Melatonin companies given two years to childproof their product, after melatonin related ER visits increase
Apr 17, 2024, 10:00 PM
Melatonin is a hormonal sleep aid. According to the Mayo Clinic, melatonin is produced and released in the brain when it's dark. Melatonin supplements are sold in grocery stores and pharmacies. (Canva)
(Canva)
SALT LAKE CITY — Melatonin companies are under fire after the number of children-related emergency room visits has skyrocketed over the last few years.
Melatonin is a hormonal sleep aid. According to the Mayo Clinic, melatonin is produced and released in the brain when it’s dark. Melatonin supplements are sold in grocery stores and pharmacies.
The CDC said more than 11,000 children went to the ER in the last two years after ingesting melatonin. More than half of those visits involved children between three and five years old.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition is giving melatonin providers two years to child proof their packaging. It must also label supplements accurately, warning about what it can do to children.
What to do with YOUR melatonin supplements
Dr. Chuck Pruitt with University of Utah Health and Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital said this regulation effort is a good idea.
“It really should be treated as a medication, kept in childproof containers,” he said. “It should be kept out of children’s reach, ideally in a location that is closed and even locked.”
Dr. Pruitt said even though the FDA has no regulations on melatonin and it’s technically classified as a supplement, it is still dangerous for children.
“Because it’s not regulated by the FDA, this means that the amount of active hormone in a particular dose, in a tablet can vary greatly,” he said. “It affects the brain differently in high concentrations, and it can cause significant sedation in children.”
Pruitt recommends avoiding the supplement altogether, especially the gummy kind that children can mistake as snacks.
