The Deadly Online Trend Parents Thought Was Gone Is Back

The deaths of three Connecticut children from diphenhydramine overdoses have renewed concerns about a dangerous social media trend that encourages young people to consume excessive amounts of the over-the-counter allergy medication commonly sold as Benadryl.

In the past two months, three Connecticut children have died from Benadryl overdoses, according to the Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate (OCA). If abused, the drug can lead to “serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or even death,” according to the FDA. 

On Wednesday, the OCA issued a warning to parents and healthcare providers, emphasizing that “adolescents may misuse the medication.”

“We want parents to be aware that any medication, including prescription and non-prescription medication, is potentially dangerous to children of all ages. We strongly encourage parents to store all medications safely, to ensure they are not easily accessible to children,” the agency said in a statement. 

The agency said it could not confirm whether the deaths were linked to the so-called “Benadryl Challenge,” a TikTok trend that started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“OCA has received media inquiries requesting information on whether the deaths are related to a TikTok challenge. OCA cannot confirm such a connection. What is most important is that providers and parents be aware that adolescents may misuse the medication,” the agency said at the time.

The disturbing trend gained so much traction online that the FDA issued a warning alerting parents to its potentially deadly consequences.

Noelia Swymeler, a pediatric resident physician at the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa School of Community Medicine, said trends such as the “Benadryl Challenge” stem from the drug’s sedating effects.

Some teens intentionally consume excessive amounts of diphenhydramine and then fight the resulting drowsiness in an effort to experience hallucinations and a euphoric high, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

The trend’s apparent resurgence does not appear to be limited to Connecticut.

Last month, an Oklahoma father warned parents of the challenge after his 11-year-old daughter, Molly Miller, died from a diphenhydramine-related overdose, according to a local news outlet. 

Mason Miller, Molly’s father, said he found his daughter unresponsive. 

“When I went back there, she was laying on the ground covered in vomit,” Miller told Channel 9 News. “We started CPR and called 911. I was just praying, ‘God, raise my daughter.’”

Experts say social media trends continue to encourage dangerous misuse of common medications.

“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 said.