He promoted horse wormers and is now dead – is ivermectin to blame?

Daniel Lemoi was a well-known man in America. To some, he was labeled a corona slob and conspiracy theorist, while others praised him as a hero and truth-teller. He spread his ideologies on his Telegram channel “Dirty Road Discussions”. He had more than 137,000 followers there.

On March 3, the 50-year-old died “unexpectedly,” according to his obituary. In the morning he was still agitating against homosexuals and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on Telegram. He also promoted the wormer Ivermectin, which is actually intended for animals. The «normal daily routine» by Lemoi.

Lemoi claims to have taken a daily dose of ivermectin since 2012. Ivermectin is a commonly used wormer in the United States. There are two variants of it: one for humans and one for animals. However, the animal supplement contains much more active substance because it is intended for large animals such as horses and cows. And Lemoi took the veterinary supplement. The drug is not approved in Switzerland.

The family did not name a cause of death in the obituary. However, the administrators of the Telegram channel write on March 5 that the cause of death was his heart: “He did not know that his heart was overloaded and almost twice as large as it should be.” According to the administrators, there was a family history of heart disease. Same with Lemoi. Last year he went to the doctor to have his heart checked. However, according to the administrators, nothing “remarkable” was found. Explosive: Heart problems are a known side effect of taking ivermectin.

But why did Lemoi take ivermectin? The dewormer played a major role in Lemoi’s life. He believed the drug cured him of Lyme disease and restored his heart muscle. He said at the time that he could stop all other treatments five months after first taking the drug.

Ivermectin received a lot of media attention during the corona pandemic. Because right-wing media, vaccine opponents and conspiracy theorists saw the drug as a cure for Covid. As an alternative to vaccination.

Many politicians and well-known personalities, such as Joe Rogan, also claimed that ivermectin is a cure for Corona. Rogan is the moderator of what is probably the most famous American podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience”. There is probably no one more successful in promoting ivermectin than Rogan, wrote Rolling Stone magazine.

However, so far there is no scientific evidence that ivermectin helps against corona. All the studies that were supposed to prove the benefits were scientifically inaccurate or completely falsified.

What can be scientifically proven is that taking the preparation on animals can lead to serious side effects in humans, including epileptic seizures, lung and heart problems. The American drug agency FDA warned several times against taking the drug yourself. The authority desperately tweeted in August 2021: “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, stop it now.” Swissmedic also warned in 2021 “against buying drugs against Covid-19”.

After his death, the other administrators continue to promote ivermectin on the Telegram channel. But now some followers are starting to comment on the side effects and that they are concerned about whether ivermectin is really useful.

A user writes on Telegram: “All hell has broken out”. Since taking ivermectin, he has suffered from pains from the waist down such as sciatica, shin splints and restless legs syndrome.

Some of Lemois’ followers attribute his death to ivermectin. They were subsequently criticized by other users. With that they spread fake news, according to loyal Ivermectin supporters. They say the “failed Western medicine that cares only about profit and not cure” led to Lemoi’s death.