Pensacola doctors warned parents that the "Benadryl Challenge" is circulating again, pushing teens to take large amounts of allergy medicine to trigger hallucinations.
Dr. Dawn Walton said overdoses can cause cardiac arrhythmias, racing heartbeats, confusion, trouble breathing, cardiac arrest and even heart attacks—not just dizziness or disorientation.
3 children in Connecticut have died in the past 2 months from apparent overdoses, and Walton said local hospitals have also treated young patients with symptoms tied to allergy-medicine misuse.
Parents were urged to lock up over-the-counter drugs including Benadryl, Zyrtec and Claritin, and to seek emergency care immediately if a child shows overdose signs.