Despite What Joe Rogan Says, Deworming Drug Ivermectin Is Not a Proven COVID-19 Treatment

Joe Rogan, host of the popular podcast “Joe Rogan Experience,” is taking heat for how he's dealing with his COVID-19 diagnosis. Rogan revealed on Instagram that he caught the virus Sunday after a gig in hard-hit Florida.

“I got fevers and sweats, and I knew what was going on,” Rogan said.

To combat the virus, Rogan says he “threw the kitchen sink at it,” which included taking “monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, z-pack, prednisone.”

Ivermectin, a deworming drug, should not be used to treat or prevent COVID-19, according to the FDA.

“There’s a lot of misinformation around, and you may have heard that it’s okay to take large doses of ivermectin. That is wrong,” the FDA website states. “Even the levels of ivermectin for approved uses can interact with other medications.”

An overdose on the medication can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, and even seizures, coma and death. 

Three days later, Rogan claims he’s cured of the virus. But medical experts fear Rogan’s huge audience could follow his lead.

“You could also die from overdoses of ivermectin, and I hope people realize this and heed the advice of public health experts, rather than Joe Rogan,” Dr. Leana Wen said on CNN.

“I wish it worked. It would be great if it worked. It’s an old drug, it’s a cheap drug. It would be fantastic if it worked. It doesn’t work. We know that,” Dr. Jonathan Reiner said.

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