\nPoison control centers have seen an alarming rise in teens ingesting large amounts of Benadryl and similar over-the-counter allergy medications and sleep aids.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe increase appears to be due to attempts to get high rather than due to accidental overdoses, according to an advisory<\/a> from America’s Poison Control Centers. The uptick may be related to a social media trend called the Benadryl Challenge<\/a>, in which teens take as many as 12 tablets of the medication at a time to induce euphoria and hallucinations. That’s way above the recommendations of one pill every four to six hours and no more than six in 24 hours. <\/p>\n MORE: FDA gives second company approval to use maggot therapy for wound care<\/a><\/p>\n Taking high doses of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, can lead to heart problems, seizures, coma and death, America’s Poison Control Centers warned.<\/p>\n \nThe latest victim of diphenhydramine poisoning is a 15-year-old girl in Oklahoma, who was left brain dead after overdosing on Benadryl. Three other children’s deaths<\/a> in Connecticut also were recently linked to the ongoing social media trend, according<\/a> to news reports<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \nIn the first five months of this year, cases involving diphenhydramine poisonings among teens ages 13 to 19 rose to 6,179 \u2014 more than double the amount compared to the same period in 2025.<\/p>\n \nMore than 13% of the cases have been related to intentional abuse, compared to roughly 7% in 2020. The numbers are continuing to rise, America’s Poison Control Centers said.<\/p>\n \nLast year, cases increased more than 30% to 13,284 from 10,068 in 2024.<\/p>\n \nThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in 2020<\/a> to health care providers, parents and caregivers, responding to a surge of reports of children landing in emergency departments and deaths related to diphenhydramine overdoses.\n<\/p>\n \nTikTok banned the use of the word “Benadryl” in 2020. But children are using variations of the word, Newsweek<\/a> reported.\n<\/p>\n \nSymptoms of diphenhydramine poisoning include:\n<\/p>\n \u2022 Drowsiness or extreme sleepiness
\u2022 Agitation
\u2022 Fast heart rate
\u2022 Nausea or vomiting
\u2022 Hallucinations
\u2022 Seizures
\u2022 Dangerous heart rhythm problems
\u2022 Loss of consciousness<\/p>\n