Feature|Articles|August 1, 2025

Are Benadryl-Associated Toxicities Enough to Pull It From Shelves?

Experts call for the review of diphenhydramine and its possible replacement with second-generation antihistamines that have similar efficacy with fewer adverse events.

In September 2020, the FDA issued a statement about the “Benadryl Challenge,” which includes ingesting high doses of Benadryl to induce hallucination and posting a video to TikTok, due to adolescents overdosing and subsequently dying.¹ In the statement, the FDA warns that "taking higher than recommended doses of the common over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medicine diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or even death.”²