Experts Issue Health Warning About Giving Melatonin to Kids
-
While melatonin can be useful in treating certain sleep-wake disorders, like jet lag, there is much less evidence it can help healthy children or adults fall asleep faster. With this increased use has come a spike in reports of melatonin overdose, calls to poison control centers, and related eemergency department visits for children. Federal data show that the number of US children who unintentionally ingested melatonin supplements jumped 530% from 2012 to 2021. More than 4000 of the reported ingestions led to a hospital stay, and 287 children required intensive care.
-
@debraj In one study, amounts of melatonin ranged from less than one half to more than four times the amounts stated on the labels. The greatest variability in melatonin content was in chewable tablets, which are most likely to be used for children.