TENNESSEE — The Tennessee Poison Center received more than 60 calls related to possible ivermectin poisoning in 2025, the highest volume since 2021. Reports associated with these calls included symptoms such as vomiting, blurred vision, neurological problems, and difficulty walking.

Rebecca Bruccoleri, medical director of the Tennessee Poison Center, said people are taking the drug for unproven purposes. "People are taking this because they just feel unwell. It's almost like a panacea now," Bruccoleri said. She added, "I've heard rumblings on the internet of using ivermectin for an alternative cancer treatment, and we're seeing it definitely in here."

In 2022, Tennessee became the first state to allow adults to purchase ivermectin from a pharmacy without a prior doctor's visit. The law permits pharmacies to dispense the drug through a "collaborative pharmacy practice agreement" with a physician. Under the law, pharmacies must ask customers about medical conditions and other medications before selling the drug, and the collaborating physician is expected to receive a record for each purchase.

Pharmacist Paul Hughey stated that up to 20 people per week purchase ivermectin from his pharmacies. Doctor Denise Sibley, who collaborates with the pharmacies, said, "As the collaborator for these pharmacies, I get every person's sheet." She noted that customers arrive from "every state," Canada, and Europe.

Ivermectin is approved by the FDA for treating parasitic diseases in humans. However, clinical trials have indicated that the drug is not effective against COVID-19. The World Health Organization has also stated that it has seen no research demonstrating ivermectin's effectiveness as a hantavirus treatment.

John Mafi, an internal medicine physician at UCLA, said, "It's going back to 19th-century quack science."