ER Visits for Children Accidentally Eating Melatonin Have Spiked Drastically

The CDC reports a significant rise in emergency room visits for unsupervised melatonin ingestion among children aged 5 and younger, increasing by 420 percent from 2009 to 2020. Researchers estimate that these incidents accounted for about 7 percent of all ER visits in the U.S. for unsupervised medication exposures in this age group.

The majority of cases involved children aged 3 to 5, and over half of the ingestions were associated with flavored melatonin products, such as gummies or chewable tablets. The CDC emphasizes the importance of educating parents and caregivers about safeguarding medications and supplements to prevent such incidents. Read the article from The Hill here.