Life-threatening neurotoxicity following off-label ivermectin use in metastatic breast cancer: a case report
A 73-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer took high doses of ivermectin after reading about it online, had seizures and stopped breathing adequately, and spent two days on a ventilator before recovering fully.
Overview
The patient self-administered high doses of ivermectin based on information obtained online, developed acute altered mental status, generalised seizures and respiratory failure, and was managed with intubation, mechanical ventilation, intravenous fluids and anticonvulsants, recovering to baseline within 48 hours (Saperstein case report 2026). The authors note that the FDA has explicitly discouraged ivermectin for cancer outside clinical trials and ask clinicians to take a thorough exposure history (Saperstein case report 2026).
- Seizures, altered consciousness and respiratory failure after unintentional high-dose self-administration; full recovery within 48 hours with intensive care.
The clearest documented case of what the label's neurotoxicity warning looks like in a cancer patient dosing herself.
- Single case; the dose taken was not precisely known.
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