TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – A Toledo mother is speaking out after her 14-year-old daughter took part in a dangerous social media challenge called the “Benadryl Challenge,” which has teens taking excessive amounts of allergy tablets to hallucinate.
Kristi Pasquarelli said she had never heard of the trend until this past weekend, when her daughter took 17 tablets of Benadryl as part of the challenge.
Pasquarelli said she was driving home around 3 a.m. Saturday, when she saw a girl running in the middle of the street in her neighborhood.
“Come to find out it was my kid who was running and hallucinating,” Pasquarelli said.
Her daughter was supposed to be at a friend’s house for a sleepover.
“When we got home, she was talking to people that’s not there, so I’m like, ‘Are you okay? What did you do?’” Pasquarelli said.
Pasquarelli said she immediately took her daughter to the emergency room.
“As a mom, I was hurt, I was hurt and worried,” she said.
Her daughter told hospital staff she took 17 tablets of Benadryl at once. The typical dose for someone that age is one to two tablets every four to six hours. The directions also say not to take more than six tablets in 24 hours.
Dr. Brian Kaminski with ProMedica said taking too much of anything can cause harm.
“There’s also a common misconception that over-the-counter medications aren’t dangerous and there are plenty of OTC medications, including Tylenol, that if you take it in excessive doses, can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening, and Benadryl is one of those,” Dr. Kaminski said.
According to the FDA, “We are aware of news reports of teenagers ending up in emergency rooms or dying after participating in the ‘Benadryl Challenge’ encouraged in videos posted on the social media application TikTok.”
“I never heard of it,” Pasquarelli said.
Her daughter is doing better now, but Pasquarelli wants other parents to learn from this.
“I know how I felt when my child and I just don’t want other parents to go through it or parents who don’t know about this challenge to be aware and to be watching,” she said.
Kaminski said prevention starts with a conversation.
“Now that we know that it’s out there, I would suggest talking to your kids, bringing it up and talking about the risks and the dangers of doing it,” he said.
Pasquarelli said she is already looking into that.
“I don’t be on TikTok that much, but maybe I need to start being on there more,” she said.
While Benadryl is an over-the-counter medication, some retailers have begun requiring identification to purchase the drug. Pasquarelli said parents should be on the lookout for purchases of the medication.
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