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Health experts at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego are raising concerns about a resurfacing viral challenge called the “Benadryl Challenge,” which has resulted in emergency room visits for at least five children in the last week.
The Partnership to End Addiction reports that this dangerous challenge has gained traction on social media, urging adolescents to consume excessive doses of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl.
Participants are prompted to ingest up to 12 tablets at once with the aim of experiencing hallucinations. However, the recommended dosage for children aged 6 to 12 is a maximum of six tablets per day, and up to 12 tablets for those older than 12.
In 2020, the FDA warned about the severe risks associated with this trend, highlighting that exceeding the advised dosage of this over-the-counter medication could be fatal.
Tragically, the “Benadryl Challenge” has been linked to the death of a 15-year-old girl from Oklahoma in August 2020, as well as the passing of a 13-year-old boy from Ohio, according to his parents.
Scott Schaeffer, director of the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information, explained that “the dose that can cause a hallucination is very close to the dose that can cause something potentially life-threatening.”
“When you’re taking it in large quantities, it can have an effect on various systems of the body. It can cause agitation, hallucinations, a very fast heart rate that could lead to cardiac arrest. Seizures, we see often with the Benadryl ingestion as well,” said Shahfar Khan, M.D., a board certified pediatrician at Rady Children’s Hospital.
According to Rady’s, none of the children that sought emergency care had to be admitted to the San Diego hospital, but it was still very serious for some.
Khan said they’ve seen cases among “a lot of 16 to 18 year olds” and among young adults between 20 and 22 years old.
Fort Worth Children’s Hospital in Texas reported in April that more than 100 patients visited its emergency department over the last six months due to Benadryl overdoses, and one of those patients reportedly died.
Signs of a possible Benadryl overdose include drowsiness, agitation, and looking flushed. Experts recommended seeking emergency care or calling a poison control center if you believe your child has taken too much medication, cannot be awoken, had or is possibly having a seizure, is having trouble breathing, or has collapsed.
Benadryl maker Johnson & Johnson has issued a warning about the challenge and is working with social media platforms to remove harmful content. In 2020, TikTok disabled hashtags related to the challenge.