The 12mg tablet is the most widely manufactured ivermectin strength outside the United States and is the format most people encounter when buying human pharmaceutical ivermectin. It exists because 12mg lands close to a single 200 mcg/kg dose for an adult of average weight, which makes it convenient for both individual treatment and large public health programmes.
At the standard 200 mcg/kg strength, a single 12mg tablet is the correct dose for a person weighing about 60 kg (132 lb). At the 150 mcg/kg strength used for onchocerciasis, one 12mg tablet covers a person of about 80 kg (176 lb).
Most adults therefore need between one and two 12mg tablets per dose. A 90 kg (198 lb) adult on a 200 mcg/kg regimen needs 18 mg — one and a half tablets. See the full dosage chart by weight.
Ivermectin at this strength is used for the same indications as any other oral ivermectin: intestinal strongyloidiasis, onchocerciasis, scabies including crusted scabies, and off-label for a range of other helminth and ectoparasite infestations including head lice, cutaneous larva migrans and Demodex-associated skin disease.
The tablet strength does not change what the drug does. It only changes how many tablets are needed to reach the weight-appropriate dose.
| Strength | Typical use | Advantage |
|---|---|---|
| 3 mg | US market (Stromectol and generics); paediatric and low-weight dosing | Fine-grained dosing; easier to titrate for children and smaller adults |
| 6 mg | Widely used in Latin America and parts of Asia | Middle ground; halves cleanly to 3 mg |
| 12 mg | Most common strength internationally | Fewest tablets per adult dose; lower cost per milligram |
Clinically the strengths are interchangeable provided the total milligram dose is the same. The choice is about convenience and cost, not efficacy.
Many 12mg tablets are scored to allow halving. Splitting a scored tablet into halves is generally accurate enough for ivermectin dosing given the drug's wide therapeutic margin. Splitting into quarters is less reliable, and where a quarter-dose is genuinely needed — for a small child, for example — a 3mg tablet is the better format.
An inexpensive pill splitter gives a cleaner and more even break than a knife or fingers.
Ivermectin tablets are stable at ordinary room temperature. Store below 25 °C (77 °F), away from direct light and humidity, in the original blister until the moment of use. Bathroom cabinets are a poor choice because of humidity swings.
Genuine human pharmaceutical tablets arrive in sealed blisters with a printed batch number and expiry date. More on this in storage and shelf life.
GMP-certified human formulations — tablets and 1% cream. Never veterinary products. Most USA orders ship within 1–7 business days, with tracking on every order.
View products and pricingIt depends on body weight and regimen. At 200 mcg/kg, one 12mg tablet suits roughly 60 kg (132 lb), one and a half suits about 90 kg (198 lb), and two suits about 120 kg (265 lb). At the lower 150 mcg/kg strength, one tablet covers about 80 kg.
Per tablet, yes — four times as much active drug. But the drug itself is identical. Four 3mg tablets deliver exactly the same 12mg dose as one 12mg tablet.
If it is scored, yes. Halving a scored tablet is accurate enough given ivermectin has a wide therapeutic margin. Quartering is less reliable; a 3mg tablet is a better option where small increments matter.
It is close to a single weight-appropriate adult dose, which minimises tablet count and cost per treated person. That matters enormously in the mass drug administration programmes that account for most global ivermectin use.
For nearly every indication the dose is taken as a single administration, not spread through the day. Where a course requires more than one dose — scabies, for example — the doses are separated by days, not hours.