Stop cooking with Nyquil, says FDA after latest TikTok trend goes viral

‘Sleepy chicken’ is trending on TikTok

FDA Issues Warning Against Online Trend , of Cooking With OTC Drugs.FDA Issues Warning Against Online Trend , of Cooking With OTC Drugs.The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on Sept. 15 advising young people to be careful when it comes to social media challenges.'The Hill' reports that at the beginning of the year, trends such as the "sleepy chicken" challenge gained popularity on apps like TikTok."Sleepy Chicken" dared viewers to cook and consume chicken marinated in NyQuil, with one user claiming it helped their cold symptoms."Sleepy Chicken" dared viewers to cook and consume chicken marinated in NyQuil, with one user claiming it helped their cold symptoms.The FDA's warning outlines the dangers of taking part in such a challenge.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, FDA, via statement.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. , FDA, via statement.Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it, FDA, via statement.Another trend that the agency shed light on is the "Benadryl Challenge" in which teens purposefully overdose on diphenhydramine to induce hallucinations.Another trend that the agency shed light on is the "Benadryl Challenge" in which teens purposefully overdose on diphenhydramine to induce hallucinations.Many of these challenges have led to hospitalizations and even death.The FDA advises parents to speak with their children about overdose risks and keep medications locked away.

“The challenge sounds silly and unappetizing — and it is. But it could also be very unsafe,” says the FDA on their website.

Cooking with cough medicine is a trend deemed just as dangerous as the 2018 trend where people were dared to eat Tide Pods. The FDA issued a warning to those who are jumping on the trend, warning that boiling the medicine can be dangerous even if you don’t eat the finished “dish.”

“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,” said the FDA in a release.

Symptoms from inhaling the vaporized Nyquil include trouble breathing, hallucination and seizures.

This wouldn’t be the first medicine challenge to hit the popular app. In 2020, 21,500 teenagers were exposed — including 23 who died — after the “Benadryl Challenge” swept the social app. The challenge urged users to ingest large amounts of diphenhydramine to get high and record their reactions.

The FDA urges parents to talk with their children about the dangers of online trends and not taking medicine in excess. The FDA’s Division of Drug Information is available for questions.

Parents can also reach DDI pharmacists at druginfo@fda.hhs.gov or 1-855-543-DRUG (3784) and 301-796-3400.