Shortages of the veterinary version of the pest control drug ivermectin are being reported by distributors and grocery stores across the country as many people misuse it to fight COVID-19.
The problem has caused frustration among some horse owners, who cannot find the medicine to treat their animals.
Ivermectin has become the center of public attention in recent months after rumors on social media suggested the drug could treat or prevent COVID-19.
Although the drug is safe for humans in small doses and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), many use versions of the drug designed for large animals like horses, resulting in an increase poison calls.
QC Supply (pictured), a distributor of veterinary drugs, has reported running out of pest control drug ivermectin after many started using it to treat Covid
V&V Tack and Feed (pictured) started asking people to show a picture of themselves with a horse to buy ivermectin. Many horse owners struggle to find the drug due to recent rush
Pictured: A sign at V&V Tack & Feed requiring ivermectin buyers to have a photo of their horse handy
“There was immediate frustration expressed by retailers who felt it was necessary to put ivermectin-labeled products back behind counters or under lock and key,” said Cliff Williamson, director of health and regulatory affairs. at the American Horse Council, at Washington post.
âBuyers are now going through additional steps to obtain horse medication. ”
Several stores and vendors that sell the product are reporting shortages.
According to The Guardian, QC Supply, a Nebraska-based distributor, has run out of ivermectin paste for horses to use.
A Las Vegas store, V&V Tack and Feed, has even started requiring people to show pictures of themselves with their horses to buy the drug to prevent abuse.
âI brought in a gentleman, and it was an older gentleman. He told me his wife wanted him to participate in the Ivermectin plan, âsaid Shelly Smith, a V&V employee. News channel 5 in Nashville.
âI immediately brought him here because at that time I had put up this sign and told him it was not safe for you. And he said, “Well, we took it, and my only side effect is that I can’t see in the morning.”
âIt’s a big side effect, so you probably shouldn’t take it. ”
Fleet Farm, an online outlet where ivermectin can be purchased, is also currently issuing a warning regarding the drug.
“Despite media reports that ivermectin could potentially be used to treat people with Covid-19, these products are not safe or approved for human use, which could cause serious injury or death,” the website states, as reported by The Guardian.
Many Americans buy horse versions of ivermectin. Although the drug is safe for human consumption, the doses intended for horses are too large for humans and could cause overdoses.
Rumors and lies about the drug’s ability to fight viruses like Covid are based on an Australian study from the start of the pandemic which found that the drug could inhibit cell replication of the virus.
Many took the study and executed it, pushing ivermectin as a Covid treatment and even as a potential vaccine replacement.
Some prominent figures even supported the drug, such as Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingrham of Fox News.
Dr Timothy Geary, one of the world’s foremost parasitology experts, told DailyMail.com last month that the study results could not be transposed to humans because the concentrations of the drug used are too high to be tested. sure.
âIn this study, they showed that in cell cultures, ivermectin could inhibit [Covid] replication, but the concentrations required for this effect were in a range called the micromolar range – very high concentrations compared to what you would find in the plasma of a treated person or animal, which would be 20 to 50 times lower “, did he declare .
âAt high concentrations in cell culture, many compounds can have all kinds of effects, but when you look at what we would call pharmacological levels – what we actually see and treat patients – they are way higher than [what would be used in humans]
“So the standard doses of ivermectin that we use for people will never reach the levels that would be effective against the virus based on this study alone.”
Geary assured DailyMail.com that the drug is safe to use in standard human doses, and that there are few negative side effects when used correctly.
Unfortunately, many do not use the drug correctly and injure themselves.
Poison control centers nationwide are reporting an increase in recent calls to treat ivermectin overdoses.
Most overdoses are relatively minor, and no deaths from the drug itself have been reported, although some have chosen to use ivermectin. instead of seeking medical treatment when infected with the virus have died.