Do not use Betadine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There is another trend that medical experts warn people not to use to treat COVID-19.

There is a video that rounds social media, seen more than 350,000 times, suggesting that people gargle with Betadine, an antiseptic used to treat sore throats and cuts, to protect themselves from coronavirus that enters the lungs. There are also tweets, like one that says it kills the virus in the mouth.

“Oh, absolutely not. This should not be used for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19, ”Dr. Chirag Patel told UF Health Jacksonville.

Patel says using Betadine in the nose, gargling too often or even swallowing it can kill new skin cells.

“And if you do, you may have nausea, vomiting, develop ulcers, and bleeding in the intestinal tract or nose,” Patel said. “They’re all very serious.”

Florida Poison Control says it has received a call over the past month in South Florida from a person who was gargling Betadine to prevent COVID-19.

Announcements

On the Betadine website, the company states that there have been questions about the use of Betadine against COVID-19. The company states that Betadine should not be used to kill coronavirus and should not be gargled to prevent or treat COVID-19.

Patel says that while everyone wants more options to treat COVID-19, the reality is that when it spreads, it mutates and viruses are much harder to treat. That’s why he says getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best preventative measure.

“We know that even when vaccinated, you can still develop COVID and we want to make sure we have at our disposal everything that is safe and effective in treating these people. This doesn’t just happen by trying random things,” Patel said. . “There are a lot of consequences when we do that, and that consequence usually ends up being people getting sick, sick, or, God forbid, dying.”

Announcements

According to Forbes, there are some studies that show some in vitro activity of different antiseptics against coronavirus, but the data have not been enough to recommend its use. Medical experts say it can lead to intoxication, which can be life-threatening.

The Associated Press claims that experts and medical groups have also been pushing to eliminate the growing use of ivermectin, a decades-old parasitic drug to treat COVID-19, warning that it can cause harmful side effects and that there is little evidence to help .