Ivermectin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Ivermectin is an antiparasitic sold in the U.S. under 4 brand and generic names, for ascariasis, elephantiasis and mansonelliasis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Antiparasitic
- Treats (across its forms)
- Ascariasis, Elephantiasis and Mansonelliasis
- Available as
- Topical · Tablet
- Sold as
- 4 products — Sklice, Stromectol and Ivermectin, and others
- Prescription?
- Both Rx and OTC forms
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $3 per gm — not your price
How Stromectol is dosed
From the FDA label for Stromectol (application NDA050742). Other ivermectin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Strongyloidiasis The recommended dosage of STROMECTOL for the treatment of strongyloidiasis is a single oral dose designed to provide approximately 200 mcg of ivermectin per kg of body weight. See Table 1 for dosage guidelines. Patients should take tablets on an empty stomach with water. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Pharmacokinetics .) In general, additional doses are not necessary. However, follow-up stool examinations should be performed to verify eradication of infection. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Clinical Studies .) Table 1: Dosage Guidelines for STROMECTOL for Strongyloidiasis Body Weight (kg) Single Oral Dose Number of 3 mg Tablets 15-24 1 tablet 25-35 2 tablets 36-50 3 tablets 51-65 4 tablets 66-79 5 tablets ≥80 200 mcg/kg Onchocerciasis The recommended dosage of STROMECTOL for the treatment of onchocerciasis is a single oral dose designed to provide approximately 150 mcg of ivermectin per kg of body weight. See Table 2 for dosage guidelines. Patients should take tablets on an empty stomach with water. (See CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Pharmacokinetics .) In mass distribution campaigns in international treatment programs, the most commonly used dose interval is 12 months. For the treatment of individual patients, retreatment may be considered at intervals as short as 3 months. Table 2: Dosage Guidelines for STROMECTOL for Onchocerciasis Body Weight (kg) Single Oral Dose…
Everything below is the FDA label for Stromectol (tablet). Ivermectin is also sold as topical, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Stromectol side effects
Strongyloidiasis In four clinical studies involving a total of 109 patients given either one or two doses of 170 to 200 mcg/kg of STROMECTOL, the following adverse reactions were reported as possibly, probably, or definitely related to STROMECTOL: Body as a Whole: asthenia/fatigue (0.9%), abdominal pain (0.9%) Gastrointestinal: anorexia (0.9%), constipation (0.9%), diarrhea (1.8%), nausea (1.8%), vomiting (0.9%) Nervous System/Psychiatric: dizziness (2.8%), somnolence (0.9%), vertigo (0.9%), tremor (0.9%) Skin: pruritus (2.8%), rash (0.9%), and urticaria (0.9%). In comparative trials, patients treated with STROMECTOL experienced more abdominal distention and chest discomfort than patients treated with albendazole. However, STROMECTOL was better tolerated than thiabendazole in comparative studies involving 37 patients treated with thiabendazole. The Mazzotti-type and ophthalmologic reactions associated with the treatment of onchocerciasis or the disease itself would not be expected to occur in strongyloidiasis patients treated with STROMECTOL. (See ADVERSE REACTIONS, Onchocerciasis .) Laboratory Test Findings In clinical trials involving 109 patients given either one or two doses of 170 to 200 mcg/kg STROMECTOL, the following laboratory abnormalities were seen regardless of drug relationship: elevation in ALT and/or AST (2%), decrease in leukocyte count (3%). Leukopenia and…
Who shouldn’t take Stromectol
STROMECTOL is contraindicated in patients who are hypersensitive to any component of this product.
Stromectol drug interactions
Post-marketing reports of increased INR (International Normalized Ratio) have been rarely reported when ivermectin was co-administered with warfarin.
Every ivermectin product we track (4)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70/100 | Over-the-counter | Topical | Generic | $3 | View → | |
| 2 | 70/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $3 | View → | |
| 3 | 56/100 | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $3 | View → | |
| 4 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $3 | View → |
How long ivermectin keeps
No ivermectin label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does ivermectin expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsIvermectin and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for ivermectin: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadLimited data indicate that ivermectin is poorly excreted into breastmilk after oral administration. Amounts ingested by the infant are small and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants over 7 days of age. No data are available on ivermectin excretion into breastmilk after topical administration, but some expert opinion considers it to be a treatment of choice for scabies during breastfeeding. Avoid application to the breast area where the infant might directly ingest the drug.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised December 15, 2024. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about ivermectin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 2,946 reports naming ivermectin, and the FDA flagged 65% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- headache163 reports
- fatigue129 reports
- asthenia125 reports
- pyrexia118 reports
- nausea117 reports
- diarrhoea104 reports
- strongyloidiasis103 reports
- vomiting102 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean ivermectin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Stromectol?
STROMECTOL® (Ivermectin) is a semisynthetic, anthelmintic agent for oral administration.
What kind of drug is ivermectin?
The FDA classifies ivermectin as an antiparasitic. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take ivermectin with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run ivermectin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is ivermectin sold under?
We track 4 ivermectin-containing products in the U.S.: Sklice, Stromectol, Ivermectin and Soolantra. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does ivermectin come in?
Across the brands we track, ivermectin is currently marketed as topical and tablet, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic ivermectin?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic ivermectin product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Ivermectin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/ivermectin
- MLA
- “Ivermectin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/ivermectin.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for ivermectin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.