GREEN BAY, Wis. — Ivermectin has been around for years and is used mostly to treat parasites in livestock.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says humans can also use it to treat parasites and topically for conditions like rosacea.
But according to some medical experts, while clinical trials are ongoing, there isn't enough evidence yet to show that it should be used to prevent or treat Covid-19.
"We know that ivermectin does interact with some medications, particularly blood thinners. In high doses or doses that are not approved, we've seen nausea, vomiting diarrhea, low blood pressure. People have been hospitalized with seizures and there have been deaths," said Kim Litwack, dean of the College of Nursing at UW-Milwaukee.
Still, it appears more and more Americans are taking it to prevent or treat Covid-19.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prescriptions of ivermectin have surged during the pandemic.
The CDC said prescriptions reached 88,000 a week by August this year, 24 times the weekly amount before the pandemic.
A jump in calls to poison-control centers have also increased, according to the Wisconsin Poison Center. They have received 17 calls related to ivermectin consumption by people.
Aaron Rodgers, in explaining his immunization protocol, said he's allergic to the mRNA vaccines to treat Covid-19: Pfizer and Moderna.
He also said he's concerned about fertility, another reason he chose not to take the FDA-approved drugs.
But Litwack says just like there's no evidence backing the use of ivermectin, there's no evidence that the new vaccines to treat Covid-19 are going to make it harder to conceive a child.
"There are myths about fertility, myths about menstrual cycles, there are myths about swollen testicles. There are myths about microchips being inserted. They're all myths. If you look at the solid evidence and you don't look at Dr. Facebook, but solid evidence, there is no evidence to support any of those," said Litwack.
Rogers has decided what he'll put in his body to guard against Covid-19, even, it appears, if it means punishment by the NFL.
But most doctors, in Wisconsin and around the country, say when it comes to Covid-19, put an FDA-approved drug in your body.
