Heartbroken family’s warning as teen who died from Benadryl overdose in TikTok challenge is named
A TEENAGE girl from Oklahoma who tragically died after taking part in the dangerous TikTok game known as the "Benadryl challenge" has been identified, The Sun can reveal.
Chloe Phillips, a sophomore at Blanchard High School, reportedly overdosed on antihistamines as part of the online fad that encourages participants to take excessive amounts of the allergy medication to experience a high that can cause hallucinations.
The teen was pronounced dead on August 21.
Chloe's great aunt Janette Sissy Leasure remembered her niece as "a happy and smart young lady" who had "all kinds of plans for her future".
"This needs to stop taking our kids or putting them in the hospital," Ms Leasure wrote on , referencing the "Benadryl challenge".
"Don't let it take anymore kids.
"I don't want to see any families go through what we are going through right now. Don't ever say this can't happen to you.
"Kids are like, 'the other person was okay, so I'll be okay'.
"Try to always know what your kids are doing or taking."
Chloe's parents and several other relatives couldn't be reached for comment on Tuesday.
A funeral was held for Chloe at the First United Methodist Church in Blanchard on August 27.
"Chloe loved music, dancing, video games, and being a social butterfly with her friends," an obituary for Chloe reads.
"Chloe was an extremely intelligent young woman and dreamed of one day going to college and becoming a lawyer. On that journey, she looked forward to her first kiss, getting her driver’s license, and one day going to Paris.
"Chloe’s faith kept her steadfast; she always stood up for what she believed in, and she showed kindness and compassion in everything she did."
It's unclear how many pills Chloe took, but Scott Schaeffer, director of the Center for Poison and Drug Information, said that "the dose [that] can cause a hallucination is very close to the dose that can cause something potentially life-threatening".
"Large doses of Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) can cause seizures and, particularly, problems with the heart," he added.
"The heart tends to go out of rhythm and not pump blood effectively."
Shaeffer said the educators he works with spend a lot of time trying to help parents convince young people of the dangers of challenges like these.
In May, three teenagers living in Fort Worth, Texas were rushed to the hospital after taking large amounts of Benadryl for the challenge, the Checkup Newsroom reports.
One of the teens, a 14-year-old girl, arrived at the hospital with a heart rate of 199 – significantly higher than the typical 60 to 100 beats per minute considered normal for her age group.
The girl was also experiencing hallucinations and speaking in fractured sentences.
All three of the teens recovered, but each of them told medical professionals that they had taken the medicine as part of the social media challenge.
A spokesperson for told The Sun that the social media platform first learned of the "Benadryl challenge" in May and "quickly removed the very small amount of content that we found".
Benadryl is a commonly prescribed drug to treat allergies and symptoms of the common cold.
The over-the-counter drug is generally considered safe when taken in normal doses. But it could cause severe health effects when taken in excessive amounts, medical experts warn.
The company said it was "keeping an eye on this topic since and removing any new content - which again has been in extremely small numbers".
"The safety and well-being of our users is TikTok's top priority," the spokesperson said.
"As we make clear in our Community Guidelines, we do not allow content that encourages, promotes, or glorifies dangerous challenges that might lead to injury.
"Though we have not seen this content trend on our platform, we actively remove content that violates our guidelines and block related hashtags to further discourage participation.
"We encourage everyone to exercise caution in their behavior whether online or off."
A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson, the pharmaceutical giant that markets the Benadryl brand, said the health and safety of people who use their products is their top priority.
'The BENADRYL TikTok trend is extremely concerning, dangerous and should be stopped immediately," the company said in a statement.
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"As with any medicine, abuse or misuse can lead to serious side effects with potentially long-lasting consequences, and BENADRYL products should only be used as directed by the label.
"It is our strong recommendation that all medications be kept out of the reach of children at all times.
"We are working with TikTok and our partners to do what we can to stop this dangerous trend, including the removal of content across social platforms that showcase this behavior."