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We've got real criminals who get probation or a suspended sentence, and she gives an over the counter supplement and goes to jail? Look at all Lohan did and she weaseled out of it the first time. She only got jail for blowing off counseling and pissing off the judge the 2nd time. Seems a bit heavy handed.
I don't know. She was medicating other people's children, without their permission. It could have ended much worse. Personally, I don't think the sentence was harsh enough. As for Lindsay Lohan, she most definitely is not getting enough punishment.
This is NOT a MEDICATION. It is a dietary supplement. Would you be just as upset if she gave the kids orange juice with added Calcium?
AnEngineer
"This is NOT a MEDICATION. It is a dietary supplement"
I will admit that melatonin is classified as a dietary supplement but that's splitting hairs. You could also classify digitalis or some highly toxic cancer drugs as dietary supplements, since they are derived from natural sources. Potassium and selenium are also dietary supplements & too much of either can kill you in short order.
The dumbest thing about all this is that if melatonin works at all (and that's debatable) it is very unlikely it would work in children because they already produce high levels of it naturally.
Over the counter does not mean safe. You can die even from Tylenol if you take too much. This woman went to jail because she drugged and possibly endangered the lives of the children placed in her care. Can you honestly tell me you would be okay with a caregiver of your children drugging your kids without your knowledge or consent? Do you honestly think this compares to Lohan's shenanigans?
This is NOT a MEDICATION. It is a dietary supplement. Would you be just as upset if she gave the kids orange juice with added Calcium?
I can see so many different aspects of this story - some humorous, some wildly so, some not so much - but the bottom line is the woman gave a substance to other human beings with the sole aim of making her own job easier. This story had nothing to do with LiLo, and there is no direct comparison between the actions of a person self-medicating and a childcare worker who medicates others without permission.
This is NOT a MEDICATION. It is a dietary supplement. Would you be just as upset if she gave the kids orange juice with added Calcium?
AnEngineer
We seem to be stuck on a theme here. I tell you what. I'll give you a list of 10 naturally occurring dietary supplements to choose from. You take them for 5 days in a row. If at the end of that time you're still alive I will pay you $1000. If not, your estate pays me $1000. Deal?
you can take it daily your suppose to take 2 a day.
its a natural suppliment, there was no harm done.
if parents would stop packing the kids lunch bag with sweets and candy, the kids wouldnt be so hyper.
mr-arcadian
"ts a natural suppliment, there was no harm done."
So are belladonna, hemlock & arsenic. You really ought to limit your discussion to things you know something about.
Major brands always give out their popular brand samples (in a way it is similar to coupons) I alway use qualityhealth to get mine http://bit.ly/9UAtgc enjoy your free samples
What this woman did was dangerous and abusive. Some over the counter meds have adverse reactions; what if it reacted badly with other medications the children may have been on. It is very easy, also, to overdose a child. I think the punishment was way too light. Why compare this to Lindsay? Lohan is an immature alcoholic; this woman is 56 years old and takes care of children, for petes sake.
This is NOT a MEDICATION. It is a dietary supplement. Would you be just as upset if she gave the kids orange juice with added Calcium? dietary supplement
Lohan was driving down the wrong side of a highway while drunk. Drunk driving kills more people than melatonin has ever killed (zero).
The human body produces about 0.1mg of melatonin daily. An overdose simply means that you have ingested over 20-50 mg. The basic dosage that most melatonin supplements contain is between 3-5 mg per tablet. The results you get might differ from your next door neighbor due to diverse medical reasons. Symptoms could include the following;
If you suspect you or someone else has overdosed on melatonin you need to seek medical attention immediately. The symptoms will have to be treated.
Overdose may also lower your blood pressure beyond normal. Patients with high blood pressure, liver or nerve disorders should be pre-screened before being offer melatonin.
