Every page on this site is built from reports that ordinary people filed with the FDA. When you look up a supplement here and see what others experienced, you're reading the accumulated result of thousands of individuals taking a few minutes to say "this happened to me." If a supplement has ever caused a problem for you, you can add to that record — and it matters more than most people realize.

Here's why. The FDA doesn't approve dietary supplements for safety before they go on sale; in many cases it isn't even notified a product exists. That makes reports from consumers and clinicians one of the only early-warning signals the agency has for catching a genuinely unsafe product — and a single report can be enough to put one on its radar. Reporting is, quite literally, how the data on this site comes to exist.

First, take care of the person

If a supplement has caused a serious reaction, the report comes second. Stop taking the product, and get medical care or advice right away if the reaction is significant. Reporting matters, but it isn't the emergency step — your health is.

Report through the FDA's Safety Reporting Portal

For dietary supplements, the FDA's route for consumers is the Safety Reporting Portal at safetyreporting.hhs.gov. You can log in or report as a guest, then start a new report as a private citizen submitting a voluntary report and walk through the form. This is the food-and-supplement channel — separate from MedWatch, which handles prescription drugs and medical devices — and the reports flow into CAERS, the same FDA database this site draws from.

If you can't use the online portal, the FDA's SmartHub page will direct you to the right form or phone number, or you can call 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332).

Be specific — vague reports are weaker

This is where a little effort pays off, and we can tell you from the data exactly why it matters. When we analyzed the melatonin reports in the FDA's database, nearly half had no brand name attached — just "melatonin." Reports like that still count, but they're far less useful, because the agency can't tie the problem to a specific product, manufacturer, or batch.

So when you report, include as much as you can:

  • The exact product and brand name, as printed on the label.
  • The lot or batch number, if you still have the bottle.
  • What you took, how much, and for how long.
  • What happened and when — symptoms, timing, any medical care you needed.
  • Any other products or medications you were taking at the same time.

You don't need to prove the supplement caused the problem — investigating that is the FDA's job. You only need to describe what happened as clearly as you can.

You can also tell the manufacturer

Supplement companies are legally required to forward the serious adverse event reports they receive on to the FDA, so contacting the manufacturer (using the information on the label) is a legitimate additional route. But reporting directly through the Safety Reporting Portal is the most reliable way to make sure your experience lands in the safety record.

Why it's worth the ten minutes

It's easy to assume someone else will report it, or that one experience can't matter. The entire system depends on people not assuming that. Every product page on this site — every reaction count, every pattern we've been able to surface — exists because individuals took the time. When you file a report, you become part of the signal that helps the FDA catch the next genuinely dangerous product before it reaches more people. For ten minutes of typing, that's not a small thing.