It’s been reported that people are taking a parasitic medication, Ivermectin, to treat COVID-19, but one veterinarian is warning against doing that.

Dr. Christy Fields is a veterinarian with Companion Veterinary Clinic in Jefferson and says there are forms of Ivermectin, human and animal. She points out the human form is used to treat roundworms and lice, while the animal form is used to treat worms in mostly sheep, cattle and horses. She notes people are taking the animal form of Ivermectin and advises against that.

“And that is not safe because it is about ten times more concentrated than the human form of Ivermectin. So the side effects can be very devastating. There are many more calls to poison control recently for overdosing in toxicity with Ivermectin, due to these false claims of using it to treat COVID-19.”

Dr. Fields says the side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, dizziness, seizures, coma and death. She explains that the American Medical Veterinary Association reports there are human trials taking place to see if Ivermectin slows down the replication of COVID-19.

“So the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has not approved this as a medication and has not proven that is it effective (against COVID-19). It is something that I believe they are looking at as a possibility, but as of now, it is highly recommended by the FDA to not self medicate with Ivermectin.”

Dr. Fields adds, the human form of the medication must be prescribed by a physician with one of the approved uses.