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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nUS-based online store iHerb has suspended sales of melatonin gummies to Australia. This comes after a rise in reports of non-fatal overdoses in Western Australia in children who took these popular supplements.<\/p>\n
This latest move raises fresh concerns about the safety of these non-prescription sleep aids.<\/p>\n
I have been a sleep researcher and a psychologist treating children with behavioural sleep problems for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what\u2019s great and not so great about using melatonin to help children sleep.<\/p>\n
What is melatonin? Who uses it?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone secreted in our brains. Its main function is to make us feel sleepy. A synthetic version is used in prescription and non-prescription products, for adults and for children who have trouble sleeping.<\/p>\n
Melatonin prescriptions for children and adolescents with sleep difficulties have increased substantially around the world in recent years.<\/p>\n
Melatonin available on prescription is an effective and relatively safe drug in children, particularly those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder. It is now the most commonly prescribed drug to treat insomnia in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/p>\n
open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Up to one in four children has behavioural sleep problems (Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThese children commonly have considerable difficulties getting to sleep or getting back to sleep when they wake in the night. This can be distressing for the child and the whole family.<\/p>\n
Guidelines for melatonin for these children suggest a low dose and only using it for a maximum of two years. Melatonin does not appear to be addictive. So it seems like a good option for these families.<\/p>\n
A rise in wider use<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Up to one in four children has behavioural sleep problems, including children who are not neurodivergent, or who are developing typically.<\/p>\n
So parents have turned to sourcing non-prescription melatonin, including melatonin gummies.<\/p>\n
However, unlike for neurodivergent children, there are no scientific studies and therefore no evidence to demonstrate whether melatonin would work or pose a risk in typically developing children. There\u2019s certainly no indication of how much children should take and for how long.<\/p>\n
So melatonin is not usually recommended for children who are not neurodivergent.<\/p>\n
Yet, it is widely available<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n In many countries, including Australia, melatonin is classified as a pharmaceutical product. In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration approves paediatric use for children with ADHD, autism and Smith-Magenis syndrome, and only on prescription.<\/p>\n
In other countries, notably the United States, melatonin is categorised as a dietary supplement and is thought to be natural and safe. As such, it is less tightly regulated than a pharmaceutical product.<\/p>\n\nAbout the author<\/h2>\nSarah Blunden is a Professor and Head of Paediatric Sleep Research at CQUniversity Australia.<\/p>\n
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
As it\u2019s available online, parents in countries with tighter restrictions, including Australia, can buy child-friendly melatonin gummies from the US, for example, and have them shipped. They can do this without a prescription or medical guidance.<\/p>\n
Are melatonin gummies safe?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Accessing these gummies online for children without a prescription is at best concerning and at worst dangerous.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t know how much melatonin is in these gummies. Studies show levels vary between brands of melatonin supplements and within the same brand. Melatonin levels range from practically zero to four times more than the amount stated on the label.<\/p>\n
Some products also contained serotonin, which is concerning as this can interact with melatonin, and also affect a child\u2019s mood.<\/p>\n
There are also a few studies on the long-term effects of taking melatonin, or what is a safe dose. So the risk of overdose is a real concern. Symptoms depend on many factors, including the age of the child. Symptoms include significant nausea, excessive sleepiness and migraine. The potential effects on other body systems and hormones have not been studied.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Melatonin gummies look like lollies (Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThere have been deaths and hospital visits associated with the use of melatonin gummies in the US. There have been seven deaths in young children where the link to gummies has been suspected but not substantiated.<\/p>\n
In Australia, there have been reports of a rise in queries about gummie overdoses to a poisons hotline.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also the risk of toxicity with melatonin use. But there\u2019s much we don\u2019t know about how this happens, over what time frame, or its effects. Labels don\u2019t always reflect what\u2019s in the product so we don\u2019t know if toxicity in children relates to those who have taken what\u2019s recommended on the packet, or who have taken too many gummies by accident.<\/p>\n
Melatonin gummies look like lollies. What child would not love to eat as many lollies as they can?<\/p>\n
If you think your child has eaten too many gummies, they need emergency care.<\/p>\n
So what are parents to do?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Sleep difficulties can be extremely distressing for the child and the whole family. But we need to treat melatonin with care. Buying melatonin gummies online is not the answer, despite many parents thinking they are safe and natural.<\/p>\n
A medical professional can assess if a melatonin prescription is right for your child. They will also support you by recommending behavioural sleep strategies we know work, are sustainable and safe.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like support for your child\u2019s sleep problems, you can visit your GP and\/or search for a trained sleep psychologist via the Australasian Sleep Association.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more US-based online store iHerb has suspended sales of melatonin gummies to Australia. This comes after a rise in reports of non-fatal overdoses in Western Australia in children who took these popular supplements. This latest move raises fresh concerns about the safety of these non-prescription sleep aids. I have been a sleep researcher and a psychologist treating children with behavioural sleep problems for more than 20 years. Here\u2019s what\u2019s great and not so great about using melatonin to help children sleep. What is melatonin? Who uses it? Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone secreted in our brains. Its main function is to make us feel sleepy. A synthetic version is used in prescription and non-prescription products, for adults and for children who have trouble sleeping. Melatonin prescriptions for children and adolescents with sleep difficulties have increased substantially around the world in recent years. Melatonin available on prescription is an effective and relatively safe drug in children, particularly thos…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5412"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}