker_Jupe)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/75 "2021-09-02T15:52:52Z")
I used it on parakeets to treat rapidly spreading mites. Vet prescribed. She mentioned how difficult it was to get dosage right for small animals. Really the only practical solution, as the DIY treatment is to catch birds and slather beaks, and feet with vasoline. Much trouble ensued! Went to vet. Thank you science. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/76 "2021-09-02T16:14:36Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > I haven’t been back to the thread about the hospital being ordered to administer ivermectin, but at the outset, there was factual misinformation based on the veterinary medicine misconception. People were castigating the judge for ordering it, which means people wanted the judge to step in and make a medical judgment. No, we wanted the judge to not force medical personnel to give medicine they did not deem appropriate simply because some unrelated doctor had given a prescription when asked to do so by the patient’s next of kin. By forcing them to give said medication, the judge is acting as an attending physician, which is not their role. You have admitted to not reading the thread you describe. So it is impossible for you to have an informed opinion of it. We could have better discussion over whether there was any misunderstanding if you would read the thread. I personally don’t think there was, but I’m willing to be proven wrong. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/77 "2021-09-02T16:23:02Z")
Personally, I welcome the headlines calling it de-wormer or veterinary medicine. I oft times forget to give my dogs their heartworm pills every month, and as long as these people taking Ivermectin are in the news, it’s a good reminder. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/78 "2021-09-02T16:27:02Z")
I read the thread to a certain point, and was commenting on what had been written in it to that point. I actually don’t know what the law is regarding whether hospital personnel are supposed to, or generally have discretion not to, carry out an outside physician’s orders. I may return to the thread to see whether there’s a discussion of that now, with citation to the relevant laws. But that’s not what I saw there at the outset. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2021, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/79 "2021-09-02T22:12:21Z")
Oral doses for systemic treatment. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2021, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivermectin-isnt-horse-medicine/949831/80 "2021-09-03T00:21:48Z")
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