Umm, regardless of what she gave them, she absolutely NO right to do it simply because of the INTENT behind it. I'm sorry, but I sure as hell would not want a child care worker giving my kid candy laced with anything, be it medication or an over the counter supplement, in order to get them to quiet down and take a nap at nap-time. She did it solely to make her job easier, NOT for any other reason.
Regardless of whether or not the human body produces melatonin, there is the possibility you can still have a reaction to it, depending on the source the supplement uses. Also, there are other ingredients in those supplements besides just the main supplement on the label.
Like this one:
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=NO-1245&sourceType=cs&source=FG&cm_mmc=Shopping%20Engines-_-googleproduct-_-Liquid%20Melatonin%20%28Sleep%20Aid%29%201%20MG%20-%202%20Ounces%20Liquid%20-%20Other%20Supplements-_-NO-1245&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=NO-1245#tab2
Liquid Melatonin
Main ingredient: Melatonin
Other Ingredients:
Purified water, fructose, USP alcohol, natural raspberry and vanilla flavoring, natural caramel color.
ANY of which a kid could be allergic to.
So, I 100% agree with the sentence and agree she should not be allowed to care for children again.
You can disagree with me all you want, or point out other cases where people are getting off easier, but what this comes down to is this...other situations are other situations. These are children that are being sedated with a supplement by a day care worker to make her life easier.
Melissa- While I agree with you that what she did was wrong & deserves the punishment she received I do have to disagree with the second part of your reasoning (i.e. the list of other ingredients). You are just as likely to find any of them in the snacks that the medication was hidden in as you are the medication.
yeah she did wrong, but if you administered it to your own kids you would not have said anything, if you saw the pills still in the bag you would have said something that the caretaker did not perform her duties. blah blah blah.
everybody like acusing someone else, for their own parenting problems.
Not saying she did right, but its a supplement you can take it daily. 5 times a week.
vitamin B6 is melatonin, Biiig deal!
get over it people!
im sure the lunches packed for some of these kids, should also be questioned. hmmm
mr-arcadian
"everybody like acusing someone else, for their own parenting problems"
Exactly how is someone drugging else drugging their kids the parents fault again?
"vitamin B6 is melatonin, Biiig deal!"
Err, no it's not. Vitamin B6 is pyridoxine. Melatonin is N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine. While it is true that melatonin has not been shown to cause harm in children it has also not been well studied for use in children. If I had children I certainly would not someone administering it to them without my consent.
A shot of bourbon and a smoke works better anyway.....
Hartvig -
What makes you assume that the candy the woman was giving them was okay by the parents too? My son is almost two and has never had a bite of candy. We refuse to give it to him. Fortunately, we are able to have a parent home with him and don't have to put him in daycare. If my son were in this daycare, I would be appalled that the worker gave him a supplement without my knowledge or consent, but I would also be upset that they were passing candy out to little kids too! That in itself would make them not want to sleep at naptime! Melissa is right, you don't know how a child will react to medications, so it's not appropriate to take the chance, even if you think the ingredients are benign. Besides, whose to say that the medication actually contains what it says it does (how many times have we heard about tainted products and recalls?). When you are responsible for the health and well-being of someone else's children, and are paid to do so, your first priority should be the well-being of said children. This woman definitely did not have the well-being of those children in mind when doling out the candy, or the "supplement". She deserves the jail time she got, and, in my opinion, she should have gotten more.
Bri-
"What makes you assume that the candy the woman was giving them was okay by the parents too?"
So by your reasoning drugging the child & giving the child a piece of candy or equally serious crimes?
There is nothing on the list of inactive ingredients you won't find in completely non-processed foods. In fact you would hit the 4 present in the largest amounts if someone gave your child a slightly over-ripe raspberry & a sip of water.
Hartvig Lein
Agreed, any of the ingredients could very well have been in the candy. The kids could have been allergic or sensitive to any of them. My outrage was really directed at the alcohol. I wasn't able to find a melatonin suspension without it. If you can let me know, b/c I can't.
mr-arcadian
you are really hell bent on defending this woman.
do you know her or something?