Florida’s Poison Control Centers are coping with an escalation of calls from people who have become ill from overdoses of melatonin, THC and CBD gummies and emergency department visits in Florida are rising, too.

Among reactions to these popular supplements are nausea, vomiting, extreme lethargy, tremors, confusion and even trouble breathing.

During the pandemic gummy habits spiked along with an increase in gummy overdoses triggered by the abundant availability of the popular supplements.  In Florida, melatonin gummies are sold in grocery stores, drugstores and vitamin shops, while CBD gummies are available in convenience stores and smoke shops and THC products are sold in dispensaries (by prescription).

The problem stems from the supplement industry, which includes melatonin, not being strictly regulated, so the dosage on the label may not be consistent with what’s in the bottle or bag.  As a result, melatonin overdoses have increased.  A 2023 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at 25 brands of over-the-counter melatonin gummy bears and found that 88% had a dosage inconsistent with their labeling.

Some were lower and some were several times higher than the labeled dose. That should give Floridians pause, especially with the increasing use of melatonin triggered by sleep-disrupting stress and anxiety during the pandemic.

The Sleep Foundation found an increasing number of parents are giving melatonin to children to help them fall asleep, unaware of the risks.  Too many milligrams can make you excessively sleepy and it can even be toxic for some children.  So far in 2023, Florida’s Poison Control Centers have tracked almost a thousand calls about melatonin-related illness, with 75% of these being for children ages 5 or younger.  There may also be a problem with exposure to melatonin combined with other substances.

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Tom Madden has been writing for a quite some time, first as a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, next as speechwriter for top executive at major companies, many of which were reprinted in the New York Times and other publications, before writing his first book SPIN MAN, then four more including the most recent, WORDSHINE MAN about  how to make your writing inviting.   When he’s not writing articles, blogs and books, he’s managing the PR firm, TransMedia Group, which he started when he left NBC, where he was vice president, assistant to the president.   His blog at www.MaddenMischief.com appears weekly.