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Adolescents and younger adults are misusing widespread over‐the‐counter antihistamines, placing them vulnerable to extreme well being outcomes together with coronary heart arrhythmias, seizures or loss of life, based on analysis introduced through the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 Nationwide Convention & Exhibition on the Colorado Conference Heart from Sept. 26–30.
Noelia Swymeler, research creator and pediatric resident doctor on the College of Oklahoma at Tulsa College of Neighborhood Medication, stated developments such because the “Benadryl Challenge” circulating on social media are fueling the rise in these harmful actions.
Her summary, “Toxic Trends: The Hallucinatory Appeal of the TikTok Benadryl Challenge,” states that the 2020 TikTok problem inspired viewers to ingest excessive doses of over‐the‐counter allergy drugs containing diphenhydramine, which has sedating results. Teenagers struggle the drowsiness the remedy causes in an effort to expertise a excessive and hallucinations.
“The fact that we continue to see spikes in harmful diphenhydramine use years after the challenge first went viral shows just how powerful and dangerous social media trends can be,” Swymeler stated.
Diphenhydramine is a primary‐era antihistamine that—when misused—may cause extreme toxicity, together with arrhythmias, seizures, coma, and loss of life.
Analysis authors urge dad and mom, well being care professionals, and social media firms to be on the alert for harmful video challenges as a result of the knowledge stays accessible on-line lengthy after their initiation. Authors advise households to make sure drugs are safely saved away to forestall misuse.
“This research highlights the need for better education, stronger safeguards, and continued awareness to prevent teens from being harmed by medications they can easily find in their own homes,” Swymeler stated.
Extra info:
Summary Title: Poisonous Traits: The Hallucinatory Attraction of the TikTok Benadryl Problem
Offered by
American Academy of Pediatrics
Quotation:
Social media challenges linked to harmful misuse of over-the-counter antihistamines by teenagers (2025, September 26)
retrieved 26 September 2025
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