Infectious Disease
Ivermectin
Ivermectin comes in three human forms: 3 mg tablets (Stromectol and generics) for two parasitic worm infections, a one percent cream (Soolantra and generics) for rosacea, and a 0.5 percent lotion (Sklice and store brands) for head lice, sold over the counter. The FDA has not approved or authorized it for COVID-19.
This page is general information about a medication and how cash prices for it are set. It is not medical advice and does not replace the label, your prescriber or your pharmacist. How we handle medical information
Generic tablets and generic cream each come from several manufacturers; the lotion is sold without a prescription as Sklice and as store brands.
About Ivermectin
Ivermectin paralyzes and kills parasites by opening chloride channels in their nerve and muscle cells. The tablets are approved for strongyloidiasis of the gut and for onchocerciasis, or river blindness, each treated with a single weight-based dose taken with water on an empty stomach; stool tests follow a strongyloidiasis course, and onchocerciasis may need retreatment because the drug kills the young parasites but not the adult worms. Itching, dizziness, diarrhea and nausea are the common side effects; in onchocerciasis the dying parasites can cause fever, rash, swollen glands and eye symptoms. People heavily infected with Loa loa have rarely had a serious brain reaction, and children under 15 kg have not been studied.
The cream treats the inflammatory bumps of rosacea with a pea-sized amount once a day on each affected area of the face; burning and irritation are its common effects. The lotion treats head lice in people six months and older: it goes on dry hair and scalp, stays for ten minutes and is rinsed off with water only, once; nit combing is not needed, and the same infestation is not treated again without medical advice. It is sold over the counter as Sklice and as store brands, so no prescription is needed.
The FDA states that it has not authorized or approved ivermectin for preventing or treating COVID-19 in people or animals, and that animal products such as pastes, drenches and pour-ons are different formulations whose safety in people is unknown, so people must not take them.
Taking Ivermectin
- How to take it
- Tablets: a single dose with water on an empty stomach, in the amount set by your weight. Cream: once a day, a pea-sized amount rubbed into each affected area of the face, away from the eyes and lips. Lotion: on dry hair and scalp, enough to cover them, left for ten minutes and rinsed out with water only, once.
- If you miss a dose
- Tablets are usually a single dose; tell the prescriber if you did not take it. Cream: apply it when you remember unless the next application is near. The lotion is a one-time treatment.
- Storage
- Tablets below 86°F (30°C), tightly closed; cream and lotion at room temperature, away from heat, the lotion never frozen; all out of reach of children.
- Interactions to know about
- Rare reports of a raised INR with warfarin mean clotting tests may be checked. Tell the prescriber about HIV or other weakened immunity, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and travel to West or Central Africa, where Loa loa infection changes the risks.
This summarizes the official prescribing information. Your prescriber’s and pharmacist’s instructions, and the leaflet that comes with your medicine, take priority.
Why the cash price for Ivermectin differs from pharmacy to pharmacy
A course of tablets is a handful of pills taken once, so the dispensing fee and any minimum charge make up most of a cash quote, and small quantities are priced very unevenly. The cream is priced by tube size; generic cream costs pharmacies far less than Soolantra, and a prescription that names the brand and blocks substitution is quoted at the brand price. The lotion is a shelf product with no dispensing fee.
Upload it and licensed pharmacies reply with their own cash price. You pay the pharmacy, not us.
Ways to pay less for Ivermectin without insurance
- For tablets, confirm the pharmacy has them in stock, and compare two quotes.
- For rosacea, ask for generic cream and ask the pharmacy to quote more than one tube size.
- For head lice, buy the lotion over the counter; a store brand is the same strength.
- Upload the prescription to Script Unlock so licensed pharmacies can quote their cash price. You pay the pharmacy directly.
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for Ivermectin
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your Ivermectin prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Questions to ask your pharmacist about Ivermectin
- 1.How many tablets do I take, and on an empty stomach?
- 2.Will I need a follow-up stool test or a repeat dose?
- 3.Does it interact with my warfarin?
- 4.Is the store-brand lice lotion the same, and can I use it on my child?
Related medications
Sources
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.