It seems, there are doctors that tell their patients, for one reason or another that the drug Ivermectin should not be used for the treatment of COVID-19 because it is a neurotoxin for humans and should therefore be avoided. As usual, one can find many partially conflicting writings on this subject, and I thought, now is the time to examine this issue.
Mark G. Papich DVM, MS, DACVCP, in Papich Handbook of Veterinary Drugs (Fifth Edition), 2021
Pharmacology and Mechanism of Action
Ivermectin
is an antiparasitic drug of the avermectin class. It is a prototype for
this class of antiparasitic agents, which also includes eprinomectin
and milbemycins (milbemycin and moxidectin). These drugs are macrocyclic
lactones and share many similarities, including mechanism of action.
These drugs are neurotoxic to parasites by potentiating glutamate-gated
chloride ion channels in parasites. Paralysis and death of the parasite
are caused by increased permeability to chloride ions and
hyperpolarization of nerve cells. These drugs also potentiate other
chloride channels, including ones gated by GABA. Mammals ordinarily are
not affected because they lack glutamate-gated chloride channels, and
there is a lower affinity for other mammalian chloride channels. Because
these drugs ordinarily do not penetrate the blood–brain barrier,
GABA-gated channels in the CNS of mammals are not affected. Ivermectin
is active against intestinal parasites, mites, bots, heartworm
microfilaria, and developing larvae. Ivermectin can also produce
heartworm adulticide effects when administered long term. Ivermectin has
no effect on trematode or cestode parasites.
Ivermectin
has a prolonged half-life in all the animals studied, which allows for
infrequent administration to achieve clinical effects." Emphasis added.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/ivermectin
I take this to mean that ordinarily, Ivermectin is not a neurotoxin to Mammals, which includes also the human species. Other writers say that Ivermectin in high doses might become a neurotoxin for humans, but stress that this is not the case with doctor prescribed doses, whereby Ivermectin does not cross the brain barrier, and is successfully removed from the Central Nervous System (CNS).
"Whom to believe
The politicians and heads of public health agencies have pledged to
“follow the science.” Are they following the science when it comes to
ivermectin and other off-label drugs? Whom should you believe?
According to many, the battle against ivermectin
is because of federal restrictions contained in the Emergency Use
Authorization (EUA) regulations. They prohibit new, not fully tested
drugs from use if there are other “adequate, approved and available alternatives.” Big pharma would rather sell you $3,000 per dose remdesivir than $1-2 ivermectin, fluvoxamine, or hydroxychloroquine.
Daniel Horowitz
said of ivermectin: “to suggest that it is not safe is a scandalous
lie.” He went on: “precisely at the time when the shots are wearing off,
the FDA not only quasi-approved the vaccine, but picked the leakiest of
all to greenlight and also authorized emergency use of a third shot …
of the same failed substance.”"
https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/battle-over-whom-to-believe-about-ivermectin/
"Over 25 Years of Clinical Experience With Ivermectin: An Overview of Safety for an Increasing Number of Indications"
"Abstract
Although the broad-spectrum anti-parasitic effects of the
avermectin derivative ivermectin are well documented, its
anti-inflammatory activity has only recently been demonstrated. For over
25 years, ivermectin has been used to treat parasitic infections in
mammals, with a good safety profile that may be attributed to its high
affinity to invertebrate neuronal ion channels and its inability to
cross the blood-brain barrier in humans and other mammals. Numerous
studies report low rates of adverse events, as an oral treatment for
parasitic infections, scabies and head lice. Ivermectin has been used
off-label to treat diseases associated with Demodex mites, such as
blepharitis and demodicidosis. New evidence has linked Demodex mites to
rosacea, a chronic inflammatory disease. Ivermectin has recently
received FDA and EU approval for the treatment of adult patients with
inflammatory lesions of rosacea, a disease in which this agent has been
shown to be well tolerated. After more than 25 years of use, ivermectin
continues to provide a high margin of safety for a growing number of
indications based on its anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory
activities." Emphasis added.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26954318/
This author also states that "... its [Ivermectin] inability to
cross the blood-brain barrier in humans and other mammals.", makes Ivermectin safe. The belief that Ivermectin is a Neurotoxin for humans, without heavy overdosing appears to be without foundation in fact.
