Social media trends and peer pressure can be a dangerous combination for your children and their friends, especially when it comes to drug abuse.
A trend of social media based on peer pressure is an online video clip of people who abuse non -prescription drugs and encourage viewers to do so as well. These video challenges, which often target young people, can hurt people – and even cause death.
Non-prescription (also called Over-Counter or OTC drugs) are readily available in many homes, making these challenges even more dangerous. OTC medicines can create significant risks if used or abused.
The risks of the challenges of social media with drugs
A recent challenge of social media video encourages people to cook chicken in Nyquil (acetaminophen, dertohorphane and doxylamine) or other similar OTC cough and cold medicine, probably for food.
The challenge sounds stupid and unknown – and it is. But it could also be very unsafe. Boiling a drug can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways. Even if you do not eat chicken, inhalation of the vapor of the drug while cooking can cause high levels of drugs to enter your body. It could also hurt your lungs. Simply put: one could get a dangerously high amount of cough and cold drug without even realizing it.
A previous Tiktok challenge urged people to receive large doses of diphenhydramine of medical allergy (sold in many products, including some under the name Benadryl) to try to cause hallucinations. Available by news reports of adolescents that must go to the emergency room or, in some cases, die after participating in this challenge and take excessive medicines, the US Food and Drug Administration warned the public of the risk of high dose risk diphenhydramine.
What can you do to protect your children
How can you keep your kids safe and help prevent potentially harmful trends? First, keep OTCs and prescription drugs away from children and lock these medicines to prevent accidental overdose.
Sit with your children and discuss the dangers of drug abuse and the way in which social media tendencies can lead to real, sometimes irreversible, damage. Remind your children that over -doses can occur with OTC medicines as well as prescription drugs.
If you think your child has taken too many medicines and is parable, he cannot wake up, had or has a seizure, has trouble breathing, collapsing or showing other signs of drug abuse, call 911 to get immediate medical attention. Or contact poison checking at 1-800-222-1222 or online.
Use OTC medicines safely
The challenge of social media or not, it is important to use medicines as provided.
For OTC medicines, you should always read the label of drug events. The label tells you what the medicine should do, who should or should not take it and how to use it. The Tag Facts uses simple language and a handy form to help people compare and choose medicines and follow dosage instructions.
If you have a question about a drug, including an OTC drug, call the healthcare provider or the pharmacist or the FDA. The FDA Drug Administration (DDI) is ready to answer the drug -related questions to help you keep you and your family safe. DDI pharmacists are available by email, [email protected]and by phone, 1-855-543-Drug (3784) and 301-796-3400.
You can also indicate an undesirable event that includes any medication, including OTC drugs, using the FDA Medwatch Safety Report and the adverse reference program:
- Complete and Submit the report on the Internet.
- Download the form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reference form sent to the post office, then complete and return to the form or to submit it with faxes to 1-800-FDA-0178 .
