The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday warned of serious problems associated with the overdose of the allergy drug Benadryl in response to the so-called Benadryl challenge circulating on ticket ok.
The FDA cited reports of teenagers dying after ending up in an emergency room or participating in a rumor challenge.
“We are examining these reports and reviewing to determine if additional cases have been reported,” the agency said in a statement.
The FDA said it had contacted Ticket OK and “strongly requested” to remove the video of “Benadril Challenge” from a very popular video platform and monitor for any new posts.
“Healthcare professionals should be aware that the ‘Benadril Challenge’ is happening in adolescents and warn their carers about it,” the agency said.
A spokesman for Ticket ok told Hill that although they did not see a challenging trend on the platform, they “actively remove content that blocks our guides and related hashtags to discourage participation.”
The challenge, which first arose in May, violates the application’s Community Guidelines against content that promotes, promotes or glorifies dangerous challenges that could cause injury.
“We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behavior, whether online or not,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
An analysis by NBC News found little evidence that the challenge was widespread. Both the hashtags “Benadril” and “Benadril Challenge” appear to have been disabled to prevent copycats on the platform.
There have been some local news reports about teenagers taking part in the challenge, including the death of a 15-year-old man in Oklahoma.
The Cook Children’s Health Care System in Fort Worth, Texas, said earlier this month that it had treated three teenagers in May who had used Benadril. A 14-year-old reportedly took 14 Benadryl pills.
Cook Children’s said in a statement, “Each of these patients said they came up with the idea from the videos on Ticket OK claiming that users could be high and delusional if they took a dozen or more allergy pills.”
Benadryl is an antihistamine used to temporarily relieve symptoms caused by common colds such as hay fever, upper respiratory allergies or early runny nose and sneezing. The FDA said it is safe and effective when recommended.
Diphenhydramine is named under Benadryl, Store Brands and Generics, the agency said. It is also available with pain relievers, fever relievers and decongestants.
Overdose can lead to serious heart problems, convulsions, coma or even death.
The FDA encourages parents to keep diphenhydramine and all other over-the-counter and prescription drugs out of reach and out of sight of children. According to the agency, it can be accidentally ingested by children or abused by adolescents, it should be locked.
Updated at 8:15 p.m.
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