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TikTok Benadryl Challenge is the latest dangerous trend among teens

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The TikTok Benadryl challenge is being blamed for the death of a 15 year old teen in Oklahoma. 

This challenge encourages participants to take a least a dozen pills of the allergy medication in an effort to experience a high that could bring about hallucinations. On Friday, Oklahoma KFOR reported that an unidentified teen died after taking part in the challenge. 

Scott Schaeffer, director of the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information, told Oklahoma News KDVR that “the dose can cause a hallucination that is very close to the dose that can cause something potentially life-threatening. Large doses of Benadryl can cause seizures and, particularly, problems with the heart. The heart tends to go out of rhythm and not pump blood effectively.”

The challenge has been around since earlier this year. In May, three teens were rushed to the hospital after doing the challenge. One of the teens were experiencing hallucinations, speaking in fractured sentences, and had a heart rate of almost 200 beats per minute. The average for the age group is right around 100 beats per minute. The teens recovered and told doctors they took the allergy medication as part of the challenge. 

Benadryl is an antihistamine that is used to relieve allergy symptoms by blocking histamine, a natural substance the body produces in response to an allergic reaction. Drowsiness is a common side effect, but too much of the drug in the most extreme cases, can lead to seizures, coma or death. While we are all looking for things to keep us busy, this is a challenge best left unaccepted.

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