"Clinical applications of topical ivermectin in dermatology
Affiliations
"Abstract
Ivermectin (IVM) is a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic drug with
significant anti-inflammatory properties. The emergence of treatment
resistance to lindane, permethrin, and possibly malathion complicates
the global strategy for management of common parasitic skin diseases
such as scabies and head lice. In this regard. IVM [Ivermectin] has been safely and
effectively used in the treatment of these common human infestations. In
addition, IVM may be useful in inflammatory cutaneous disorders such as
papulopustular rosacea where demodex may play a role in pathogenesis.
Herein, we review the current applications of topical IVM in
dermatology." Emphasis added.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28329606/
No mention of Ivermectin being a Neurotoxin.
"Ivermectin Treatment in Patients With Onchocerciasis-associated Epilepsy (OAETREAT)"
It is my understanding that Ivermectin is very helpful for children who suffer Epileptic seizures.
"Can ivermectin cause neurological problems?
Ivermectin can also cause human neurotoxicity by interacting with inhibitory GABA receptors in the
brain. Fortunately, ivermectin taken at therapeutic doses does not
effectively cross the blood-brain barrier because it is pumped out of
the CNS by the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) transporter. Nov 23, 2021" Emphasis added.
THE BIG LIE? ... The song the FDA sings.
"There seems to be a growing interest in a drug called ivermectin for
the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans. Certain animal
formulations of ivermectin such as pour-on, injectable, paste, and
"drench," are approved in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in
animals. For humans, ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific
doses to treat some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin)
formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.
However, the FDA has received multiple reports of patients who have
required medical attention, including hospitalization, after
self-medicating with ivermectin intended for livestock."
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/why-you-should-not-use-ivermectin-treat-or-prevent-covid-19
We know for a fact that Ivermectin is an FDA approved drug, save for humans in a number of applications. It is also used off-label by Doctors if in their judgement it is justified. So why this theatrics by the FDA? For one, about 70% of their operating budget comes from Big Pharma, and who wants to bite the hand that feeds them? Big Pharma currently scores big profits with their nearly useless experimental COVID vaccines. These rushed vaccines got their emergency use authorization only by denying the fact that other helpful drugs were available. For this reason, they had to malign any other drug found effective against the COVID VIRUS. Get it?
It is a really amazing feat to have all Hospitals and most Doctors all fall in line to support the Big Lie of Big Pharma. While the vaccine development and trials were ongoing for months, innocent sick patients were sent home, apparently, without any treatments of any kind, including drugs like Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin. Apparently, nor were they educated about the importance of Vitamin D3, Zinc and others. I read some time ago that apparently 80% of people who lost the battle, were Vitamin D3 deficient. In the final analysis, by acting as they did, the Medical Industrial Complex is responsible for the deaths of many, many thousands. Many countries are complicit in this human and economic tragedy going on to this day.
"Therapeutic Advances:
A
large majority of randomized and observational controlled trials of
ivermectin are reporting repeated, large magnitude improvements in
clinical outcomes. Numerous prophylaxis trials demonstrate that regular
ivermectin use leads to large reductions in transmission. Multiple,
large “natural experiments” occurred in regions that initiated
“ivermectin distribution” campaigns followed by tight, reproducible,
temporally associated decreases in case counts and case fatality rates
compared with nearby regions without such campaigns.
Conclusions:
Meta-analyses
based on 18 randomized controlled treatment trials of ivermectin in
COVID-19 have found large, statistically significant reductions in
mortality, time to clinical recovery, and time to viral clearance.
