Oklahoma Girl Loses Brain Function After Benadryl Challenge, Prompting 2020-Era Trend Warning
Updated
Updated · KOCO Oklahoma City · Jun 16
Oklahoma Girl Loses Brain Function After Benadryl Challenge, Prompting 2020-Era Trend Warning
3 articles · Updated · KOCO Oklahoma City · Jun 16
Summary
An Oklahoma girl lost all brain function after taking part in the viral “Benadryl Challenge,” her father said, adding that a ventilator is now keeping her alive.
The challenge urges children and teens to take large doses of Benadryl — diphenhydramine — to hallucinate or get high, a practice doctors say can trigger arrhythmia, coma and death.
Dr. Chandler Hicks of OU Health said peer pressure, depression, anxiety, ADHD and sensation-seeking can all drive participation, while social media amplifies the risk among impressionable teenagers.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said the trend began in 2020 and has since spread across multiple platforms, prompting experts to urge parents to monitor online activity and discuss digital pressures.