Nipissing First Nation says some young people are purposely taking high doses of Benadryl, a common allergy medication.
An alert issued by the First Nation’s leadership says it is a “dangerous” trend that can have serious consequences.
“Some youth may think the effects feel exciting or different,” the alert states. “There are no safe or positive effects from taking high doses, only serious risks.”
The alert draws attention back to the “Benadryl challenge,” a social media challenge that became popular in 2020. The trend encourages young people to take as many as 12 tablets at once to prompt hallucinations; 12 tablets is the maximum recommended dose over a 24-hour period for those 12 and up.
Six years after a 15-year-old was reported dead in Oklahoma City from a diphenhydramine overdose — the antihistamine found in Benadryl — there have been several reported instances of young teens misusing Benadryl to get high, including a 13-year-old in the Ottawa Valley.
“Benadryl is easily accessible in many homes, and these videos rarely show any risks or downsides,” Cori Hammond, senior director of prevention services at the Partnership to End Addiction, told Global News.
“The normalization of the trend by young people who look like them, easy accessibility to the substance, and strong desire for exciting experiences combine into this perfect storm of risk for teens.”
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For years, doctors and other health-care practitioners have been moving away from recommending Benadryl and other medications containing diphenhydramine for allergy relief. In 2019, the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI) published a position statement warning against Benadryl and other first-generation H1 antihistamines as first-line treatments in adults and children.
One of the biggest dangers associated with first-generation antihistamines is their lethargic effect. Side effects of the drug include drowsiness and irritability, the CSACI said, and taking too much can land you in hospital.
Overdose symptoms include breathing problems, coma, and seizures, according to the CSACI statement. There is also the potential for fatal heart rhythm disturbances when combined with other medications.
An acceptable dose for one person may be too much for another. The safe limit depends on age and body size, health conditions, and other medications being used.
“It’s easy for teens to understand how substances like cocaine, heroin, and products like cigarettes are harmful. There is no amount of those substances that are safe or healthy, and no one would say they are medicine,” Hammond said.
“It’s understandable why a young person would believe over-the-counter (OTC) medications to be totally safe for use if the adults in their life have not properly explained medication safety, proper dosage, and the risks of overdoses. To an adolescent, it may be perfectly logical that if one allergy pill makes them feel good, then five or six will make them feel even better.”
The statement from CSACI prompted Health Canada to conduct a review of serious side effects of diphenhydramine in children under two, and from accidental overdose or problematic use in youth under 18. While Health Canada noted there have been reports of “serious adverse events,” it said those cases were “consistent with the known safety profile for diphenhydramine” and that no regulatory action would be taken at the time, according to the 2022 report.
Following the death of the Oklahoma City teen, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested that TikTok remove the videos encouraging misuse of Benadryl from its platform and to prevent further similar content from being posted.
The social media platform said it “had not seen this type of content trend” but was blocking searches to stop the challenge from appearing in the algorithmic feed.
While the trend is harmful, Hammond said it is not possible to shield young people from all of the dangers online.
“It’s important for caregivers to stay informed about what’s trending, but it’s even more important to be in conversation with teens about what safe and healthy behaviour looks like and how being smart and non-conformist means not going along with social media trends that can be harmful,” she said.
Caregivers should start the conversation from a place of curiosity, she added, and allow the child’s response to inform theirs, while also taking other precautions like locking up all medications and medical supplies.
“Teenagers have a natural tendency to take more risks and be more sensation-seeking than adults; the parts of their brains that value instant gratification and new experiences are often more in control than the parts of the brain that can think through decisions and weigh long-term consequences,” Hammond said.
No listerine or aqua velva available?
My sister literally lived off of high doses of Benadryl because she was “allergic” to herself for 3months. We were told that overdose was impossible on Benadryl because your body just excretes the excess. 20 years later she’s still here
The “Benadryl challenge,” another Darwin Award activity for the ‘stoopit’.
Perhaps people should be responsible for their actions.
well i guess they wont be having spring time allergies
Take the warning labels off everything, natural selection will sort itself out.
So what are they saying natives are a bunch of useless addict’s?
I do hope they do not limit access. Many people rely on OTC medication. Youth will try anything. Remember the fad of snorting Cinnamon? or the one promoted by TV, seeing how much hot sauce one can consume? Older people would remember live goldfish eating (just to feel them wiggle on the way down).
My question is; why is Global reporting a Native Reserve getting so upset if it is a Canada wide problem?
Not raising a generation of idiots would go a lot farther than endless warnings