Where to Buy Ivermectin Over the Counter
Ivermectin is a drug created by isolating and culturing Streptomyces cultures found in soil. Recently, several states have passed legislation allowing Ivermectin to be sold OTC instead of only with a prescription. I’m an advocate for informed consent, and while I normally prefer whole plant-based therapies, Ivermectin seems to be one of the safest drugs, and has a wide range of use cases. In this article I’ll talk about Ivermectin’s safety profile, why it was demonized during COVID (in my opinion) and where in the US you can now buy it over the counter.
If you’d like to skip ahead and just see the list of states where you can purchase Ivermectin OTC, click the button below!
Medical Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this article is not medical advice. This content is for educational purposes only. Please consult with a trusted healthcare provider before making any changes to your routine.Is Ivermectin Safe?
Despite being on the list of essential medicines, and having virtually no history of toxicity (there have been a few overdoses on highly concentrated ivermectin compounded for livestock), Ivermectin was heavily demonized by the (pharma-sponsored) news media during the pandemic because if there was an recognized treatment for COVID-19, then the “Emergency Use Authorization” that allowed the mRNA platform “vaccines” to be used without the normal safety testing would not have been in effect. Basically, if Ivermectin was accepted by the medical establishment as effective for C-19, companies like Pfizer, Moderna and J&J (who fund mainstream news media) would not have been able to sell their vaccines. Ivermectin costs ~0.25 cents per dose.
Source: Yale Medicine
What is Ivermectin Used For?
Ivermectin was originally developed as an antiparasitic drug, and it’s inventors actually were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 for it. Since it’s invention, it’s been repurposed for a variety of other conditions:
COVID-19
Let me start by saying, there are a lot of poorly designed clinical trials that supposedly tested Ivermectin’s efficacy for COVID. All of these trials claim that Ivermectin had no clinically significant effect on COVID infections, but really what they should be saying is that we need to do more testing with properly designed studies.
In college, I took several courses on Research Methods, which is the study of how to design a clinical trial so that it actually answers the questions you’re asking. For a trial to be able to show cause and effect, there are a few criteria they must follow, shown below.
There are dozens of studies looking at Ivermectin for COVID-19, but as of today (Jan 2026), there are no clinical trials that meet all of these minimum criteria:
Study design includes an inert, true placebo group. Most of these studies claimed to be “placebo controlled”, but did not specify what the placebo was composed of (sketchy imo). Saying they used a placebo does not mean it was inert. Ex: the Salk polio vaccine trials say “placebo” was used, but really it was “mixture 199”, which contains over 60 different ingredients including an antibiotic and red dye, which is objectively not inert.
Researchers were blinded as to who was in each group. This is to prevent the well-documented placebo effect.
The dose of Ivermectin was adequate. Almost all studies used a dose in the range of 150-600 μg/kg for only a few days, which relative to what we’ve seen work anecdotally, is very low. Keep in mind that ivermectin is safe for most people at doses 10x the amount typically prescribed for parasitic infections, so pushing the dose higher in these studies wouldn’t have been unreasonable.
No weird inclusion criteria. Sometimes these studies seem like they were designed to fail by including/excluding groups or only looking at certain markers that don’t make sense or are unlikely to be impacted by what’s being tested. For example: One study only included overweight/obese people. This could be obscuring because the primary outcome being measured is hypoxia (low oxygen levels) since obese/overweight people tended to have hypoxia with COVID-19 infection regardless of any medical treatments given due to the excess weight on their chests that physically prevented them from breathing deeply.
Large Sample Size: Most of the studies were pretty small scale, with less than 1000 people included. The smaller the population in the study is, the less statistically significant/generalizable it is to the rest of the population. Unfortunately, the larger studies were also not that large, and also had other blaring design flaws.
So Where Does That Leave Us?
I think because of the deep entanglements between government regulators, maintream news media and pharmaceutical companies, it makes sense to include anecdotes as part of our data when considering any medical product.
What we do know:
1.) The currently available studies done on this are not compelling and have design flaws.
2.) Ivermectin is relatively very safe.
3.) There is a lot of anecdotal evidence showing Ivermectin is helpful for COVID-19 infections.
It’s on us individually to do a basic risk assessment to decide if this could be beneficial.
