Following in the footsteps of several very stupid and dangerous social media trends from over the years, a new one might just take the cake -- or the chicken.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a government agency that surely have better things to do, issued a warning about social media challenges involving medicines circulating, specifically on TikTok.
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One recent trend is a video challenge that encourages people to cook chicken in NyQuil, or another similar cough and cold medicine.
“The challenge sounds silly and unappetizing — and it is. But it could also be very unsafe. Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways. Even if you don’t eat the chicken, inhaling the medication’s vapors while cooking could cause high levels of the drugs to enter your body. It could also hurt your lungs. Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it,” the FDA was forced to say in a real news release.
An earlier TikTok challenge urged people to take large doses of the allergy medicine diphenhydramine (sold OTC in many products, including some under the brand name Benadryl) to try to induce hallucinations.
The FDA encourages parents to talk to their children about the dangers of these social media trends.
“Nonprescription (also called over-the-counter or OTC) drugs are readily available in many homes, making these challenges even more risky. OTC drugs can pose significant risks if they’re misused or abused.”
If you believe your child has taken too much medication and is hallucinating, can’t be awakened, has had or is having a seizure, has trouble breathing, has collapsed, or is showing other signs of drug misuse, call 911 to get immediate medical attention. Or contact poison control at 1-800-222-1222 or online.