TikTok's 'Benadryl Challenge' sends Monmouth County teen to hospital

A Monmouth County teen was rushed to the hospital earlier this month after taking an excessive number of allergy pills, falling victim to TikTok's viral "Benadryl Challenge."

The 13-year-old was found in the fetal position in his room, unresponsive, grabbing at the air and twitching, according to his mother.

His mother - who asked the Asbury Park Press to not include her or her family's names - said she and her husband had gone out that evening for a rare date night. When they came home, they found their son with dilated eyes and a wild look on his face and rushed him to Riverview Hospital in Red Bank.

While her husband drove their son to the hospital, she stayed back to look for signs as to what happened.

“First instinct was: check his phone," she said.

Then, her husband called from the hospital, asking if she thought he could have taken Benadryl, she said. The family has seasonal allergies, and she'd just purchased a large bottle of the medication from Costco. She had no way to tell how many pills were missing.

Several hours later, her son was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, she said.

On his phone, she found Snapchat messages indicating he'd taken Benadryl, and TikTok searches for videos related to the drug, she said. He was in the hospital for three days and continued medical care for an additional week after that.

The challenge encourages viewers to take high doses of the over-the-counter antihistamine to induce hallucinations, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The amounts - usually 300 milligrams or more - are close to or exceed the toxic dose.

The Academy said that teens and young adults are often unable to see the risks in behaviors like these and are easily influenced.

In September 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a statement, warning parents, caregivers and doctors about the TikTok trend and the dangerous effects of high doses of Benadryl.

“If someone takes too much diphenhydramine and is hallucinating, can’t be awakened, has a seizure, has trouble breathing, or has collapsed, immediately get medical attention or contact poison control," the statement said.

The administration also warned that this could lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma or death.

Though her son is now safe at home, she questions how they are supposed to parent in this new age.

“How do we manage all these things in a world that’s just constantly growing, and really protect the kids?” she asked.

The mother is not blaming TikTok, though, and acknowledges that the growth of technology isn’t going to stop. They have limited their son's phone use, but know that the internet is easily accessible on many different platforms.

Dr. Stacy Doumas, interim chair of psychiatry and the chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, said trends like these are seen frequently on TikTok. Often times, though, they’re fake challenges and not actually something people are doing, but kids jump on board anyways.

“Some kids do believe that other people might have done this,” she said. “And maybe it was something fun that they did, or maybe it was enjoyable, or maybe it made them cool … and they might want to participate.”

Doumas said there are a variety of factors why kids participate in these challenges, including the desire to be cool or accepted, or just the urge to try a substance, especially if it’s something that’s readily available in their home.

“They might not hear the bad outcomes, they might just be seeing the more fun stuff on [social media] rather than seeing real news when someone was really hurt in these ways," she said.

Parents of younger children should try to keep them away from social media until they feel they have the ability to navigate it in a safe way, said Doumas.

“That age might differ for different children depending on their maturity,” she said.

But when they are on those apps, she said it’s important for parents to be monitoring their activity and having conversations with their children about what their seeing, or even just listening to them. Starting early communication with children about social media is key.

Doumas also talks to kids and adults alike about how social media makes them feel.

“If it’s making you feel good, if it’s making you feel connected to people ... then that might be a positive thing in your life, as long as it’s part of a bigger picture of what you do with your time,” she said. “But if you’re on social media and you’re feeling bad about yourself … and it feels negative, then why are we spending our time doing that?

She said those conversations help children decide on their own what feels safe and comfortable to them.

“Its important for them to realize that what they’re seeing is not always reality,” she said.

She believes that TikTok needs to be more stringent with their age criteria, but also more careful about monitoring content that could be harmful, like these challenges.

Doumas also suggests locking up medications in the home as a precaution.

The teen's mother has sent letters to the White House and Gov. Phil Murphy, asking for officials to get together to find solutions.

“This is the time we live in and it’s getting away from us so quickly and we’re not thinking through the impact of what’s happening," she said.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: TikTok's 'Benadryl Challenge' sends Monmouth County teen to hospital