Parasitic Infections
This article is mostly about COVID-19 uses for Ivermectin, but I wanted to include here as well some information about the parasitic infections it can also treat:
In the press release for Ivermectin’s Nobel Peace Prize, the effects of this drug are described as“…radically lowered the incidence of River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis, as well as showing efficacy against an expanding number of other parasitic diseases.” It also is used for malaria, which is a mosquito-borne parasite.
It has been used primarily for parasitic infections, which are exceedingly common, particularly in warmer regions like sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Central and South America and also areas without clean drinking water.
Which States Sell Ivermectin OTC?
(as of January 2026)
| State | Status | Legislation | Official Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas |
Available (Act 396) |
SB 189 (2025) | Arkansas State Legislature |
| Tennessee |
Available (Standing Order) |
SB 2188 (2022) | TN General Assembly |
| Texas |
Available (Effective Dec 2025) |
HB 25 (2025) | Texas Legislature Online |
| Iowa |
Pending (In Committee) |
HF 2056 (2026) | Iowa Legislature |
| Missouri |
Pending (Introduced) |
SB 1489 (2026) | Missouri Senate |
| South Carolina |
Pending (In Committee) |
S. 650 (2025) | SC Legislature |
| Utah |
Pending (Introduced Jan 2026) |
HB 96 (2026) | Utah State Legislature |
| North Dakota |
Failed (Feb 2026) |
SB 2388 (2025) | North Dakota Legislative Branch |
| New Hampshire |
Vetoed (Failed in 2022) |
HB 1022 (2022) | NH General Court |
| Florida |
Withdrawn (Jan 2026) |
HB 29 (2026) | Florida House of Representatives |
Where to Buy Ivermectin OTC in Arkansas
Below are a few things to keep in mind for buying OTC Ivermectin in Arkansas.
Q: Can I travel from out of state to Arkansas to buy Ivermectin?
A: Arkansas law does not explicitly restrict OTC ivermectin sales to Arkansas residents only. The statute allows sale of ivermectin OTC in the state “without a prescription or consultation”. However, pharmacists may have their own policies, so it’s best to call ahead and ask before going.
Specific Pharmacies
There are no specific pharmacies that advertise that they offer Ivermectin OTC or that say they will sell to people who live out of state. I definitely would be calling ahead of my visit to verify.
Where to Buy Ivermectin OTC in Tennessee
So, even though Ivermectin is available without prescription in TN, you still have to talk to a pharmacist so that they can calibrate the dose they dispense to you to meet your needs. Below are pharmacies that all advertise that they sell OTC Ivermectin, and also most of or all of them sell to people traveling from out of state.
Even though they advertise OTC on their websites, please be sure to call ahead and verify everything before you travel there.
East Tennessee
ProCompounding Pharmacy
Johnson City, TN
(423) 915-0426
The Compounding Lab
Johnson City, TN
(423) 328-9333
Middle Tennessee
MedPlus Pharmacy
Cookeville, TN
(931) 651-2772
Trousdale Pharmacy
Hartsville, TN
(615) 680-3460
Sango Pharmacy
Clarksville, TN
(931) 919-2491
Joshua Brown Family Pharmacy
Nashville, TN
(615) 866-9360
Where to Buy Ivermectin OTC in Texas
Similar to Tenessee, you’ll likely have to have a quick consult with a pharmacist to screen out contraindications and calibrate the dose to your weight. I recommend calling ahead to verify before traveling to these providers.
San Antonio Area
Stone Oak Pharmacy
San Antonio, TX
(210) 494-4272
Strive Pharmacy
San Antonio, TX
(830) 816-5910
Note: This is a functional medicine/wellness-focused pharmacy, which is usually the most "friendly" type of venue for this.
East Texas
M&S Pharmacy
Nacogdoches, TX
(936) 564-7373
Note: The legislation to allow this was authored by the State Rep from Nacogdoches, making this area particularly accessible.
Dallas / Fort Worth Area
Daniel Drug
Fort Worth, TX
(817) 332-6386
Note: They explicitly list various strengths (6mg, 12mg, etc.) on their compounding menu.
Quality Care Pharmacy & Compounding
Wylie, TX (Northeast of Dallas)
(972) 442-5333
Houston Area
Alvin Care Pharmacy
Alvin, TX (South of Houston)
(281) 519-7030
Note: Their website specifically highlights "Custom Ivermectin Prescriptions" and consultations.
