Overdoses of ivermectin from antiparasitic drugs overwhelm rural Oklahoma hospitals, leaving shooting victims waiting for emergencies
- Southeast Oklahoma hospitals are struggling with an increase in patients with ivermectin overdose
- There are so many patients who come in with overdoses of horse medicine that other seriously injured (such as gunshot wounds) have to wait.
- Ivermectin is FDA approved for human use against some parasite-related conditions, but has not been shown to fight viruses in humans
- Many buy versions of the drug intended for horses and other large animals, where the doses are dangerous to humans
There are so many rural Oklahomans who overdose on horse medicine given by local hospitals.
Dr. Jason McElyea, a physician in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, in the southeastern state, told KFOR in Oklahoma City that hospitals in his region are being clogged with patients with an overdose of ivermectin after to use the medicine to treat COVID-19.
Many people use ivermectin, approved by the FDA for human use in some situations, in doses intended for large animals such as horses and overdose.
Overdose volume has become a problem for the entire community, as people who need treatment for other problems, such as shot victims, are left in danger of space for emergencies.
Dr. Jason McElyea (pictured) told KLA in Oklahoma City that so many people in his rural Oklahoma community are taking an overdose of ivermectin.
“There’s a reason you need to have a doctor to get a prescription for these things, because it can be dangerous,” McElyea told KFOR about the drug.
“… ERs are so supported that shooting victims have had difficulty reaching facilities where they can receive definitive care and be treated.”
The increase in overdoses has meant that ambulances are also backed up with calls.
“All their ambulances are stuck in the hospital waiting for a bed to be opened so they can take the patient in and have none, that’s it,” the doctor told KFOR.
“If there is no ambulance to answer the call, there is no ambulance to answer the call.”
Ivermectin is safe to use in doses of about 200 micrograms, and is often prescribed to people at these levels for conditions such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.
It is not a treatment for viruses like Covid, but it has never demonstrated its ability to fight viral infections in humans.
Some have incorrectly considered the antiparasitic drug to be a potential treatment for COVID-19 after some misinterpreted a March 2020 study conducted in Australia.
Ivermectin is FDA approved for human use in the fight against some parasite related conditions. It has no known ability to fight viruses in the human body
Dr. Timothy Geary, one of the world’s leading drug experts, told DailyMail.com that the concentrations of the drug used in the study, which showed that ivermectin could inhibit virus replication, were so high that they could not be used. in a person.
The drug can be dangerous because it has large doses and can cause many potentially devastating side effects, such as blindness, damage to the nervous system, or even death.
McElyea reports that many in his community are using the drug at dangerously high doses.
Many have been unable to purchase the prescription drug and instead buy over-the-counter veterinary versions from feed stores.
A standard dose for a horse is much larger than a dose for a human, although it causes an overdose of people when versions of the drug are used for livestock.
“Some people taking inadequate doses have been in worse shape than if they had taken COVID,” McElyea said.
He told KFOR that he had seen patients suffering from cramps, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting.
The worst cases seen are people who enter with loss of vision after taking the drug.
McElyea reports that the tractor shop in his area has run out of drugs and begs other people in his community not to self-medicate using the potentially dangerous drug.
“You have to ask yourself,‘ If I take this medicine, what will I do if something bad happens? “What is your next step, what is your backup plan?” He said.
If you want to take a medicine that could affect your health, do so with a doctor on board.
“… It’s not just something you search the internet for and decide if it’s the right dose.”