A trend that has gone viral on TikTok involving ingesting a massive amount of an antihistamine has led to the death of an American teenager.
- The “Benadryl Challenge” consists of swallowing ten times the recommended dose of diphenhydramine, an antihistamine that causes hallucinations, in six hours and filming yourself.
- In the United States, this challenge resulted in the death of a 13-year-old boy, who ingested 12 to 14 pills.
- After this tragedy, Tiktok deleted content highlighting this trend and blocked searches for Benadryl.
Benadryl Challenge. This is the name of a challenge that originated on social media 2020 and recently became popular on TikTok. It consists of swallowing ten times the recommended dose of diphenhydramine in six hours. This over-the-counter drug, marketed as Benadryl, is prescribed for allergies. After ingesting large amounts of this treatment, Internet users must film themselves to show its side effects and publish the video on the Chinese platform.
“Benadryl Challenge”: a teenager died after an overdose
For three years, Benadryl has been coveted by young people because it has psychoactive effects. Specifically, it causes hallucinations. But “Abuse or misuse of this product can result in serious side effects with potentially lasting or fatal consequences”, can we read on the site dedicated to medicine. A teenager living in Ohio paid the price. According to the American media ABC6, Jacob Stevens, a 13-year-old boy, died after completing the “Benadryl Challenge”. In detail, he swallowed 12 to 14 pills and had to be put on a ventilator. Six days after admission, the patient died.
This is not the first time that this challenge has claimed a victim. In 2020, a 15-year-old girl also died after ingesting high doses of Benadryl. During this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that an overdose of Benadryl could lead to “serious heart problems, epileptic seizures, coma, even death”.
TikTok has banned searches for ‘Benadryl’
After the death of this young man, TikTok sent a press release to the American media CNN. “We prohibit and remove content that promotes dangerous behavior, the safety of our community being our priority. (…) We block searches to discourage Internet users”, wrote the Chinese company. However, other hashtags highlighting the challenge have been created and are still accessible.
