Disclaimer: The information presented in this video is for information purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice.
Additionally, the information presented in this video is based on the available body of evidence as of November 25, 2021.
As research continues and our understanding of the disease evolves, some of this information may change.
Please use your best judgement and the latest reliable information.
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When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many scientists and researchers began searching for possible treatments
and methods to prevent the spread of the disease. Amidst this search, people began hearing rumors about a drug called Ivermectin.
Current research shows that Ivermectin may act to inhibit proteins that are
common targets for viruses to suppress the immune system.
Ivermectin may also act to prevent attachment and entry of viruses.
If you’re interested in learning more about how Ivermectin works, check out the description below for a video on this topic.
While mechanistically, it has the potential to be used as a treatment,
what have studies and research been saying about Ivermectin as a potential COVID-19 treatment?
Should we be using Ivermectin or is it too soon to know?
Let’s find out through this game of Myth vs. Fact!
In this video, we will provide you with myths and facts about Ivermectin based on evidence
and research that was available on November 25, 2021.
Feel free to pause at any time to make a guess.
Well let’s get into it. Can you identify a fact from a myth?
1: Ivermectin is used to treat people with conditions that are caused by parasite infestations
This is a fact! Ivermectin is a well-known drug for treating infections and diseases
caused by parasitic worms in both animals and humans.
This medication was discovered in 1979 by Satoshi Omura of the Kitasato Institute in Tokyo, Japan
and grew increasingly recognized for its highly effective nature against parasitic worm infections,
such as River Blindness. Ivermectin is also sometimes used in the treatment of scabies and lice.
Due to its important role in treating parasitic infections, Ivermectin is on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medications.
2: Current research shows Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19
If you said this was a myth, you are correct! The current research is largely
inconclusive regarding the effectiveness of Ivermectin in COVID-19 treatment.
There are some papers that show significant effects;
however, the validity of some of these papers are under question.
One such paper, entitled, “Efficacy and Safety of Ivermectin for Treatment and prophylaxis of COVID-19 Pandemic”
showing high levels of effectiveness was later withdrawn due to “ethical concerns.”
A meta-analysis involving the study reported that Ivermectin was life-saving in treating
COVID-19—once the study was removed, however, no significant benefit was seen.
3: Ivermectin products for animals are different from Ivermectin products for humans
This is also a very important fact! Did you know that in August of 2021, there has been an
increased number of phone calls made to the poison centers regarding ingesting Ivermectin.
It is very important to remember that medications that are intended for animals should never be used on humans
even if it is FDA approved for animal use. The reason for that is because animal drugs are
usually highly concentrated because they are intended for bigger animals meaning they have a lot more weight.
Consuming those high doses on a human can be extremely toxic. The inactive ingredients also
present in the animal drugs are usually not evaluated for human use within those quantity.
4: We should use Ivermectin because some healthcare professionals are promoting it for COVID-19 treatment
False! Even though some healthcare professionals may still be promoting it because of the
potential that some early studies showed, Ivermectin is not currently recommended for COVID-19 treatment.
There is currently a lot of misinformation around this and you may have heard it is safe
to take large doses of ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment, however that is not the case.
Ivermectin has not yet been shown to be safe or effective for treatment of COVID-19.
The best and the safest thing to do is to listen to the WHO
World Health Organization
CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
or your associated public health agency regarding the use of Ivermectin for COVID-19 treatment use.
Number 5, Taking Ivermectin as a prevention or treatment for COVID-19 has potential side effects
This is a fact!
Taking Ivermectin for treatment or prevention of COVID 19
should be avoided as it can be associated with some side effects
including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
facial or limb swelling, severe skin rash, and liver injury
There are also neurologic adverse side effects associated with taking Ivermectin such as seizure.
The safety of taking this medication for treating COVID 19 has not been approved
and more data is needed to determine its safety.
Therefore you should not take Ivermectin if you have COVID or to prevent getting infected with this disease.
Number 6, Ivermectin is safe because it’s already FDA approved for use against COVID-19
You may have heard that Ivermectin is an authorized drug for COVID 19
But this is currently a myth.
The food and drug administration, FDA
has not approved the use of Ivermectin as a form of treatment
or prevention of COVID-19 as of November 25th, 2021.
The FDA also suggests that taking large doses of Ivermectin can
be dangerous and there is not sufficient evidence that Ivermectin
is effective against COVID 19.
It is important to note that Ivermectin is approved for other purposes
mentioned earlier and any medication should only be used
for its intended and approved use.
So now you know some truth about Ivermectin
While early studies did show promise, more recent research has
questioned the supposed benefits of Ivermectin presented in these studies.
Currently, research regarding Ivermectin’s use as a COVID-19 treatment is
largely inconclusive meaning that it is
hard to tell whether or not it is safe or effective.
It’s too soon to know for sure
As of November 25th 2021,
countries such as Canada and the US have not approved Ivermectin for COVID 19 use
Remember the information we presented in this video was
based on the research available at the time of the video’s creation.
Some of these facts and myths may change as more research is
collected and new information becomes available.
Follow the information provided by your local regulatory health bodies
and stay up to date with the latest information.
Did any of these facts surprise you?
Did you previously believe any of these myths?
As you might have noticed, finding accurate and reliable information
about science can be difficult
So you might be wondering, where can we go to find good scientific information
and how can we know if the information we’re getting is accurate?
Well while we do not have an exact answer to this question because
it varies by article. We
do have some tips that can help you identify good sources for scientific information.
For example, when looking for information look at more than just the first couple of search results
that you find on Google. These article and sites often appear first
because they have paid for advertising.
Take a look at who is releasing this information
Is it a site that’s known to be trustworthy like
government regulatory bodies. These sites are generally more
reliable and will provide you with information about health regulations
that are in line with current government recommendations.
Another question you can ask yourself is: Who funds
the site? Is there a possibility that the information is being swayed towards certain results?
Good websites will usually include authors, their qualifications and mention the funding source.
Is there a date? When was the information published?
This is incredible important because science is constantly evolving
as more information becomes available.
What was true several months ago may not be true today.
Make sure there is a publication date so you know how recent the information is that you’re consuming
Also, check the references. Are there references to actual research articles or
references at all? References show where the article or site pulls their information from.
You can check those references yourself to see what those articles say.
To help you get started, here are a list of some sites that generally provide reliable information:
However it is always important that you evaluate the trustworthiness and reliability of each article that you come across
If you’d like to see more tips, check out the link in the description below
We hope you enjoyed learning about Ivermectin!
If you’d like to see more videos like this, subscribe to the Demystifying Medicine YouTube channel. Thank you!