Is melatonin a safe and risk-free sleep aid — as many doctors contend? Think twice

Melatonin poisoning in kids is on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2012 to 2021, there was a 530 percent increase in the annual number of children taking melatonin, either knowingly or unintentionally (for example, a curious kid sneaking into the melatonin bottle on the nightstand). In that decade, 27,795 cases required treatment at a hospital or other health care facility. Two children died.

Just look at how the rest of the world views the use of melatonin. OTC use has been banned for years in much of Europe, the U.K., Japan, and Australia. And it’s prescribed mostly in low-dosage, slow-release tablets for a few weeks in order to treat acute insomnia—not chronic sleep problems. Patients might be instructed to take it two or three times a week, rather than every night. 

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Melatonin is generally considered perfectly safe to take short term, in small doses (and again, the symptoms of an overdose, even in kids, aren’t typically that bad). But there’s not enough research for an evidence-based recommendation for long-term usage. Because it is a hormone, experts have concerns that it could affect hormonal development in adolescents.

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