Home / Health / Teens Overdose on Benadryl in Dangerous TikTok Challenge
Teens Overdose on Benadryl in Dangerous TikTok Challenge
30 May
Summary
- Teenagers are being treated for Benadryl overdoses due to a viral challenge.
- Physicians warn that hallucination-inducing doses can cause cardiac arrest.
- Easy access to Benadryl leads to underestimation of its severe risks.
A concerning trend of teenagers overdosing on Benadryl, driven by a viral social media challenge, has resulted in multiple hospitalizations. In one recent week leading up to Memorial Day weekend, five individuals aged 16 to early 20s were treated at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego for Benadryl overdoses. This challenge encourages users to take large amounts of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, to induce hallucinations.
Medical experts caution that the doses required for hallucinations are dangerously close to those that can cause life-threatening conditions like cardiac arrest and respiratory arrest. These overdoses can also lead to seizures and severe heart rhythm disturbances. The easy availability of Benadryl as an over-the-counter medication contributes to its risks being underestimated by both young people and their families.
This situation mirrors incidents reported nationwide, with Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth recording over 100 emergency visits related to Benadryl overdoses in the past six months, including one fatality. The "Benadryl challenge" has circulated on social media for years, and content promoting such dangerous behavior is a violation of platform guidelines. Doctors urge parents to monitor for warning signs and engage in open conversations with children about online trends and medication safety.
