A teenager from Ohio has passed away after partaking in a TikTok challenge. The 13-year-old apparently consumed 12 to 14 Benadryl tablets to participate in the challenge. This is more than six times the recommended dosage, according to the boy’s family.
The Benadryl Challenge on TikTok
Earlier this month, Jacob Stevens, decided to do the challenge with his friends. A challenge they saw on TikTok. After participating the teen ended up in the hospital. Ultimately the overdose on Benadryl made Stevens go brain-dead.
The boy’s family tried to keep him off of TikTok. His grandmother, Dianna Stevens, stated, “We didn’t want him on TikTok. There’s things on there that are good, but there’s also things on there that are bad.”
Warning to Other Parents
In 2020, the FDA issues a warning about the challenge. Now the Stevens family is encouraging parents to keep an eye on social media challenges. They are hoping this may help save another family from having to deal with a death of a child.
Benadryl is the brand name allergy medication. The generic version is known as diphenhydramine. In the TikTok challenge, children are encouraged to take 12 to 14 allergy pills to “see hallucinations.” However, Stevens may have taken more than that as his friends filmed. Moreover, they were still recording when Stevens’ body began to seize, according to the family.
Not the First Time
Unfortunately, this is not the first death to be linked to the TikTok challenge. In the latter half of 2020, a 15-year-old girl from Oklahoma passed away from a Benadryl overdose. Earlier that year, three additional teenagers were hospitalized in Fort Worth, Texas.
Large doses of Benadryl can cause seizures and heart issues, stated Scott Schaeffer, director of the Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information. “The heart tends to go out of rhythm and not pump blood effectively,” Shaeffer added.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
News 4 Jax: ‘Benadryl Challenge’ blamed for death of 15-year-old girl
Fox News: Ohio boy, 13, overdoses on Benadryl in deadly TikTok challenge: family
News 4 Jax: 13-year-old dies from ‘Benadryl challenge’ on TikTok, family says
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