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Misusingover-the-countermedications can have dangerous consequences, but recent social media trends encouraging this could be downright deadly for gullibleteens, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Thursday.
One concerning trend has been a challenge that encouraged people to cook chicken in NyQuil or otherover-the-countercoughandcoldmedicines. It's not appetizing, of course, and it can be very unsafe, the FDA warned.
Boiling the medication can make it more concentrated and change its properties. Even if the person cooking the chicken wasn't planning to eat the poultry,breathingin the vapors from the cooked medicine could cause high levels ofdrugsto enter the person's body and might also trigger lung damage, the agency said.
“Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of thecoughandcoldmedicine without even realizing it,” the FDA said in its warning.
The FDA also noted an earlier TikTok challenge that encouraged people to take large doses ofdiphenhydramine, anallergymedication sometimes sold under the nameBenadryl. The suggestion was that it could inducehallucinations.
Instead,teenstrying the challenge ended up in the emergency room and some even died, the FDA said.
These social media video challenges are often aimed at adolescents, so parents can help protect their kids by locking up any medications — over-the-counter or prescription — to prevent an accidental overdose.
Parents can also talk with their kids about the dangers of misusingdrugs以及社交媒体的趋势会导致真实,一些times irreversible, damage. It will be important to let kids know that not just prescription drugs, but also over-the-counter medications, can cause overdoses.
Parents who believe their teen has taken too much medication and is hallucinating, can't be awakened, has had or is having aseizure, has troublebreathing, has collapsed or is showing other signs of drug misuse, should call 911. They can also contactpoison controlat 1-800-222-1222.
Report any adverse events involving medications to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program. Adverse events can also be reported online or by mail. To mail or fax it, call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form sent to you in the mail, then complete and return to the address on the form or submit it by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178.
More information
The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics has more on drug overdose and teens.
SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, news release, Sept. 15, 2022
By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
Copyright © 2021 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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