PENSACOLA, Fla. — A dangerous social media trend from 2020 is making rounds again online.
Doctors are warning parents about the so called “Benadryl Challenge.” It encourages teens to take large amounts of allergy medication in an attempt to get high.
“It’s crazy because when things peak like this back in 2020, you think that they’re gone, but all of a sudden they resurface, come back up,” said Dr. Dawn Walton, chief medical officer Studer Family Children’s Hospital. “This particular challenge is very scary because Benadryl, something everybody has in their house, you have it so that you can help if someone has hives or an allergic reaction.”
Dr. Walton says the Benadryl challenge encourages kids and teens to take a handful of the allergy medicine in hopes of experiencing hallucinations.
She warns the effects go far beyond feeling dizzy or disoriented.
“They’re so dangerous because they don’t understand that the impact of these medications, if taken in bulk like this, can cause cardiac arrhythmias,” Dr. Walton said. “So racing hearts, even cardiac arrest or heart attacks, even in small children.”
The consequences can be deadly.
In Connecticut, health officials say three children have died in the past two months from apparent overdoses.
Locally, Dr. Walton says they’ve also treated young patients showing symptoms linked to the misuse of allergy medications.
“Usually it’s feeling incredibly sleepy, heart racing, just kind of disoriented or other things,” she said.
Dr. Walton recommends locking way all medications — not just the prescription drugs.
“It’s interesting because it’s not just benadryl. Kids see it and they think, oh, well, maybe any allergy medicine will work,” she said. “So you think about putting your Benadryl away, but it’s also Zyrtec, Claritin, anything else that you have in the house that’s an allergy medication.”
Doctors say if a child is showing signs of overdose — including confusion, hallucinations, an unusually fast heartbeat, or trouble breathing — parents should seek emergency medical care immediately.