Ivermectin
A Closer Look...
There was so much disinformation circulating online about the anti-helmenthic veterinary drugs ivermectin, fenbendazole and mebendazole, a closer look at the facts is in order.
The biological pathways and physiology targeted are those found in parasites but not in mammalian species.
So to begin, a little biochemistry. Not really that difficult if competently explained.
Nerve cells function by membrane depolarization followed by resetting the polarization. There are microscopically tiny openings in the cell membrane that are regulated, or gated, with the help of small molecules.
If the gate is opened and closed with the help of glucose, it is different from the same channel gated in other species by glutamate. If the glutamate-gated channel is poisoned without affecting the glucose-gated channel, the species with glutamate gating is selectively paralyzed.
This is an essential function of ivermectin: parasites have glutamate gating but horses, cattle and humans do not, at least outside brain and spinal cord.
Whereas ivermectin was developed for veterinary use, it is also effective and under certain circumstances, safe for use in humans with parasitic infections. Safe is primarily a function of concentration and dosage regime.
Ivermectin is a member of the family of similar anti-helmenthics termed avermectins.
It may be used in conjunction with fenbenazole or mebendazole. The former fenbendazole has not been FDA-approved for use in humans whereas mebendazole has.
Unlike ivermectin that targets chloride transport, fenbendazole targets the cells’ framework made up of microtubules, from a drug family called benzimidizoles. These inhibit parasites’ ability to absorb nutrients.
The former targets skin (surface) parasites while the latter targets intestinal parasites.
Since fendendazole can be toxic to liver, liver monitoring should accompany treatment.
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Since none of these crosses the filter between the blood and brain (“blood-brain barrier"), significant effects in brain are minimized at therapeutic dosages. Further, parasitic infection of brain tissue cannot be treated with ivermectin or fenbendazole because neither can pass through the blood-brain barrier.
Optimally, the drugs are directed at target parasites for a specific time interval enough to kill them but not so long that damage is done to host livestock or human cells.
It is the chemical property of activated pulverized charcoal to chemically bind compounds with heterocyclic ring structures like all three drugs above.
Charcoal chaser or “binder” is often prescribed after a treatment interval to remove excess drug from the system. However, there are many medical compounds with similar ring structures that will also be removed if caution is not exercised. Such vetting should be done by a qualified medical professional to avoid unintended medical complications or consequences.
Off-label applications will be discussed in the following post.
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