ARLINGTON, Mass. — Police in Arlington are warning parents about yet another dangerous TikTok trend known as ‘The Benadryl Challenge.’ That “challenge” encourages users to take large doses of the allergy and itch relief medicine in order to induce hallucinations.
Arlington Police Chief Juliann Flaherty doesn’t believe that this latest alarming TikTok trend is prevalent in the Town of Arlington. She said she wants parents to be aware as the FDA reports a growing number of kids across the country are ending up in the emergency room.
“We urge parents to talk to their students about these dangerous trends and the implications of these types of actions,” Chief Flaherty said. “Short-lived fame on social media is not worth the potentially harmful impacts that these trends could have.”
According to the FDA, taking higher than recommended doses of Benadryl can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma or even death. The FDA said at least one death has been reported in the U.S. as a result of participation in the social media challenge.
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“Kids are primed to be stimulus seeking. They are primed to say yes to things…even things they know they shouldn’t say yes to,” said Dr. Ellen Braaten, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and licensed pediatric neuropsychologist at Mass General Hospital.
Dr. Braaten told Boston 25 News it’s important to talk to kids in a way that’s not accusatory.
“What they can do is say something like, ‘I just heard this on the news. Do you think some of your friends are doing this? What do you think about this? Does this sound dangerous to you?,’” Dr. Braaten explained.
Arlington Police are also recommending that families secure and lock up Benadryl and other allergy medicine. Residents are reminded that they can safely dispose of any unused, unwanted or expired medications at the disposal drop box located in the lobby of the Arlington Police Department.