The province’s poison centre says they’re seeing more and more kids taking too much of a supplement aimed at promoting sleep but that can have dangerous side effects.
The Manitoba Poison Centre is reporting an increase in calls of children under five taking too much chewable melatonin.
The sweet gummies are being accessed by kids and eaten as if it’s candy, representatives say.
According to data compiled by Shared Health, in 2016 there were 19 calls about a child being exposed to melatonin. In 2022 that number jumped to 64, not including parents who sought advice elsewhere, like a pharmacist, primary care provider or Health Links.
Melatonin supplements can help to regulate sleep cycles and promote rest as it increases the naturally occurring chemical in the brain, but taking too much can be harmful.
Too much melatonin can cause excessive sleepiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and laboured breathing.
There are kid-friendly versions of the supplement which are safe for consumption in small doses, but children who take too much can be hard to wake or be subject to aspiration, said Margaret Thomson, medical director of the Manitoba Poison Centre.
“Those are things that we are concerned about – when (kids) get into the product, that even if it’s meant for them, they take too much of it,” Thompson told 680 CJOB’s The Start.
The director speculated the increase in calls about children taking the gummies is due to the way they are presented.
“If something’s in the form of a gummy, it is attractive to children, they think of it as being candy,” she said, adding some parents may confuse children when they coax them into taking medication by saying “take your candy.”
“I think a lot of it is intentional on the part of the child but not, you know, wanting to hurt themselves but wanting to have more candy.”
Thompson said the 64 calls to the poison centre last year were not necessarily for poisonings specifically, but could include parents seeking advice on how to treat their child if they suspect they have taken too much of the supplement.
The director said since there’s no obligation for hospitals or doctors to report suspected overdoses of melatonin in children, the number could be higher than what records show.
“This may just be the tip of the iceberg.”
A spokesperson for Shared Health said while the increase in adolescent melatonin consumption is notable, they remain more concerned about kids eating cannabis gummies.
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