You are not a horse, according to the FDA. I’m Amy E. Feldman.
The FDA recently tweeted: You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it. The “it” was the off-label use of a drug called ivermectin. According to the FDA, the medicine is used in humans and animals for treatment of parasitic worms. But people have been ingesting the animal version as an unproven treatment for COVID.
Off-label use of a medication, when a doctor prescribes you an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of a condition for which it was not approved is not unheard of—and it’s not illegal. That said, taking a prescription drug that was never prescribed to you is illegal. Also, it’s a terrible idea. Ivermectin’s side effects include seizures, confusion, and facial swelling, and the animal version has ingredients that have never been evaluated for use in people. So, if someone tells you to try it, just say NAY!
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