The Dark Side of TikTok: Tiktok’s ‘Benadryl Challenge’ Takes Life of US Boy

Tiktok’s ‘Benadryl Challenge’ Takes Life of US Boy: New York Post reported that a 13-year-old boy from Ohio, United States, regrettably overdosed on over-the-counter medication while attempting a viral TikTok trend. As part of the ‘Benadryl Challenge’ on the social media platform TikTok, the adolescent ingested 12 to 14 tablets of Benadryl, an antihistamine.

Tiktok’s ‘Benadryl Challenge’ Takes the Life of US Boy

What constitutes the ‘Benadryl Challenge’?

The ‘Benadryl Challenge encourages users to consume dangerous quantities of the over-the-counter medication diphenhydramine, which is commonly found in Benadryl and other OTC medications. The challenge, which targets adolescents in particular, encourages them to consume 12 to 14 pills at once to induce hallucinations. Participants then record their entire hallucinatory experience on TikTok to share it online.

According to a report by the New York Post, the stunt gained popularity around the year 2020, when teens uploaded their attempts to TikTok.

Notably, Benadryl contains the antihistamine diphenhydramine, which temporarily relieves symptoms of hay fever, upper respiratory allergies, and the common cold. CBS News reports that, according to the FDA, diphenhydramine is safe and effective when used as prescribed, but that higher doses can cause heart problems, seizures, coma, and even mortality.

The maximum daily dose for children aged 6 to 12 is six tablets, while the maximum daily dose for adults and children older than 12 is twelve tablets. Symptoms of an overdose include constipation, dry pharynx and mouth, dehydration, extreme drowsiness, nausea, tremor, blurred vision, rapid heart rate, seizures, and urination difficulty.

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A similar occurrence in 2020

A 15-year-old Oklahoma girl died after attempting the challenge in 2020. At the time, her aunt shared a social media post in which she stated, “This must stop taking our children to the hospital.” This was the first fatality attributed to the social media stunt to be reported.

Following the incident, Johnson & Johnson issued a public advisory warning about the risks associated with the online challenge.

”We are aware that consumers may have heard about an online “challenge” involving diphenhydramine misuse or abuse. The challenge, which involves the consumption of excessive amounts of diphenhydramine, is a perilous fad that must be halted immediately. Benadryl and other diphenhydramine products should only be used as directed,” a note on the page states.