Congressional candidate and state Sen. Anthony Bouchard, R-Cheyenne, is encouraged the use of an anti-parasitic medication most often used to treat livestock to combat the coronavirus in humans.
Bouchard, a septic tank pump operator by trade, shared a post on social media Friday concerning an Arkansas sheriff who was using the medication to treat COVID in his jail.
“If only we had a Sheriff in WY that stood up like this to Gordon and his former CDC employee–the appointed WY health officer–Dr. Harrist, who followed Fauci and his master plan: ‘crime on humanity,'” Bouchard wrote on social media Friday.
Ivermectin is often used in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in animals. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical support and been hospitalized after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses.
“You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it,” the FDA tweeted last week.
The medical community, of which he is not a member, has come out strongly against using the drug to treat COVID. The Centers For Disease Control issued a health advisory on Thursday detailing an increase in severe illness caused by the medication commonly used to deworm horses.
Wyoming Department of Health spokeswoman Kim Deti pointed to a health advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning about the use of the medication.
The FDA has not approved ivermectin for use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans. Ivermectin tablets are approved at very specific doses for some parasitic worms, and there are topical (on the skin) formulations for head lice and skin conditions like rosacea. Ivermectin is not designed to treat viruses.
Even the levels of ivermectin for approved uses can interact with other medications, like blood-thinners, according to the FDA. A person can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, allergic reactions such as itching and hives, dizziness, problems with balance, seizures, coma and even death.
Bouchard has endorsed controversial COVID treatments before, even recently complaining about Gov. Mark Gordon and Dr. Alexia Harrist “lying” to Wyoming residents about the usefulness of hydroxychloroquine.
The FDA has cautioned against using hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment due to reports of serious heart rhythm problems and other safety issues, including blood and lymph system disorders, kidney injuries and liver problems and failure.
