OLATHE, Kan. — A Kansas man’s family is suing a Johnson County hospital and asks for a court to issue an emergency order that would allow his personal doctor to give him a controversial medication to treat COVID-19.

Deke Belden, 41, was diagnosed with COVID-19 and was taking Ivermectin with several other drugs in November to treat the illness. The lawsuit says his personal physician in Olathe prescribed the treatment.

On Nov. 27, Belden was admitted to Olathe Medical Center, suffering from pneumonia related to COVID-19. The lawsuit says Belden asked to continue receiving the Ivermectin treatment while in the hospital, but doctors and nurses at the hospital denied his request.

The filing shows Belden’s parents brought doses of Ivermectin to his room, but hospital staff wouldn’t allow them to give it to their son. Belden’s family said his condition has gotten worse since he quit taking the medication, and he was sedated at the time.

Olathe Medical Center said the medications are not approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19 and that many scientists believe Ivermectin may be harmful in certain doses and forms.

The American Medical Association asked for doctors to stop prescribing Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 in September because the group said there was no evidence that it helped.

Ivermectin is used to treat parasites in animals, and sometimes humans, but it’s not an anti-viral. It can be taken topically or orally if prescribed by a doctor for its intended use, otherwise, potential side effects can be severe, including neurologic disorders, seizures, coma and even death.

Olathe Medical Center also states that hospital policy prevents it from granting Belden’s wish to take the medication, according to the lawsuit, even it if it doesn’t prescribe or administer the medication.

Belden’s family disagrees, according to the lawsuit, and believes Ivermectin is his best chance to survive.