Melatonin supplements have surged in popularity among adults, with a recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raising concerns over the safety of these products for children. The CDC said in a recent report that around 11,000 children, specifically those under the age of five, have ended up in emergency rooms after unsupervised ingestion of melatonin.
RELATED STORIES: Mob Wives’ Star Renee Graziano Reveals She Overdosed On Fentanyl Last Year: ‘Had To Learn How To Walk Again’
Melatonin, a hormone that the brain produces in response to darkness, is crucial in regulating the sleep-wake cycle, also known as the circadian rhythm. The supplements, which often come in flavored gummy forms, are sought after by individuals facing difficulty falling asleep, such as those experiencing jet lag or sleep disturbances common among shift workers. In collaboration with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, the CDC analyzed emergency department cases from 2019 to 2022 involving children aged five and younger who consumed melatonin without adult supervision. From nearly 300 cases examined, it was estimated that approximately 10,930 ER visits were linked to unsupervised melatonin ingestion, constituting about 7% of all emergency visits for unsupervised medication exposure among infants and young children during this period.
According to CNN, most of these incidents involved toddlers between three and five, with melatonin being the sole substance ingested in most cases. The report highlighted a concern regarding the form of melatonin consumed, with gummies being implicated in almost 5,000 incidents based on the information from the emergency departments.
RELATED STORIES: D.C. Young Fly Gets Fake GoFundMe Asking For $1 Million To Save Jacky Oh’s Home Removed
Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, the US Food and Drug Administration does not strictly regulate melatonin supplements. This lack of regulation raises concerns, as evidenced by a study published in JAMA, which revealed inconsistencies in the melatonin content of 25 labeled gummy products. Some contained dangerously high levels of melatonin, while others had none, containing cannabidiol (CBD) instead. The CDC researchers warned that such discrepancies pose an additional risk to children.
The findings also revealed that about three-quarters of the cases involved melatonin containers, such as bottles, which suggests that children could either open them or were not properly secured. This underlines the importance of opting for child-resistant packaging for melatonin products in households with young children. Documented side effects of melatonin in children include drowsiness, headaches, agitation, and increased nighttime bed-wetting or urination. There is also a concern about possible harmful interactions with medications commonly prescribed for children’s allergies.