[deanhills]

I'm curious. Are there members who have used Ivermectin or know of friends or family who have had experience with using Ivermectin for Covid 19?

Here is some basic info about Ivermectin:
https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-u...t-covid-19

In summary it's a drug that is used by vets for treating animals for parasitic and similar diseases.  Most Governments in the world have warned their citizens to be careful to use it, and only under prescription from their doctor.  The argument is that the drug has been created for use with animals, and animals are different from humans.  Humans would need a different preparation of Ivermectin that has been specially prepared for humans.

There is a strong movement in South Africa who believes Ivermectin can be very effective.

[tbelldesignco]

I've personally not used it or hear of it being used in the United States for COVID-19 application. We use it for my border collie to treat heart worm as a preventative treatment, but I've never heard of it being used in humans.

[fChk]

There is a strong movement in South Africa who believes Ivermectin can be very effective.

They must have read Michael Capuzzo -a New York Times best-selling author- article "The Drug That Cracked Covid”.. :-)

I first learned about the whole thing a couple of weeks ago via this blog post in the nakedcapitalism.com : “I Don’t Know of a Bigger Story in the World” Right Now Than Ivermectin: NY Times Best-Selling Author which has a link to the original articale in PDF for the interested readers.

Interesting read but I really didn't think too much about it!.. Too much conspiracy theories floating around these days I think!

I did do though a quick search about Ivermectin and it turned out to be a potent anti-parasitic drug. But the wiki page was more helpful in pointing to the key info about it--especially for me as a Biologist.

In the 'adverse effects' section, we read that :

The main concern is neurotoxicity, which in most mammalian species may manifest as central nervous system depression, and consequent ataxia, as might be expected from potentiation of inhibitory GABA-ergic synapses.

Since drugs that inhibit the enzyme CYP3A4 often also inhibit P-glycoprotein transport, the risk of increased absorption past the blood-brain barrier exists when ivermectin is administered along with other CYP3A4 inhibitors. These drugs include statins, HIV protease inhibitors, many calcium channel blockers, lidocaine, the benzodiazepines, and glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone.[42]

In the Pharmacology section, the Mechanism of action is also very informative:

Ivermectin and its related drugs act by interfering with nerve and muscle function of helminths and insects.[45] The drug binds to glutamate-gated chloride channels that are common to invertebrate nerve and muscle cells.[46] Ivermectin binding pushes these channels open, increasing the flow of chloride ions and hyper-polarizing the cell membranes.[46][45] This hyperpolarization paralyzes the affected tissue, eventually killing the invertebrate.[46] In mammals (including humans) glutamate-gated chloride channels are restricted to the brain and spinal cord; ivermectin cannot cross the blood-brain barrier and so it does not make it to the brain to affect mammalian channels.[46]

So, that's the established facts -so far- and I'm really open-minded as to an eventual treatment effect on COVID-19, but we need more data!..

[deanhills]

Thank you for the feedback and link to an article @fChk.  @tbelldesignco yes - Ivermectin is a veterinary medication for animals mostly for killing parasites.  There are people here in South Africa who have been making a strong case for Ivermectin.  It's banned for over the counter purchase - especially since people started to import it in huge quantities, as doctors say the veterinary preparation is unfit for human consumption.  However, in South Africa there are now preparations for humans of Ivermectin but strictly on prescription only.  Which is not ideal because of the time it takes to get the prescription approved.  My sister's doctor says that when he had Covid 19 a few months back, and it got bad, he took Ivermectin and it helped him.

In the meanwhile I checked out alternatives for Ivermectin and found an interesting study on use of Neem.
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-25649/v1

There are a number of studies - also:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33891569/

[Kururin]

The thing is why would you use a medicine that's meant for animals on you? That's just not common sense. And its parasitic in nature too, which is for parasite. So there must be strong toxins that could affect a human also. Not sure but never heard of it over here and you would be wise enough to not consume it based on internet until it been cleared by FDA in the US.

[tbelldesignco]

Thank you for the feedback and link to an article @fChk.  @tbelldesignco yes - Ivermectin is a veterinary medication for animals mostly for killing parasites.  There are people here in South Africa who have been making a strong case for Ivermectin.  It's banned for over the counter purchase - especially since people started to import it in huge quantities, as doctors say the veterinary preparation is unfit for human consumption.  However, in South Africa there are now preparations for humans of Ivermectin but strictly on prescription only.  Which is not ideal because of the time it takes to get the prescription approved.  My sister's doctor says that when he had Covid 19 a few months back, and it got bad, he took Ivermectin and it helped him.

