ENID, Okla. (Gray News) – A 15-year-old girl died after attempting the viral “Benadryl challenge,” according to her father.
Richard Presson shared his daughter’s story with KOLO on June 12. On June 26, he confirmed his daughter’s death.
Presson said it has been “heartbreaking” watching his daughter “go through this.”
“Within 24 hours, she tried this, and she’s laying lifeless,” Presson said.
The viral “Benadryl challenge” involves taking excessive doses of the medication to try to get high.
“I was told by one of my daughter’s friends that her and my daughter have both been doing this challenge,” Presson said.
Before her death, Presson’s daughter was on a ventilator in the ICU after losing all brain function.
“She’s sadly lost all of her brain functions. And I think helping her right now is a ventilator,” Presson said.
In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration warned that taking high doses of Benadryl can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma or even death.
According to People, TikTok shared that content promoting dangerous behavior that could lead to serious injury violates its Community Guidelines and is removed from the platform.
TikTok also said searches for “Benadryl challenge” have redirected users to its Community Guidelines and substance support resources for several years, according to People.
People reported that YouTube said it has “strict, long-standing policies prohibiting content that encourages dangerous challenges that risk serious injury or death and the abuse of non-regulated substances.”
Presson is urging parents to educate themselves on online trends and potential dangers that may come with them.
“Anybody else that has children? I just highly advise them to watch out, you know, for new trending challenges and, you know, look for signs of it. Look them up, see what they mean. And if someone would have spoke sooner and made us aware, this could have saved countless lives for other children’s. At least my daughter’s life. I want to make other people aware,” Presson said.
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