A pediatric emergency doctor has issued a terrifying warning about children’s gummy vitamins – and revealed why parents need to take serious precautions.
Florida-based doctor Meghan Martin, who goes by the username @beachgem10 on social media, alerted moms and dads to the dangers of the popular kids’ vitamins in a video posted this week to TikTok.
Dr. Martin often takes to TikTok to share her children’s safety tips, provide guidance for the flu and cold season, and break down medical news.
However, this time, she had a serious message to share about gummy vitamins to parents and caretakers.
‘I am not a fan of gummy multivitamins, gummy supplements, and gummy THC edibles,’ Dr. Martin began.
‘Unfortunately, kids don’t know the difference between these gummies and regular candy gummies, and a lot of times, parents don’t necessarily store these like they do other prescription medications,’ she continued.
‘They end up being fairly easy for kids to get into and overdose on,’ she said.
She cited recent reports that showed a significant rise in pediatric edible poisonings over the past few years.
A pediatric emergency doctor has issued a terrifying warning about children’s gummy vitamins – and shared why parents need to take serious precautions (stock image)
Florida-based doctor Meghan Martin alerted moms and dads to the dangers of the popular vitamins in a video posted this week to TikTok (stock image)
Not only is there an increase in THC overdoses in children, but also in melatonin overdoses, the doctor shared.
‘A lot of it is because they’re not stored appropriately, and they look like candy and taste like candy,’ Dr. Martin said.
She also claimed that many gummy vitamins are made by taking a fruit snack and ‘spraying’ the vitamin on top.
‘Unfortunately, when you throw that into a container with all these other sticky gummies, they kind of trade off these nutrients, so the dosing is very inconsistent,’ the pediatric doctor explained.
‘The entire supplement industry is unregulated, and when we’ve actually taken and tested these in a lab, the nutrients that they say they have on the bottle is often not what you’re getting when you take these,’ she continued.
In addition, the doctor warned that taking gummy vitamins can pose a risk for cavities and dental decay.
‘Kids, and honestly sometimes even adults, can’t tell the difference between medicinal or supplemental gummies and candy gummies,’ she said.
‘And I know that’s the whole idea, we’re using it to our advantage to get kids to take them, but it is important to not refer to them as candy, they are medicine and we don’t want kids to be getting into them thinking that they’re candy.’Â
‘Kids, and honestly sometimes even adults, can’t tell the difference between medicinal or supplemental gummies and candy gummies,’ she warned (stock image)
She suggested parents store their THC gummies securely like they would any other medication – not just like ‘candy in a cabinet.’
In the comments section of her video, many moms and dads thanked her for the warning.
‘Never thought about this! Thank you for talking about it,’ one person wrote.
Another applauded, ‘I agree! There is nothing wrong with making medicine taste like medicine.’
‘Thank you! I have been saying this for years! DON’T MAKE MEDICINE LOOK LIKE CANDY!’ someone else typed.