# Local doctor suspended for a month for prescribing ivermectin for Covid **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Created:** [June 19, 2024, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038 "2024-06-19T05:14:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/21 "2024-06-19T11:26:32Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Doctors are supposed to be trained in science. What do they call the medical student who graduates last in his class? Doctor ---
**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:** [June 19, 2024, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/22 "2024-06-19T12:34:21Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Literally millions of lives have been saved by vaccination. > None by Invermectin. I know you know this, but someone’s going to nitpick it: No lives were saved from covid by ivermectin. It remains a very effective treatment against parasitic diseases (which are very rare among humans in the First World), and has saved many lives in that context. > [@Maserschmidt](#): > > It’s hard for me to understand what this means, other than potentially that you don’t like the outcomes of the dozens of studies that you can find on research gate. He could mean the organized campaign to shut down all of the real studies of ivermectin, by the folks dishonestly peddling the stuff. Studies showing the effectiveness of ivermectin for covid are hard to find, because they don’t exist. Studies showing the lack of effectiveness are hard to find, because some people are working hard to make them hard to find. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/23 "2024-06-19T14:04:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I know you know this, but someone’s going to nitpick it: No lives were saved from covid by ivermectin. It remains a very effective treatment against parasitic diseases (which are very rare among humans in the First World), and has saved many lives in that context. Yes of course. I would have made myself clear except I was irritated by the facts of peddling something for COVID and not prescribing vaccination. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2024, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/24 "2024-06-19T16:04:46Z")
> [@Kedikat](#): > > Ivermectin is a very safe treatment. If a patient has Covid, then it will do no harm. [Many serious reactions and some deaths](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9020491/) have been reported in people taking ivermectin for Covid. The presence of _any_ significant side effects associated with an ineffective drug is unacceptable. There have also been cases where reliance on ivermectin to treat Covid has led to more serious disease, hospitalization and death which could have been avoided with timely, proper care. > [@Kedikat](#): > > Controversy and censorship are clouding the issue (of ivermectin) at this time. It’s common for promoters of ivermectin and other faux remedies to resent pushback against their false claims and cry censorship, while enjoying large audiences on social media, Substacks, and through books and conferences, as well as what mainstream media they can sucker into publicizing their beliefs. At this point, it’s hard to be unaware of [conclusive evidence](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9308124/) that ivermectin is [not useful](https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/news/moru-study-shows-ivermectin-not-effective-treatment-against-covid) in treating or preventing illness from Covid-19. Those who continue to bang the drum for ivermectin are either outliers like Pierre [vaccine-shedding-through-sex-will-make-you-sick](https://www.respectfulinsolence.com/2023/11/09/dr-pierre-kory-sex-lies-and-covid-19-vaccine-shedding/) Kory, or nitwits who think that touting a Big Pharma drug is a way to get back at Big Pharma. Physicians who violate the standard of care by prescribing ivermectin for Covid should expect medical board sanctions. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/25 "2024-06-19T17:30:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@Maserschmidt](#): > > > > It’s hard for me to understand what this means, other than potentially that you don’t like the outcomes of the dozens of studies that you can find on research gate. > > He could mean the organized campaign to shut down all of the real studies of ivermectin, by the folks dishonestly peddling the stuff. > > Studies showing the effectiveness of ivermectin for covid are hard to find, because they don’t exist. Studies showing the lack of effectiveness are hard to find, because some people are working hard to make them hard to find. I’ve found both, without much trouble. There were several early studies that showed a small benefit from ivermectin. A meta-study found that all of them had been done in places where parasites are common, and that no studies done in places where parasites are uncommon found any benefit. A natural conclusion is that if you are also fighting parasites when you are infected with covid, ivermectin is likely to help. Even if just the parasites wouldn’t have killed you on their own. There are also tons of large, well-done studies that find no benefit to ivermectin. There was enough interest in it early in the pandemic that s number of studies were started. The most interesting of those, imho, is > **[Outpatient treatment of Covid-19 with metformin, ivermectin, and fluvoxamine...](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9810227/)** > > Long Covid is an emerging chronic illness potentially affecting millions, sometimes preventing the ability to work or participate in normal daily activities. COVID-OUT was an investigator-initiated, multi-site, phase 3, randomized, quadruple-blinded... To be clear, this is still a preprint. But it’s interesting both because it found powerful evidence that long covid is a real problem, and also, that metformin appears to have a protective effect against developing long covid. This study also included ivermectin, and found it had no impact on outcomes. