FILE: Box of Benadryl allergy medication. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) The “Benadryl challenge” is a dangerous social media fad on the app TikTok that led to the death of a 15-year-old Oklahoma teen last week, and the hospitalization of at least three Texas teenagers in May, according to multiple reports.The deadly challenge coaxes participants to take several doses of the over-the-counter antihistamine drug diphenhydramine (Benadryl) to the point that the person trips out or hallucinates.“I would say that the Benadryl challenge may look fun, but it could be deadly.
The Benadryl challenge is dangerous and potentially lethal," Dr. Adam Berman, an emergency medicine physician and toxicologist at Northwell Health/ Long Island.