Hospital issues urgent warning to parents over deadly 'Benadryl challenge'
Warning: This article contains discussion of drug use which some readers may find distressing.
A children's hospital has issued an urgent message to parents after a dangerous Benadryl online trend.
Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth has seen over 100 patients in the ER over the last six months, with one tragic death.
Dubbed the ‘Benadryl challenge', the trend was created during the Covid pandemic in 2020, and involves taking a mass amount of the drug, which is intended to be used for allergy relief.
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Videos online claim users could ‘get high’ and bring on hallucinations by taking part in the trend, but of course, taking high amounts of any drug can be extremely dangerous. Now, due to the volume of visits, the Cook Children's Medical Center has issued a serious warning.
"We are seeing either children are taking the medication in an inappropriate amount intentionally or accidentally ingesting it," Dr. Stephanie Felton, associate medical director for the emergency department said.
They are also urging parents to speak to their children about the dangerous consequences of taking part in the challenge.
In 2023, the challenge ended fatally for 13-year-old boy Jacob Stevens, who overdosed while taking around 12 to 14 of the pills.
Speaking to ABC6 after the tragic events, Jacob’s father said it was the ‘worst day of his life’.
During the challenge, which his friends filmed, Jacob’s body began seizing. When he was taken to the hospital, doctors said he wouldn’t wake up.
"They said we could keep him on the vent so that he could lay there but he will never open his eyes, he’ll never breathe, smile, walk or talk," his father recalled.
In a statement, Kenvue, which owns Benadryl, said: "The health and safety of people who use our products is our top priority. This behavior is extremely concerning and dangerous. We take the proper use of our products very seriously and work with non-profit partners and healthcare professionals to educate on appropriate use and safe storage of OTC products, including diphenhydramine-containing products. We’ve also taken action to stop this behavior from spreading and work with social media platforms and their safety teams to remove these dangerous posts, including any new content we identify in our monitoring.
"As with any OTC medicine, we recommend that consumers carefully read and follow the instructions on the label and contact their health care professional should they have questions. Dosing instructions and additional safety information can also be found on Benadryl.com."
The Benadryl challenge isn’t the only dangerous trend circulating on social media, however. In 2023, the One Chip Challenge began to circulate the internet, taking the life of a teen.
The challenge involved eating a single chip made with Carolina Reaper peppers - the hottest in the world.
This one, however, was originally promoted by tortilla chips brand Paqui. The chips came with a warning that stated only adults should consume them. After the tragic events the company withdrew their product from the shelf.
A number of people have also tragically passed away after taking part in the Blackout challenge, which sees participants hold their breath until they pass out from lack of oxygen.
Users taking part in the dangerous trend would use household items such as ropes, belts, and strings until they passed out.
Off the back of the Benadryl challenge, the FDA advises locking up medications to keep them away from children, and speaking to them about the dangers of these trends.
If you want friendly, confidential advice about drugs, you can call American Addiction Centers on (313) 209-9137 24/7, or contact them through their website.
Kiesha Dosanjh