{"id":13098,"date":"2026-06-12T16:17:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T16:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=13098"},"modified":"2026-06-12T16:17:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T16:17:02","slug":"the-dangers-of-misusing-the-allergy-medication-diphenhydramine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/the-dangers-of-misusing-the-allergy-medication-diphenhydramine\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dangers of Misusing the Allergy Medication Diphenhydramine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>When people are experiencing allergy symptoms such as coughs, sneezes, a runny nose, congestion, and itchy eyes, nose, or throat, they turn to allergy medications like diphenhydramine to help quell them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Diphenhydramine is an\u00a0over-the-counter\u00a0(OTC) antihistamine that,\u00a0when\u00a0used as directed, is usually safe for\u00a0occasional\u00a0allergy or sleep symptoms.\u00a0However, when\u00a0diphenhydramine\u00a0is misused\u00a0and\u00a0more than\u00a0the recommended dosage is taken, it can cause serious health risks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an\u00a0estimated one million people are seen in U.S. hospital emergency departments for adverse drug events each year, and more than one-fourth are hospitalized.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately,\u00a0teenagers\u00a0have\u00a0been\u00a0reportedly\u00a0taking\u00a0dangerously high doses\u00a0of diphenhydramine\u00a0intentionally\u00a0to provoke hallucinations.\u00a0In\u00a02020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that taking higher doses of diphenhydramine could lead to\u00a0life-threatening complications, including\u00a0heart problems, such as irregular heart rhythms, seizures, coma, or even death,\u00a0after\u00a0news reports of teenagers\u00a0being admitted to emergency rooms or dying\u00a0after a\u00a0TikTok\u00a0challenge\u00a0encouraged them to misuse\u00a0the allergy medication.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to\u00a0life-threatening complications, misusing diphenhydramine can lead to cognitive decline, psychiatric harm, and neurological injury.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The FDA\u00a0recommends\u00a0always\u00a0reading\u00a0the drug facts label on all over-the-counter medicines to find out if they\u00a0contain\u00a0diphenhydramine, how much and how often you should take them, and important safety information\u00a0to avoid taking more than the dose listed and\u00a0prevent serious health risks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some safety tips to reduce\u00a0the\u00a0risk of\u00a0the\u00a0potentially\u00a0harmful effects of misusing diphenhydramine:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n