This page covers FDA-approved dosing for approved indications only. All dosing decisions must be made with a licensed pharmacist or physician. Do not use online weight charts to self-calculate and self-administer ivermectin.
FDA-Approved Doses
| Indication | Dose | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Strongyloidiasis | 200 mcg/kg | Single dose |
| Onchocerciasis | 150 mcg/kg | Single dose, repeat at 12 months |
Doses are based on current body weight, not ideal or adjusted body weight.
How Weight-Based Dosing Works
Ivermectin dosing is straightforward: the pharmacist multiplies your weight in kilograms by the mcg/kg dose for your indication. The result is rounded to the nearest available tablet or capsule strength.
Use your current actual weight. Not your weight from a year ago, not your target weight — the weight on the scale today. For the strongyloidiasis dose, a 70 kg (154 lb) person needs 14,000 mcg, or 14 mg total.
Commercial tablets come in 3mg and 6mg. At 14mg, a patient would take two 6mg tablets and one 3mg tablet. Compounded capsules can be made at exact or near-exact doses — 9mg, 12mg, 15mg — which reduces the number of tablets needed.
Commercial Tablets vs. Compounded Capsules
Commercial Tablets
- Available in 3mg (Stromectol generic)
- Available in 6mg (generic)
- FDA-approved product
- May require taking multiple tablets
- Available at most participating pharmacies
Compounded Capsules
- Custom doses: 3mg, 5mg, 9mg, 12mg, etc.
- Made by licensed 503A pharmacy
- Allows precise weight-based dosing
- Fewer tablets for higher-weight patients
- Available at compounding pharmacies only
Why Not Self-Dose
Online dosing calculators are unregulated. Some contain errors in the mcg-to-mg conversion. Others use outdated dosing parameters or fail to screen for contraindications like warfarin use, pregnancy, or blood-brain barrier compromise.
A pharmacist conducting the CPPA process in Tennessee screens for interactions, confirms the indication, calculates the dose, and documents the dispensing. That process exists precisely because weight-based dosing with a narrow therapeutic index requires clinical judgment.
Dosing Under Tennessee's CPPA Process
Under SB 2188, a licensed Tennessee pharmacist can conduct a CPPA consultation, calculate the appropriate weight-based dose, select the correct formulation (commercial tablet or compounded capsule), and dispense — all in a single visit.
No physician visit required. The pharmacist serves as the authorizing clinician for CPPA-eligible dispensing.