In the meanwhile I checked out alternatives for Ivermectin and found an interesting study on use of Neem.
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-25649/v1

There are a number of studies - also:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33891569/

Yeah this topic is very interesting to me, I will have to look into it further. I almost wonder if this follows the path of Hydroxychloroquine and Zinc where it was a hail marry attempt and will soon be dropped due to critical or unforeseen side-effects.

[deanhills]

Yeah this topic is very interesting to me, I will have to look into it further. I almost wonder if this follows the path of Hydroxychloroquine and Zinc where it was a hail marry attempt and will soon be dropped due to critical or unforeseen side-effects.

Hydroxychloroquine was the drug before Ivermectin that got imported illegally in huge quantities in South Africa right at the start of Covid 19 in 2020. It didn't take off however as somehow there wasn't as much interest in it as with Ivermectin.  There were medical practitioners who swore by Ivermectin and after lots of pressure from the public here Government allowed Ivermectin to be prescribed but "at own risk" and under strict supervision of a medical doctor.

Today I bought myself some NEEM capsules (250 mg leaf extract) and will start this tomorrow as preventative "medicine".  Found another scientific article on NEEM.  I'm not a strong believer, but at least with Neem as a health product, one can't go that much wrong, and who knows, maybe there could be some benefits.  Real use for it in South Africa is for acne and skin, but if one checks the scientific article below, looks like there are many other benefits to be had:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4791507/

[tbelldesignco]

Hydroxychloroquine was the drug before Ivermectin that got imported illegally in huge quantities in South Africa right at the start of Covid 19 in 2020. It didn't take off however as somehow there wasn't as much interest in it as with Ivermectin.  There were medical practitioners who swore by Ivermectin and after lots of pressure from the public here Government allowed Ivermectin to be prescribed but "at own risk" and under strict supervision of a medical doctor.

Today I bought myself some NEEM capsules (250 mg leaf extract) and will start this tomorrow as preventative "medicine".  Found another scientific article on NEEM.  I'm not a strong believer, but at least with Neem as a health product, one can't go that much wrong, and who knows, maybe there could be some benefits.  Real use for it in South Africa is for acne and skin, but if one checks the scientific article below, looks like there are many other benefits to be had:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4791507/

You will have to tell me how your skin improves, I've been having horrible acne for the past couple months just with stress and my autoimmune condition. Speaking of Ivermectin, I actually have to go pick some up for my dog tonight haha.

[deanhills]

You will have to tell me how your skin improves, I've been having horrible acne for the past couple months just with stress and my autoimmune condition. Speaking of Ivermectin, I actually have to go pick some up for my dog tonight haha.

That is hilarious! But at least the dog is protected against Covid 19 as well - or let's hope this. Looks like they found the first animal cases for Covid 19:
https://www.reuters.com/world/india/lion...021-06-04/

Sounds a bit far fetched, but who knows, maybe it's true. Reuters I'm sure won't release statements without checking them out first.

Interesting that you should have developed acne through your ordeal. Will let you know how things go.

BTW I'm sure you'll be able to find it from iherb in the States. You'll be able to check out the reviews.
https://www.iherb.com/r/Nature-s-Way-Nee...ort=6&lang=

[fChk]

So, that's the established facts -so far- and I'm really open-minded as to an eventual treatment effect on COVID-19, but we need more data!..

I came across this US-NIH note about Ivermectin on its COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines

In the section on 'Proposed Mechanism of Action and Rationale for Use in Patients With COVID-19':

Reports from in vitro studies suggest that ivermectin acts by inhibiting the host importin alpha/beta-1 nuclear transport proteins, which are part of a key intracellular transport process that viruses hijack to enhance infection by suppressing the host’s antiviral response.4,5 In addition, ivermectin docking may interfere with the attachment of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein to the human cell membrane.6 Ivermectin is thought to be a host-directed agent, which may be the basis for its broad-spectrum activity in vitro against the viruses that cause dengue, Zika, HIV, and yellow fever.4,7-9 Despite this in vitro activity, no clinical trials have reported a clinical benefit for ivermectin in patients with these viruses. Some studies of ivermectin have also reported potential anti-inflammatory properties, which have been postulated to be beneficial in people with COVID-19.10-12

There you have it!.. The rationale for a potential antiviral activity in-vitro has been demonstrated but the problem remains as to how to translate that effect with the needed doses that are beyond what's clinically allowed in Humans!.. Ivermectin neurotoxicity -see my previous post here- is hard to ignore!

So US-NIH's recomendation is this:

There are insufficient data for the COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel (the Panel) to recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19. Results from adequately powered, well-designed, and well-conducted clinical trials are needed to provide more specific, evidence-based guidance on the role of ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19.