- A new "challenge" posted on social media is encouraging people to cook chicken in acetaminophen, dextromethorphan and doxylamine (basic ingredients of NyQuil and similar over-the-counter cold and cough products).
- A TikTok user posted at least a year ago that shows him frying two chicken breasts in the cold and flu medicine.
- The TikTok video does not use the word "challenge,".
The FDA issued a statement today on Twitter
"One social media trend relying on peer pressure is online video clips of people misusing nonprescription medications and encouraging viewers to do so too. These video challenges, which often target youths, can harm people - and even cause death,"
FDA continued -
"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."
"Remind your children that overdoses can occur with OTC (over-the-counter) drugs as well as with prescription drugs," the FDA stated.
At home, keep all over-the-counter and prescription drugs locked up securely, the agency added.
If your teen seems reluctant to talk about what they've seen, ask about their friends instead:
"Sometimes kids are more willing to talk about their peers than themselves," the AAP noted.
If a child appears to have taken too many medications 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," the FDA said.