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Sydney Man Lucky To Be Alive After Overdosing On Ivermectin

Sydney Man Lucky To Be Alive After Overdosing On Ivermectin

Health experts are begging people not to take back alley methods when there's a perfectly good vaccine available.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

A Sydney man is lucky to be alive after overdosing on a horse deworming medicine touted as a coronavirus remedy.

Medical experts around the world say there is no conclusive evidence that Ivermectin is effective at combating the effects of Covid-19, nor does it help prevent you getting the virus.

Despite warnings from people at the top, it hasn't stopped fringe groups from praising it as a wonder drug without any substantial evidence.

The Western Sydney bloke took Ivermectin and other drugs before presenting to Westmead Hospital where doctors said he was lucky not to die from severe toxicity.

NSW Liberal Party

The hospital's toxicologist Naren Gunja said: "There's no evidence to support the use of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19.

"Don't look for magic cures online and don't rely on what's being peddled on the internet, because none of them work."

There's been an increase in the number of people ordering Ivermectin; so much so that Amazon has stopped their auto-complete search for the drug online and customers are instead directed to information about the coronavirus.

Vets and pharmacists in Australia have also noticed a demand in the drug.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has begged people not to look for back alley methods to protect themselves against the coronavirus when there is a perfectly good vaccine that is free and available.

"Make sure that you've got your health care provided by a healthcare practitioner and that you seek advice before taking any medications," she said.

"It is important to seek the best health advice, our doctors in Australia are across the literature in terms of what drugs and therapies are useful in COVID, please listen to them."

PA

Ivermectin helps get rid of parasites, mites and worms in animals like horses and has been used on humans for scabies and other issues.

At the beginning of the pandemic, there was one study that suggested it could be used to combat Covid-19, however no other investigations have been able to find any benefit that have later been positively peer-reviewed.

The Cochrane Library released arguably the best study into the use of Ivermectin for coronavirus and found people shouldn't be taking it.

The University of Sydney's Professor Andrew McLachlan explained: "The Cochrane Library is really the Olympics of evaluating evidence, this is the group that sets the highest standard and reviews the best trials.

"Their analysis is that there's not enough information at this stage to decide whether or not Ivermectin is effective in preventing or treating Covid and it is not recommended until we know further information about that."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Australia