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/26 "2024-06-19T17:37:00Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Controversy and censorship are clouding the issue (of ivermectin) at this time. > > It’s common for promoters of ivermectin and other faux remedies to resent pushback against their false claims and cry censorship, while enjoying large audiences on social media, Substacks, and through books and conferences, as well as what mainstream media they can sucker into publicizing their beliefs. > > At this point, it’s hard to be unaware of [conclusive evidence](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9308124/) that ivermectin is [not useful](https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/news/moru-study-shows-ivermectin-not-effective-treatment-against-covid) in treating or preventing illness from Covid-19. Those who continue to bang the drum for ivermectin are either outliers like Pierre [vaccine-shedding-through-sex-will-make-you-sick](https://www.respectfulinsolence.com/2023/11/09/dr-pierre-kory-sex-lies-and-covid-19-vaccine-shedding/) Kory, or nitwits who think that touting a Big Pharma drug is a way to get back at Big Pharma. Yup. @Kedikat 's claim of censorship is factually false. At least around the efficacy of ivermectin. But the quarantine zone rules don’t allow the spread of misinformation around covid. And as “ivermectin helps when you have covid” has been conclusively debunked, I’m going state as a QZ mod that I’m censoring further discussion of the factual question "does ivermectin help beyond its value if you also have parasites? " as off-topic for this thread. Please continue the discussion with the understanding that this doctor was prescribing a placebo. ---
**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:** [June 19, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/27 "2024-06-19T17:39:42Z")
Except he wasn’t actually prescribing a placebo. Ivermectin does have real and sometimes serious side effects. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/28 "2024-06-19T22:39:03Z")
There are lots of things that have been used as placebos that are harmful. But perhaps there are competing definitions of placebo. ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2024, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/29 "2024-06-19T23:59:53Z")
More details will likely come out. The particular Doctor patient interactions are important. The issue of off label use of various medications can be entwined in this. Specifics of actual or possible levels of harm to patient and patient contacts could be delved into. Of course it may just be resolved without much investigation into any aspects, if the Doctor just takes the hit without challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/30 "2024-06-20T00:05:47Z")
> [@Kedikat](#): > > More details will likely come out. The particular Doctor patient interactions are important. The issue of off label use of various medications can be entwined in this. Specifics of actual or possible levels of harm to patient and patient contacts could be delved into. Did you actually read the article? The investigation and hearing phase is done, with a finding by the College of Physicians and Surgeons that the doctor had engaged in unprofessional conduct. The discipline board cited the policy of the College which they found the doctor had breached: > “It is unethical to engage in or to aid and abet in treatment which has no acceptable scientific basis, may be dangerous, may deceive the patient by giving false hope, or which may cause the patient to delay in seeking conventional care until his or her condition becomes irreversible,” the policy states. In other words, the College rejected your argument about “what’s the harm?” Giving a patient false hope is unprofessional conduct. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/31 "2024-06-20T02:25:36Z")
> [@Kedikat](#): > > But I did not think the MRNA ones were the best solution as they were formulated. Where’d you get your microbiology degree? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/32 "2024-06-20T02:35:25Z")
I think the main difference here isn’t a doctor prescribing something off-label that it works for- like back in the day, when they’d prescribe minoxidil off-label for baldness treatment (it was originally developed as a blood pressure drug), or doctors prescribing the various GLP-1 inhibitors off-label for weight loss before they were approved for that use. In those cases, the drug in question actually _works_ for the off-label usage, but it’s just not labeled for that. This is a doctor prescribing something that’s been proven NOT to be effective, and something that has had a whole lot of political nonsense surrounding it. In effect, this doctor is putting their political beliefs ahead of good doctoring. It’s only one step, maybe, from a chiropractor purporting to treat an actual disease with chiropractic adjustment. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/33 "2024-06-20T02:58:53Z")
So you are going to withhold judgement until…what? The information gathered matches what you want to hear? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/34 "2024-06-20T03:13:02Z")
From the article: > The college’s decision on Kabongo said one or more of the prescriptions he gave out weren’t medically necessary, he failed to recommend other evidence-informed treatment options, and he didn’t properly document the prescriptions in medical records. So he seems to have misled his patients. This isn’t, “doc, i really want to try ivermectin, yeah, i hear what you’re saying about paxlovid, but i didn’t trust it”. It’s much worse than that. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/35 "2024-06-20T03:25:58Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > BTW I had a dog who got very sick with one dose of wormer, I’m fairly certain it was Ivermectin. So it’s not _harmless_. Did your dog get Covid? If not, there’s proof Ivermectin works, right? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/36 "2024-06-20T03:30:13Z")
Funny, man🤭 ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038/37 "2024-06-20T03:31:18Z")
I’m disgusted he only got a month “vacation.” The quack should lose his liscense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/local-doctor-suspended-for-a-month-for-prescribing-ivermectin-for-covid/1003038.md?page=1)