According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), around 12 percent of children in the United States use some form of complementary health product or practice, among them dietary or herbal supplements.
NCCAM shares the safety concerns that need to be considered for supplements targeted to children and adolescents.
1. Dietary supplements, including herbal products, may interact with other products or medications your child is taking or have unwanted side effects on their own. A common combination seen in children is acetaminophen and vitamin C, which slows the body's processing of acetaminophen.
2. St. John's wort has been shown to interact with many medications, including antidepressants, birth control pills, seizure control drugs, and certain drugs used to treat cancer.
3. Melatonin, a hormone used as a sleep aid, may alter the levels of other hormones in young children and should not be used by children with certain medical conditions such as hormonal disorders, diabetes, liver or kidney disease, cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, migraine, depression, and hypertension.
4. Probiotics have been studied for gastrointestinal conditions in children, and studies report that giving probiotics (along with rehydration therapy if needed) is generally safe. However, there is evidence that probiotics should not be given to critically ill patients. Researchers also note that the long-term effects of probiotics and their safety in children have not been well researched.
5. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend multivitamins for healthy children and adolescents who eat a varied diet. According to a 2012 report, children who take multivitamins are at greater risk than nonusers of getting too much iron, zinc, copper, selenium, folic acid, and vitamins A and C. However, multivitamins may be needed for those who do not eat a varied diet, and those children who did not take multivitamins were found to have low levels of vitamins D and E and calcium.
From NCCAM.NIH.gov
