Media vs. Reality: Melatonin coverage led to 4,100 unnecessary ER visits

Washington Poison Center here, your statewide nonprofit service for poisoning treatment guidance and prevention.

In the poison center world, we often wish media coverage focused more on the issues that are near and dear to us, like medication safety, safe storage, and prevention strategies. We discovered firsthand, however, how important it is for media to provide clear context about risk and severity when it comes to poison center data.

In 2022, an article in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) reported a 530% increase in pediatric (ages 0-19) melatonin exposure calls to poison centers. The media picked this article up and ran with it: 558 news articles, 19 blogs, and 179 reposts on X.

The media articles were correct that calls to poison centers did increase during the studied period (2012 – 2021). Unfortunately, many of them used alarming or misleading headlines that exaggerated the severity of these calls. Examples included “Thousands of kids are getting sick from downing melatonin pills;” “Melatonin overdoses in kids skyrocketed in the last decade, CDC report says;” and “Melatonin warning after two children die.”

In reality, the MMWR article showed that:

· 98% of the 260,435 children with reported ingestions had minor symptoms or no symptoms at all.

· The majority of those who were hospitalized with more serious symptoms were teenagers who had intentionally ingested large quantities.

We recently analyzed poison center data before and after publication of the original MMWR article to see whether the messaging around it resulted in any changes to poison center calls. We found:

· There was no significant increase in calls to poison centers about melatonin in young children.

· However, the proportion of children taken to the hospital before calling the poison center increased from 6.2% (3,500 children of 57,000) to 9.2% (7,600 of 81,000).

· The number of children admitted to the hospital decreased from 3.2% to 2%.

So, what’s the takeaway? 4,100 children were brought into the hospital unnecessarily—likely driven by panic generated from unclear or sensationalized media messaging, rather than changes in medical risk.

Emergency Department (ED) visits are stressful for families, not to mention expensive. In Seattle, for example, the average emergency department visit costs $1,196. That figure doesn’t include lost work time, travel, or hours spent waiting in the ED.

That’s where poison centers come in, to help you make informed decisions on risks and the actual care that you need. In most of these cases, a simple call to the poison center could have safely prevented the trip to the hospital.

Health communication matters. Context matters. And poison centers are an underused resource that can help translate complex messages into practical guidance. Plus, we can often help you avoid unnecessary hospital visits altogether.

If you’re ever unsure about a potential poison exposure, medication error, or overdose, contacting us first can save time, money, and stress. You have 3 options to get ahold of us, 24/7/365:

· Call 1-800-222-1222

· Text 206-526-2121

· Visit wapc.org to start a live chat