Joe Rogan Defends Ivermectin After Criticism

Podcaster Joe Rogan, in a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” defended his use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 after the Food and Drug Administration discouraged its use.

Rogan announced in a video on Sept. 1, 2021, that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was taking several medications, including ivermectin. The video was released a few days after the FDA advised against using the drug, which is typically used to treat parasitic infections, as a treatment for COVID-19.

In an advisory, the FDA said: “Even the levels of ivermectin for approved human uses can interact with other medications, like blood-thinners. You can also overdose on ivermectin, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension (low blood pressure), allergic reactions (itching and hives), dizziness, ataxia (problems with balance), seizures, coma, and even death.”

On his podcast this week, Rogan said: “What disturbs … me is that after I got better, CNN, MSNBC, all these mainstream news things are mocking me for taking horse medication. They’re saying, ‘He took horse medication. He took horse de-wormer.’

“Literally taking a drug that’s on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. Literally taking a drug that’s been prescribed billions of times. Taking a drug that was invented by the guy who won the Nobel Prize for inventing that drug. It has one of the best safety profiles of any known drug.

“But it’s generic and it’s cheap. It’s real cheap. And I didn’t just take that. I listed a bunch of other things. … I got better quick. Nobody cared that I got better quick. All they cared was I didn’t get vaccinated. What’s the best way to shame him? Let’s point to this one thing that he took and mock this person for taking this foolish medication.”