Teen, 13, dies after attempting the dangerous TikTok 'Benadryl challenge'

A 13-year-old boy has died after taking part in ?a dangerous TikTok trend ¨C the 'Benadryl Challenge'.

Jacob Stevens, from Ohio in the US, overdosed on the over¨Cthe¨Ccounter medication while attempting the social media stunt in front of friends last weekend.

The viral 'Benadryl Challenge' trend sees teens swallow over six times the recommended dose of the pills in order to induce hallucinations and then post videos of their experience to TikTok.

Jacob's father, Justin, told local TV station ABC 6 his son was at home with friends who filmed him attempting the challenge, when all of a sudden his body started seizing.

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"When he did it, all came at once and it was too much for his body," Justin said.

The teen was rushed to hospital and spent six days on a ventilator, but there was nothing doctors could do to save him. Jacob had no brain activity?.

"?No brain scan, there was nothing there," Justin recalled to ABC 6.

"They said we could keep him on the vent that he could lay there but he will never open his eyes, he'll never breathe, smile, walk or talk."

The devastated dad said it was "the worst day of his life" and is now sharing his story as a warning to other parents about the dangers of social media.

I want everyone to know about my son.

"Keep an eye at what they're doing on that phone. Talk to them about the situation," he said.

"I want everyone to know about my son."

His family has also released a picture of Jacob hooked up to life support in the hospital to spread awareness and drive his message.

"If you have children or loved ones please share this picture with them in hopes that it will keep them from making this big mistake,' Justin said.

"I'm going to do anything I can to make sure another child doesn't go through it," Jacob's grandmother, Dianna, added.

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The family is also pushing for local lawmakers to put an age restriction on over-the-counter medicine like Benadryl due to the dangers.

They also want to see TikTok impose an age-restriction for making accounts, forcing users to provide identification before being allowed onto the platform.

Jacob is remembered by his family as a "well-mannered, funny, loving kid".

"It didn't matter how bad of a day I was having no one could make me smile, Jacob could make me smile," his dad said.

What exactly is the Benadryl Challenge?

The Benadryl Challenge encourages participants to take up to 14 of the antihistamine pills in order to experience hallucinations.

The diphenhydramine in Benadryl, the active ingredient that makes you drowsy, can also give you a 'high feeling' if taken in excess.

However, taking it in excess can also be incredibly dangerous. Taking too much Benadryl can result in severe symptoms such as low blood pressure, seizures, and even death from changes in heart rhythm.

Where did the Benadryl Challenge start?

It's unclear exactly where this challenge originated, but in May 2020 it was reported as the cause of three Texas teens being taken to the hospital.

One of the teens was reportedly brought to Cook's Children's Hospital with a heart rate of 199, much higher than normal, as a result of taking Benadryl.

The teens told the doctors they'd taken the Bendaryl as part of a social media challenge to 'trip out and hallucinate'.

"It was scary. She had fractured sentences, hallucinations. Her resting heart rate was 199," said the teen's mother in a press statement

Have other people died from the Benadryl Challenge?

The TikTok Benadryl Challenge is blamed for the death of a 15-year-old in Oklahoma in August 2020.

The death prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a warning against taking diphenhydramine (Benadryl) at more than recommended doses?.

"Benadryl in large doses can cause seizures and cardiac arrests. If young people are being encouraged to take it in large doses on TikTok, this is very dangerous," David Juurlink, MD, from University of Toronto told Forbes at the time.

"This is not a drug people should be experimenting with."

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