The “Benadryl Challenge” is a dangerous social media trend where teenagers intentionally ingest extreme amounts of the over-the-counter allergy medication diphenhydramine, which is commonly sold under the brand name Benadryl. Concerns have been raised as these teenagers aim to induce hallucinations and film the side effects for online platforms, a reckless practice putting children in hospitals and, in some cases, causing permanent brain damage.
The risks of this trend resurfaced after 15-year-old Leah Presson of Enid, Oklahoma, was hospitalised with “zero brain activity” following an attempt, Newsweek reported on Tuesday.
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“She wanted to be TikTok famous”
According to local news station KFOR, Leah is currently being treated in an intensive care unit in Oklahoma. She was rushed to the Integris Health Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Her symptoms reportedly pointed back to a diphenhydramine overdose, which can be fatal.
Her father, Richard Presson, revealed that Leah had attempted the challenge before as well to become famous. Speaking to NewsNation‘s Elizabeth Vargas Reports podcast, he shared his heartbreak.
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“Leah is a very great person, and she always wanted to be TikTok famous. It hurts to see that my daughter is now lying lifeless because of some challenge that couldn’t be stopped,” he said.
He is holding onto hope. “I don’t even want to think about a funeral because I feel like there’s still hope and everybody’s like, giving up too soon,” he told the outlet KFOR.
“I believe in miracles, that she’s definitely a miracle baby,” he added, pleading with other parents to aggressively educate their children about the dangers of these online challenges.
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What is Diphenhydramine?
Diphenhydramine is an over-the-counter antihistamine used to treat allergies and insomnia. While exceptionally safe at standard and recommended doses, high doses trigger an anticholinergic toxidrome, which is a state of acute poisoning that completely overwhelms the central nervous system.
Medical professionals heavily warn that the dosage required to experience hallucinations is dangerously close to the dosage that triggers total cardiac arrest.
Regulatory and platform responses
Leah’s case is part of a terrifying pattern. In 2020, another 15-year-old Oklahoma girl lost her life to the trend.
At that time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a formal Drug Safety Communication warning that “taking higher than recommended doses of the common over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medicine diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or even death.”
“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,” it added.
While TikTok has officially blocked search terms like “Benadryl” and “Benadryl Challenge,” several teens continue to bypass these digital blocks by searching for intentional typos, alternative keywords, or sharing the trend in private group chats.
