STAMFORD, Conn. — In a troubling development, the Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate has reported that three children have died in the last two months due to overdoses of diphenhydramine, an antihistamine widely recognized under the brand name Benadryl.
Dr. Krishnan Narasimhan, who leads the family medicine department at Stamford Hospital, expressed alarm at the situation. “This is unusual and certainly concerning, given the number of cases,” he noted.
While diphenhydramine has traditionally been used to manage allergy symptoms, medical professionals are increasingly steering patients toward newer alternatives.
Dr. Narasimhan highlighted the significant side effects associated with this medication.
“Diphenhydramine has numerous side effects. It traverses the blood-brain barrier, and a common result when it’s used is heavy sedation,” he explained.
State officials have not released the ages or locations of the victims. They also have not linked the deaths to the so-called Benadryl Challenge, a social media trend that first went viral in 2020 and has resurfaced periodically.
“This has been going on for years, starting with the Tide Pod Challenge, the cinnamon challenge. There’s so many things that we’ve talked to them for years and years about not doing any of these things, and they’re even considering it to talk to us first,” Stamford parent Michele Hayes said.
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The challenge encourages participants to take as many as 24 tablets in 24 hours to induce hallucinations, which are then recorded and posted online.
That amount is double the recommended adult dosage and, according to doctors, can impair breathing to the point of coma and cause other toxic effects.
“You can get severely agitated. You can have extra heartbeats. Which can lead to cardiac complications and actually can lead to cardiac arrest and death,” Narasimhan said.
Doctors advise families to secure all medications.
A family friend of one victim told ABC New York affiliate WABC that a 13-year-old girl in Waterbury had Benadryl delivered through DoorDash without an ID check.
The deaths remain under investigation.
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