Maine pharmacists flag ivermectin prescriptions from people looking for COVID-19 medications

Maine pharmacies said this week that ivermectin prescriptions are on the rise and have announced that COVID-19 has not been approved for prophylactic or therapeutic use.

The IverCare branded package, which contains a syringe of ivermectin (a drug used to kill worms and other parasites), is intended for horse use only. Health professionals and medical groups are working to eradicate the increased use of antiparasitic drugs to treat COVID-19. Associated Press / Ted S. Warren

In humans, ivermectin is approved for the treatment of “infections caused by skin conditions such as parasites, head lice, and rosacea,” the board said in a notice to pharmacists, but caused by the coronavirus. Not approved for the treatment of illnesses. ..

However, it still does not stop people seeking COVID-19 treatment from trying to use this drug, which is also used for horse and cattle anthelmintic. Side effects of taking the drug include headache, muscle aches, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, and skin rash.

Ivermectin is advertised by those who believe that the COVID-19 vaccine has not been thoroughly scrutinized and is overreacting with face masks. In the early days of the pandemic, similar claims were made for other drugs, such as: HydroxychloroquineVaccines are effective in fighting COVID online and on social media, even though health officials have claimed to be the best way to get rid of the virus and reduce its effectiveness if someone gets sick. It was advertised.

Tom Edge, a retail pharmacy manager at Rockport’s Penbay Medical Center, said last month he refused to fill out six prescriptions for ivermectin.

Ivermectin is rarely used in humans, according to Edge, and has met only three legal prescriptions for the drug in the past year. The latest prescription he received was from an out-of-state doctor, “anyway, this is always a bit of a danger signal,” he said.

When he looked up one prescription online, Edge found a list of doctors who could call people, talk on the phone for a fee, and then receive a prescription for ivermectin.

Health Warning from US CDC

According to a health warning issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in late August, ivermectin dispensing from US retail pharmacies surged from an average of 3,600 pre-pandemic weeks to 39,000 weeks in January. And since then, ivermectin dispensing has continued to skyrocket, reaching more than 88,000 prescriptions per week in mid-August, officials said.

He said the ivermectin prescription, which Edge refused to meet, required the drug to be used for a longer period of time than normally prescribed. For treatment, he said the dose was twice the typical amount and also for a longer period of time.

“You can’t prescribe based on what someone has on the website,” he said. “We can reject prescriptions that we feel are not being used for legitimate purposes.”

When he contacted the doctor who wrote the prescription and was told he intended to avoid or treat COVID, Edge told them not to fill the prescription.

“At that point, it’s a simple conversation,” he said.

According to Edge, the pharmacy committee’s notice will give him and other pharmacists “something you can count on” if a customer complains about refusing to fill out a prescription.

Side effects of ivermectin, even in the form for human use, include central nervous system problems, diarrhea, nausea, decreased white blood cell counts, and “various annoyances,” according to Edge.

Palermo veterinarian Janel Tyrrell said that ivermectin is a very effective anthelmintic for patients with third-coast mine, but “I don’t recommend it to humans. It’s to me. It never happens. “

Tyrrell said she was surprised that the ivermectin paste she supplies to her horses “literally eats up the intestines” of those who take it, making it a popular alternative to the COVID vaccine among some.

“It’s even worse than I’m explaining,” Tyrrell said.

The North New England Poison Center has announced that it will record, on average, eight cases of people in contact with ivermectin in Maine. These cases usually include children who accidentally get the drug, those who accidentally take the prescribed ivermectin twice, or those who put it in the eyes or mouth when trying to administer it to an animal.

Increased calls to poison centers

So far this year, according to the center, there have already been eight human exposures to ivermectin in Maine, four involving people taking ivermectin to prevent or treat COVID. It seems. According to the center, one was in March and three were in September.

Nationally, the center states that about 1 in 10 people who take ivermectin improperly have serious side effects from the drug.

The CDC said in a report last month that calls to human exposure to ivermectin to toxicology centers nationwide were five times higher in July than before the pandemic.

According to the CDC, large animals such as horses, sheep, and cows may also be taking ivermectin for use by veterinarians.

According to the CDC, these doses are “high in concentration and can be overdose when used by humans,” and animal products also contain ingredients that have not been evaluated by humans. There is a possibility.

“People who take improperly high doses of Ibermectin beyond the FDA’s recommended doses may experience toxic effects,” the report said: loss of consciousness, confusion, illusions, seizures, With coma and even death, he suffers from the symptoms that Edge quoted.

Adults were reportedly taking injectable ivermectin preparations for use in cattle and had to be hospitalized for 9 days before recovery.

“I’ve never talked to colleagues in the state about prescribing ivermectin,” said Pembay Pharmacy Director Edge, but “if people see this more, it won’t surprise me at least.” Told.

He reminds me that this week’s state legislature statement needs to make sure that all prescriptions are for legitimate drugs that have proven effective in treating illness. Said that.

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