Ivermectin is unproven for COVID-19. At Stanislaus feed stores, demand stays high
Stanislaus County feed stores have seen a spike in demand for horse dewormer in recent months as some people have latched onto unproven claims that the drug can prevent or cure COVID-19.
Ivermectin, an antiparasitic, has been touted by conservative politicians and commentators as an alternative COVID-19 medication despite a lack of scientific evidence to back up these claims.
Some people obtain the drug through prescriptions, since it can be used by humans for treatment of lice and scabies. The CDC reported that retail pharmacies dispensed an average of 3,600 prescriptions a week in the year before the pandemic. In the week ending in Aug. 13 of this year, there were 88,000 ivermectin prescriptions dispensed nationwide.
However, those without a prescription in Stanislaus County have found another way: turning to local feed stores that sell over-the-counter products in high doses formulated for horses, cows and other large animals.
Stuart Heard, executive director of the California Poison Control System, said this has put feed stores across the country in a tough position as they balance legitimate sales to animal-owning customers with the knowledge that people might be misusing a product that could harm them.
Humans taking these forms of ivermectin run a high risk of overdosing and experiencing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, Heard said.
“It’s not going to help COVID, and it could make you sick,” he said.
Justin Lewis, director of the California Poison Control System’s Sacramento Division, said there have been 110 ivermectin-related calls in the past 20 months, and 25 were marked as people calling because they took some form of it to help COVID-19.
Stanislaus County accounts for fewer than 10 ivermectin calls, though Lewis believes there are more exposures and people are just not calling in.
“We’re not aware of any evidence that ivermectin is effective for COVID, and we definitely don’t recommend people take animal medications,” Lewis said.
Animal supply stores vary their responses to the demand
Turlock Feed and Livestock Supply has been out of ivermectin for months, a manager said, but couldn’t guarantee this was related to COVID-19 demand.
Stanislaus Farm Supply put a warning with its products, and Conlin Supply Co. pulled ivermectin off its shelves.
A manager with Oakdale Feed and Seed said the store is selling ivermectin only to regular customers. It’s also keeping a record of buyers’ names and the reason they say they’re using ivermectin.
Russ Hannink, owner of Modesto Feed, said demand at his store increased over the past six to eight months, then again in the past few weeks. However, he is not keeping track of how large the change is or making any adjustments to how his products are sold.
“We have it for sale, and I like to think people know what they’re doing,” Hannink said. “We don’t ask.”
He said anyone can legally buy the product for sale at the store, and he hasn’t heard about customers using it for COVID-19. “Whether they should be or not, it seems like there’s interest in it.”
For Heard, the dangers of people taking ivermectin outweigh a clear lack of benefits.
The best thing people can do is follow expert recommendations actually proven to work, he said. Right now, that includes being vaccinated, wearing a mask and social distancing as much as possible.
“If all you do is take ivermectin,” Heard said, “then you’ve not protected yourself and you’ve not protected others.”
This story was originally published September 13, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
