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Reports to poison control of children ingesting too much of the sleep aid melatonin ballooned 530% over 10 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The National Poison Data System received over 260,000 reports of children ingesting melatonin from January 2012 through December 2021. Melatonin ingestion accounted for nearly 5% of all pediatric poisoning cases in 2021 compared with 0.6% in 2012, the report said.
“Unintentional ingestions were the primary drivers of this increase [in pediatric melatonin ingestions],” the authors reported. “This might be related to increased accessibility of melatonin during the pandemic, as children spent more time at home because of stay-at-home orders and school closures.”
US RECORDED 17 CASES OF MONKEYPOX IN MAY, MOSTLY IN GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN: CDC
Researchers behind the study also said that pandemic-related sleep disturbances contributed to increased availability of melatonin at home.
Improper melatonin use in children can have severe consequences, and hospitalizations have increased in recent years, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the 10-year study period, five children who consumed melatonin required mechanical ventilation, and two died.
The CDC cited a Canadian study in which researchers reported that labeling on melatonin products, which come in a gummy form that appeals to children, does not always match the content of the supplement.
“The same study reported … melatonin content varying by as much as 465% between lots of the same product,” the report said. “The most variation was found in the chewable formulation, which is most likely to be used by children.”
Melatonin is subject to weaker regulatory oversight by the Food and Drug Administration than prescription medications and medical devices. It is the FDA’s duty to prove that the product is unsafe in the event that it proves to be harming people and then take legal action against the manufacturer. The lack of manufacturing regulations at the outset and variability in dosages raises the risk of accidental poisoning in children.
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Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee are aiming to reform the ways in which melatonin and other dietary supplements are regulated, which would ensure the safety and legitimacy of products. The proposed reforms to the FDA’s regulatory authority are couched within a sprawling package to reauthorize the must-pass FDA’s user-fee amendments for the next five years.
