Ivermectin oral is an anti-parasitic medication and has been the talk of the town due to its possibility to work against coronavirus diseases. However many studies and FDA does not recommend Ivermectin medicine for coronavirus disesase. Ivermectin is commonly used to treat infections such as certain parasitic roundworm infections. Curing parasitic infections helps patients improve their lives.
What is Ivermectin?
Ivermectin belongs to the antihelmintic class of drugs. Ivermectin oral tablet is accessible under a brand name drug and a generic drug. Ivermectin brand name is Stromectol. Ivermectin is also available as a cream and lotion that can be applied externally on the skin.
FDA-approved Ivermectin for humans to treat a variety of parasitic infections including parasitic worms, whipworms, and hookworm. Ivermectin is also considered an effective treatment for a broad range of conditions such as onchocerciasis, river blindness, and intestinal strongyloidiasis.
When should you use Ivermectin oral tablet?
Ivermectin oral tablet is widely used to treat parasitic infections of the eyes, skin, and intestinal tract. This medicine act by paralyzing and killing the parasites. In people with weakened immune systems, curing roundworm infections can lessen the risk of acquiring severe or fatal infections.
You should use this drug only when prescribed by your healthcare professional. Ivermectin may also be used for treating lice and scabies.
How does Ivermectin work?
Ivermectin works by sticking to the internal parts of the parasite. It ultimately paralyzes and kills the parasite or prevents adult parasites from making larvae for a while which treats the infection and improves the symptoms.
In order to make sure Ivermectin is working well, you need to provide frequent stool samples.
How to take Ivermectin oral tablet?
Usually, Ivermectin is prescribed as a single-dose treatment. Make sure you stick to the instructions given by your healthcare professional. Take the Ivermectin tablet exactly as prescribed by your doctor or pharmacist.
Follow the direction mentioned on your prescription label. Make sure you do not take Ivermectin in larger or smaller amounts than recommended by your doctor. Also do not take this drug for longer than prescribed by your healthcare provider.
Take Ivermectin oral tablet on an empty stomach at least 1 hour before a meal or at least 2 hours after a meal. Take the tablet with a glass full of water. To treat your infection effectively, your health care provider may ask you to repeat treatments several months after your first dose.
People with a weak immune system due to certain diseases or medicine may need to take more than one dose of the Ivermectin tablet. Some people with the weak immune system may need to take Ivermectin orally regularly. The dosage depends on the body weight.
Important things you need to discuss with your health care professional before taking Ivermectin
Tell your doctor if you have any liver or kidney disease, cancer, HIV or AIDS, or other conditions that can weaken your immune system. It will ensure that Ivermectin is safe for you.
Make sure your healthcare professionals know about all the medicines, herbal supplements, vitamins, or any prescription drugs or nonprescription drugs you are using before you begin with the Ivermectin treatment.
Inform your health care providers if you are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breast feeding your baby before using Ivermectin. It is unknown whether Ivermectin can harm an unborn baby. However, Ivermectin passes into the breast milk and may harm nursing infants.
Ivermectin should not be given to children with bodyweight less than 15 kg. Animal study shows adverse effects on the fetus when the mother takes this drug. So make sure you discuss it with your doctor or pharmacist.
What to do in case of missed dose?
Usually, ivermectin is given in a single dose, so you may not be on a dosing schedule. In case you are on a schedule, take the missed dose immediately as you remember. Skip the missed dose if you remember it at the time of your next dose. Never take additional medicine to make up for the missed dose.
Take Ivermectin oral as directed by your healthcare provider
Ivermectin oral tablet is used as a short-term treatment. If you do not take it as prescribed by your healthcare professional. If you stop taking Ivermectin suddenly without consulting your doctor, your parasitic infection would not be cured completely.
Call your local poison control center in case of overdose
If you take too much Ivermectin it could be possibly fatal. Usually, it does not happen in many cases, as the doctor prescribes this drug as a single dose only. However, if you are on a schedule, you should be careful about the overdose.
If you take a high dose of Ivermectin, you may have unsafe levels of this medication in your body and you need emergency medical help. Overdose symptoms include skin rash or itching, swelling, headache, dizziness, stomach pain, weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or trouble breathing.
If you have taken too much of this drug, seek emergency medical attention. Call your local poison control center for emergency medical attention in case of a drug overdose. Canadian residents can report side effects to Health Canada and call the provincial poison control center if to need help with drug overdose.
Possible drug interactions
Ivermectin oral tablet may interact with other drugs, herbs, vitamins, or supplements. A drug interaction is when a substance alters the way a drug performs. drug interactions can increase the risk of side effects or prevent the medicine from performing well.
Some products that may interact with the Ivermectin drug include Valproic acid, sodium oxybate, benzodiazepines (clonazepam, lorazepam), and barbiturates (phenobarbital).
Warfarin is another drug that can interact with Ivermectin. It is a blood-thinning medication. Using Ivermectin treatment and Warfarin together can thin your blood too much and may lead to dangerous bleeding.
Make sure you tell your doctor about all your medications, herbal supplements, and vitamins you are taking. Your healthcare provider manages all your medications carefully in order to avoid interactions.
Allergic reactions and important warnings
This medicine may cause skin problems due to allergic reactions or inflammatory reactions. Ivermectin may cause a severe allergic reaction. The symptoms of an allergic reaction include skin rash, trouble breathing, and swelling in the throat or tongue. Do not take this medicine if you previously has an allergic reaction to Ivermectin as it could be fatal.
If you have dizziness after taking Ivermectin, get up slowly while rising from a sitting or lying position.
The symptoms of skin issues may appear to be like the symptoms of parasitic infections. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you experience severe itching, rash, joint pain, or hives. tell your doctor about your medical history particularly if you have liver problems.
This drug may cause eye problems. The symptoms may include pain, redness, swelling, and vision changes. This medicine may also cause serious and deadly brain problems in people suffering from Loa loa infection.
Before taking an Ivermectin tablet, make sure to tell your doctor if you have currently visited Central Africa or West Africa. If you experience back pain, neck pain, red eyes, confusion, unexplained sleepiness, confusion, shortness of breath, or trouble coordinating seek help from the nearest emergency room.
