TikTok’s Benadryl Challenge Is Deadly—Here’s What to Know
A 13-year-old from Ohio has died after taking the Benadryl Challenge.
Jacob Stevens took 12 or 14 Benadryl tablets in one sitting.
Experts warn that Benadryl and other medications can be deadly when they’re not used as directed.
An Ohio boy has died after trying TikTok’s Benadryl Challenge. The challenge encourages people to take 12 to 14 pills of the popular antihistamine to try to hallucinate.
Now, the family of 13-year-old Jacob Stevens is speaking out about the dangers of overdosing on Benadryl. Stevens’ family told ABC 6 that he was on a ventilator for six days after taking the medication. “It all came at once and it was too much for his body,” Stevens’ father, Justin Stevens, said.
Justin says his son was at home with friends when the overdose happened. His friends filmed him trying the challenge, when Jacob started seizing.
Jacob was taken to the hospital, where doctors told Justin his son would never wake up. “There was nothing there,” he said, of brain scan results for his son. “They said we could keep him on the vent that he could lay there but he will never open his eyes, he’ll never breathe, smile, walk, or talk,” Justin said.
Jacob’s aunt, Ashley Dean, created a GoFundMe for his family. “No mother should have to say goodbye to their baby,” Dean wrote. “This is so heartbreaking.”
This isn’t the first time the Benadryl Challenge has surfaced. In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about the challenge, noting, “we are aware of news reports of teenagers ending up in emergency rooms or dying after participating in the ‘Benadryl Challenge.’”
Benadryl is a common over-the-counter medication, but experts say it can be deadly if used the wrong way. Here’s what you need to know.
What is Benadryl, exactly?
Benadryl is a brand name for diphenhydramine, an antihistamine that’s used to relieve red, irritated, itchy, watery eyes; sneezing; and runny nose caused by hay fever, allergies, or the common cold, according to the National Library of Medicine.
“It blocks the histamine receptors that are activated after an allergic reaction,” explains Jamie Alan, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. (Histamine is a compound that causes allergy-like symptoms.)
Diphenhydramine specifically blocks H1 receptors in the body, which play a role in the release of histamine, says Kara Wada, M.D., an allergist and immunologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. But, she says, it’s “poorly specific” and can also interfere with other receptors in the body.
What is the Benadryl Challenge?
The Benadryl Challenge involves having someone take higher-than-recommended doses of Benadryl to try to get a high, per the FDA.
Dosing varies depending on a person’s weight and the formulation they’re taking, but it’s generally recommended that kids over the age of six take half of a 25 milligram tablet every six hours as needed.
TikTok has community guidelines that prohibit dangerous content, like people promoting the Benadryl Challenge. While some of these videos make it on the platform, they are often blocked in searches and yanked when they’re discovered.
A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health said in a statement to Prevention that the company is “deeply saddened” by the news. “This online ‘challenge’ is extremely concerning, dangerous and should be stopped immediately,” the statement continues. “Benadryl (diphenhydramine) should only be used as directed by the label. Abuse or misuse of this product can lead to serious side effects with potentially long-lasting or even life-threatening consequences. We remain committed to working with partners on educational resources on medication safety and the dangers of social media ‘challenges’.”
Benadryl side effects
The National Library of Medicine lists the following as potential side effects of diphenhydramine:
dry mouth, nose, and throat
drowsiness
dizziness
nausea
vomiting
loss of appetite
constipation
increased chest congestion
headache
muscle weakness
excitement (especially in children)
nervousness
vision problems
difficulty urinating or painful urination
The medication may also lead to increased heart rates, low blood pressure, and increased heart rhythm issues, Dr. Wada says.
Why can Benadryl be so dangerous?
It’s easy to dismiss an over-the-counter allergy medication as safe, but experts say it can be dangerous when taken in the wrong dose.
“It crosses the blood brain barrier, which is why it is known for causing sedation in many people and paradoxically increased agitation in a smaller number of people,” Dr. Wada says.
It can also “have central effects, including seizures,” Alan says. “Some of the newer drugs in the class —Claritin and Allegra—don’t have quite the same risk of this happening,” she adds.
Benadryl can have what’s known as anticholinergic effects, Alan says. “These effects, which are common for other drugs in the class, can lower heart rate, which may lead to death,” she says. “Induction of seizures can also lead to a decrease in brain oxygenation, which can also lead to death.”
There may even be issues with using Benadryl chronically. “Long-term use has been associated with increased rates of memory problems and dementia,” Dr. Wada says. (It’s important to point out that data hasn’t shown that Benadryl actually causes dementia—there is just a link.)
If you have Benadryl in your home, Alan says it’s important to store it safely and out of the reach of children. Her recommendation is to invest in a biometric storage box for medications. “These can be opened with a fingerprint, and are very difficult for children to access,” she says. And, if you’re concerned about potential side effects of using Benadryl, Dr. Wada suggests similar medications like cetirizine, loratadine, and fexofenadine—but it’s important to use those as directed as well.
“In excessive doses, it causes sleepiness which can progress to hallucinations and coma,” says Diane Calello, M.D., executive and managing director of the NJ Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “It may cause seizures, and in very high doses can cause cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac arrest.”
“The most important thing is education,” says Daniel Ganjian, M.D., a pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. “A child should know never to take any medication, without doctor or parent approval, no matter what friends or social media says. It’s important to talk to your child about the dangers of using these things inappropriately.”
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