Furthermore, results from numerous controlled prophylaxis trials report
significantly reduced risks of contracting COVID-19 with the regular use
of ivermectin. Finally, the many examples of ivermectin distribution
campaigns leading to rapid population-wide decreases in morbidity and
mortality indicate that an oral agent effective in all phases of
COVID-19 has been identified."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8088823/
https://covid19criticalcare.com/
"A group of world-renowned doctors and scientists brought truth to power
in Washington, D.C. this weekend, at a Sunday march attended by tens of
thousands and at a lively round table discussion on Monday. Read the Article"
"For more information about the FLCCC Alliance and our Prevention & Treatment Protocols for COVID-19, please visit www.flccc.net"
"Safety of Ivermectin
Standard doses of ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg x 1–2 days) have a nearly unparalleled safety profile historically among medicines as evidenced by the following findings:
WHO Guidelines for Scabies: “the majority of side effects are minor and transient”
Prof Jacques Descotes, Toxicologist, Expert on Safety of Ivermectin: “severe adverse events are unequivocally and exceedingly rare”
LiverTox Database: Not considered toxic to the liver
Nephrotox Database- Not considered toxic to the kidney
PneumoTox: Not considered toxic to the lungs
Safety of High Dose Ivermectin
In COVID-19, particularly in regard to the emerging variants of concern, viral loads are higher and viral replication is thought to be prolonged. Given that ivermectin has demonstrated a strong dose-response relationship in terms of viral clearance, higher doses have not only been required, but have demonstrated clinical efficacy. Below are hyperlinked references to numerous studies demonstrating the wide safety profile of high dose ivermectin in COVID and other diseases."
"COVID-19 Studies
1) Randomized controlled trial of ivermectin in COVID using 0.6mg/kg x 5 days reported no differences in side effects.
2) Randomized controlled trial, with 3 arms; one arm treated with 1.2 mg/kg for 5 days, and another treated with 0.6mg/kg for 5 days with no differences in side effects
3) A report by the State Health Minister on 3,000 patients in La Pampa, Argentina who were part of a “test and treat” program were given 0.6 mg/kg daily for 5 days. Liver function tests and significant side effects were closely monitored and none were reported.
4) A report by the Health Minister in Misiones, Argentina, also using 0.6 mg/kg for 5 days with no significant adverse events reported.
Malaria Studies
1) Safety trial of patients with malaria given 0.3, 0.6, and 1.2 mg/kg daily of ivermectin for 7 days was well tolerated with no adverse events
2) Study of “Efficacy and Safety of High dose ivermectin for Reducing Malaria Transmission” compared 0, 0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg for 3 days and found no differences in side effects."
Healthy Volunteers
1) Report of a group of healthy adult subjects given up to 10 x standard dose, either 2-4x the standard dose three times a week or 6–10x standard dose once and found the doses generally well tolerated.
Systematic Reviews
1) A systematic review and meta-analysis of high dose ivermectin found no difference in side effects between dose of up to 0.4 mg/kg and higher doses (up to 0.8 mg/kg doses every 3 months.
2) A comprehensive review of 350 articles by the famous French toxicologist Jacques Descotes was presented in early 2021. In this document, he states,
a. “Based on all the data presented above, the author of this report believes it is fair to say that ivermectin did not directly induce an excess of deaths in treated groups of human subjects. Statements, past or present, that ivermectin can kill patients, are therefore considered to be misleading as they do not take into account all the medical information that has been accumulated over the last decades.“
b. “Only very few cases of accidental human overdose have been reported despite the wide availability of ivermectin as a veterinary and human medicine [Hall et al., 1985;Graeme et al., 2000; Deraemecker et al., 2014; Goossens et al., 2014].
Usually, moderate neurotoxic manifestations with rapid recovery after unspecific supportive measures were the predominating course of events. No accidental overdose including in infants and young children had a lethal outcome." Emphasis added.
https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/FLCCC-Information-Evidence-for-Safety-of-Ivermectin.pdf
There you have it. It is for you to decide whom you want to believe.
Your comments, if any, will always be very much appreciated.
