Poison control centers often get calls from parents that their kids have swallowed dangerous prescription drugs. Recently, there have been many cases of children getting their hands on harmless supplements. However, these pills are also dangerous if taken in high amounts, and lead to unwanted side effects.
- More children are now tricked into ingesting dietary supplements.
- These can be really dangerous if taken in excessive amounts.
- Parents don’t see them as real medicine, so they omit to keep them out of the kids’ reach.
A recent study published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology looked at the number of calls at poison centers related to ingestion of dietary supplements. Between 2005 and 2012, the number of these cases increased by almost 50 percent. What is more worrying about this is the age of the people who ingest most of these pills, as most of them are younger than six.
Dietary supplements include amino-acids, vitamins, or minerals, and have no side effects if taken in normal doses. If you exceed this recommended dosage, you can experience adverse reactions, such as vomiting, nausea, dizziness, and tachycardia.
The report showed how 70 percent of excessive dietary supplement ingestion involved young children. Therefore, parents should be careful with what their kids lay their hands on. However, it’s relieving to know that most of these exposures did not lead to serious medical consequences, but children are still more vulnerable to them than other people.
Many parents don’t regard these supplements as real medicine, so they see no reason to keep them away from kids. Even so, parents shouldn’t omit to keep them out of reach, especially since their packaging is not so resistant.
Dietary supplements might not be medicine, but they are dangerous for children. Always outweigh the risks of keeping them at hand, as you never know what your child might be thinking. Some pills look appealing, and might trick the kids into thinking they are candy. If you have to take such supplements, make sure you hide them.
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