Three Connecticut Children Die from Diphenhydramine Overdoses, Renewing Fears Over Social Media 'Benadryl Challenge'
核心洞察
Three children in Connecticut died from diphenhydramine overdoses within the past two months, confirmed by the state Office of the Child Advocate.
Officials have not confirmed a direct link to the viral "Benadryl Challenge," but physicians note a years-long uptick in diphenhydramine misuse tied to social media trends.
Diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, can cause serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or death when taken in excessive doses.
Three children in Connecticut have died from overdoses of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in the widely available over-the-counter allergy medication Benadryl, state officials confirmed earlier this week. The fatalities, which occurred within the past two months, have prompted a statewide advisory and renewed warnings from physicians about the persistent dangers of social media-driven medication misuse.
"That's unusual. And definitely a cause for concern because it's a lot," Dr. Krishnan Narasimhan, head of family medicine at Stamford Hospital, told Connecticut Public Radio.
The Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) confirmed the three deaths but did not release the ages of the victims, the specific locations, or the dates of the incidents. The OCA also stated it could not confirm whether the deaths were directly linked to the so-called "Benadryl Challenge," a viral social media trend that encourages participants to take dangerously high doses of the drug.
"What is most important is that providers and parents be aware that adolescents may misuse the medication," the OCA said in a statement. "We want parents to be aware that any medication, including prescription and non-prescription medication, is potentially dangerous to children of all ages. We strongly encourage parents to store all medications safely, to ensure they are not easily accessible to children."
The Pharmacology and Risks of Diphenhydramine
Diphenhydramine is a first-generation antihistamine used to temporarily relieve symptoms associated with hay fever, upper respiratory allergies, and the common cold, such as runny nose and sneezing, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The drug works by blocking histamines that trigger allergic symptoms.
"When used as recommended, it is a safe and effective medicine," the FDA states. However, the agency has long cautioned that misuse can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or death.
Dr. Narasimhan explained that diphenhydramine's ability to cross the blood-brain barrier contributes to its side effect profile. "And so one of the common things, if you've ever used diphenhydramine or given it to someone, is that they get very sedated," he said. At excessive doses, the drug can cause elevated heart rate, agitation, seizures, hyperactivity, hallucinations, urinary retention leading to kidney dysfunction, and arrhythmia.
"You can get severely agitated. You can have extra heartbeats, which can lead to cardiac complications and actually can lead to cardiac arrest and death," Narasimhan added.
The 'Benadryl Challenge' and Social Media's Enduring Influence
Physicians and public health agencies have been sounding alarms about the Benadryl Challenge since 2020, according to Noelia Swymeler, a pediatric resident physician at the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa School of Community Medicine. The trend, which originated on TikTok, encouraged viewers to ingest high doses of over-the-counter allergy medicine containing diphenhydramine — reportedly as many as 24 tablets in a 24-hour period — to fight the medication's sedating effects and "experience a high and hallucinations."
The life-threatening dose is approximately double the recommended adult dosage, doctors note. Participants were encouraged to record their experiences and share them online.
Federal officials worked with TikTok years ago to remove the dangerous content, but "the fact that we continue to see spikes in harmful diphenhydramine use years after the challenge first went viral shows just how powerful and dangerous social media trends can be," Swymeler said in 2025.
In 2020, the FDA issued a formal warning about the dangers of taking high doses of the allergy medicine. Kenvue (搜索), the manufacturer of Benadryl, described the misuse of its products as "extremely dangerous and should be stopped immediately," adding that the company is actively partnering with social media platforms to have challenge-related content removed.
"Our hearts go out to those impacted by the misuse of diphenhydramine-containing products," Kenvue (搜索) said in a statement to ABC News.
Shifting Clinical Practice and Public Health Response
Owing to the side effect profile and potential for overdose, some healthcare providers are increasingly moving away from diphenhydramine in favor of alternative treatments. Zyrtec, or cetirizine, a second-generation antihistamine, can be used to treat allergies without the same risk of adverse side effects, according to Narasimhan.
Last week, Connecticut issued a statewide advisory urging healthcare providers to alert families to identify and safely store products containing diphenhydramine. The FDA similarly urges consumers to store diphenhydramine and all other medicines high up and out of children's reach and sight, with storage locked to prevent misuse. The agency also advises reading the "drug facts" label on all medications to determine whether they contain diphenhydramine and to understand proper dosing.
Anyone who suspects a child has taken too much Benadryl or another medication should contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.