Ginger Bridgers: Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin

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Ginger Bridgers: Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin Sept 11, 2021 2:37:20 GMT

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Post by Admin on Sept 11, 2021 2:37:20 GMT

Ginger Bridgers, sick with COVID-19 in January, asked her doctor for the drug she’d heard so much about, ivermectin. Her doctor turned her down, saying there was no reliable research the anti-parasite drug could help.

When Bridgers’ sister, Emily Oglesby, went to the hospital in July with frightening symptoms of COVID-19, though, she and her husband were both sent home without being admitted — but with prescriptions for ivermectin.

As demand for the drug skyrocketed in August, a handful of Georgia physicians have been writing prescriptions for those who request it — or even offering it for patients to try, as they scramble for ways to treat COVID-19.

Those doctors are doing so against the advice of the Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association and the American Pharmacists Association. Even the drug’s manufacturer, Merck, put out a statement emphasizing it had seen no data showing ivermectin helped COVID-19 patients and “a concerning lack of safety data in the majority of studies.”

Those concerns, misinformation about the drug’s effectiveness and growing reports of people being poisoned have prompted some licensing authorities to advise against using it and a few states to file complaints against doctors who are prescribing it. But the Georgia medical board told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution it has no stance on the drug. Nor has the board provided any guidance to doctors or the public about ivermectin.

That leaves it to Georgia doctors whether or not to prescribe the medication. And those who take it to be the test subjects.

The medical board’s chairwoman, Dr. Debi Dalton, did not respond to the AJC’s request to discuss the board’s stance.

Ginger Bridgers doesn’t know if her sister and brother-in-law requested ivermectin after they went to Burke Medical Center in Waynesboro. She doesn’t know how much of the drug they took.

And she can’t ask them.

Her sister went home and was dead a few days later. Her brother-in-law was transported to Augusta and died there.

If ivermectin was to be the cure, it didn’t save their lives.

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Ginger Bridgers: Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin Sept 11, 2021 22:15:21 GMT

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Post by Admin on Sept 11, 2021 22:15:21 GMT

The Burke County Sheriff’s Office has determined that a deputy followed proper procedure although he neglected to lay eyes on a COVID victim during a welfare check.

Ginger Bridgers asked Burke County’s 9-1-1dispatch center July 31 at 9:34 p.m. to send an ambulance to her sister and brother-in law’s home in Sardis after she could not reach Emily Oglesby by phone and Bobby Oglesby answered out of breath. Bobby had previously tested positive for COVID-19 and Emily had begun to exhibit symptoms a few days after his test results. Emily documented a trip to the Burke Medical Center Emergency Room on a public Facebook post July 29 indicating that the couple had been prescribed Ivermectin and released.

Emily’s health continued to decline and July 31 at 1:27 p.m. she wrote on Facebook, “Does anyone have.a potty chair I can sit by the bed and also a wheel chair bobby can push me 2 the den in. I really am in need.”

According to an official statement provided by the Sheriff ’s Office August 10, 9-1-1 dispatch answered Bridgers July 31 call for an ambulance with a welfare check provided by BCSO Deputy Nicholas Vinson. Bridgers specifically stated that “someone needs to lay eyes on her and make sure that she is ok.”

“Deputy Vinson arrived on scene at 2143 hours (9:43 p.m.) and after several minutes knocking and checking the perimeter of the home made contact with Bobby Oglesby at the rear of the house,” the statement says. “Bobby told Vinson that he and his wife were sleeping and that they were both sick with COVID that he would call Ms. Bridg- ers.”

According to Deputy Vinson, nothing seemed suspicious or unusual with Bobby’s behavior so he cleared the call and reported to 9-1-1 dispatch that the couple was “10-4.”

Emily was found dead in the home the next day after Bridgers called for an ambulance again. Bobby was found to have an oxygen saturation level of 77 and transported to an Augusta hospital where he has since suffered a stroke, requiring life support procedures, Bridgers said.

“After reviewing the phone call from Ms. Bridgers along with the dispatch audio and CAD call log, I find that given the information available to him Deputy Vinson followed proper policy and procedure in the handling of this call,” Captain Jimmy Wylds wrote in the statement.

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Ginger Bridgers: Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin Oct 17, 2021 20:22:33 GMT

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Post by Admin on Oct 17, 2021 20:22:33 GMT

COVID-19. We’ve been living with it for what sometimes seems like forever. Given the number of deaths that have occurred from the disease, it’s perhaps not surprising that some consumers are turning to drugs not approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

One of the FDA’s jobs is to carefully evaluate the scientific data on a drug to be sure that it is both safe and effective for a particular use. In some instances, it can be highly dangerous to use a medicine for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 that has not been approved by or has not received emergency use authorization from the FDA.

There seems to be a growing interest in a drug called ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans. Certain animal formulations of ivermectin such as pour-on, injectable, paste, and "drench," are approved in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in animals. For humans, ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses to treat some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.

However, the FDA has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical attention, including hospitalization, after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for livestock.

Here’s What You Need to Know about Ivermectin
The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for use in preventing or treating COVID-19 in humans or animals. Ivermectin is approved for human use to treat infections caused by some parasitic worms and head lice and skin conditions like rosacea.
Currently available data do not show ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. Clinical trials assessing ivermectin tablets for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in people are ongoing.
Taking large doses of ivermectin is dangerous.
If your health care provider writes you an ivermectin prescription, fill it through a legitimate source such as a pharmacy, and take it exactly as prescribed.
Never use medications intended for animals on yourself or other people. Animal ivermectin products are very different from those approved for humans. Use of animal ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 in humans is dangerous.
What is Ivermectin and How is it Used?
Ivermectin tablets are approved by the FDA to treat people with intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis, two conditions caused by parasitic worms. In addition, some topical forms of ivermectin are approved to treat external parasites like head lice and for skin conditions such as rosacea.

Some forms of animal ivermectin are approved to prevent heartworm disease and treat certain internal and external parasites. It’s important to note that these products are different from the ones for people, and safe only when used in animals as prescribed.

When Can Taking Ivermectin Be Unsafe?
The FDA has not authorized or approved ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 in people or animals. Ivermectin has not been shown to be safe or effective for these indications.

There’s a lot of misinformation around, and you may have heard that it’s okay to take large doses of ivermectin. It is not okay.

Even the levels of ivermectin for approved human uses can interact with other medications, like blood-thinners. You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma and even death.

Ivermectin Products for Animals Are Different from Ivermectin Products for People
For one thing, animal drugs are often highly concentrated because they are used for large animals like horses and cows, which weigh a lot more than we do—a ton or more. Such high doses can be highly toxic in humans. Moreover, the FDA reviews drugs not just for safety and effectiveness of the active ingredients, but also for the inactive ingredients. Many inactive ingredients found in products for animals aren’t evaluated for use in people. Or they are included in much greater quantity than those used in people. In some cases, we don’t know how those inactive ingredients will affect how ivermectin is absorbed in the human body.

Options for Preventing and Treating COVID-19
The most effective ways to limit the spread of COVID-19 include getting a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to you and following current CDC guidance.

Talk to your health care provider about available COVID-19 vaccines and treatment options. Your provider can help determine the best option for you, based on your health history.