Connecticut Girl Named as Victim of Benadryl Overdose Deaths

A girl has died after overdosing on Benadryl she ordered on DoorDash, as fears rise that a deadly TikTok craze is putting children’s lives at risk.

Larayah ‘Rayah’ Taylor, 13, died on May 11 from what her mother Rachel Hall described as an ‘accidental overdose’ of the common allergy medication.

The teenager died after consuming the Benadryl at her home in Waterbury, Connecticut, but the exact circumstances are unclear.

Hall said Rayah was ‘battling mental illness and substance abuse issues’ for a while before her death, but didn’t take her own life.

‘Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get her proper treatment despite multiple attempts,’ she said.

‘I’m trying to entertain her poor little sister who dreamt about this happening beforehand and is now afraid to dream.’

Three children in Connecticut died in just two months from overdosing on diphenhydramine hydrochloride – the active ingredient in Benadryl. 

Whether Rayah is one of those three children mentioned by state health authorities is unclear, but she died during the time period they specified.

Connecticut Overdose Deaths Spark Renewed Alarm 

Hall claimed her daughter didn’t just find the Benadryl lying around at home, but somehow bought it for herself online.

‘I’m still trying to figure out why my 13-year-old was able to DoorDash it without issues,’ she said.

‘When I order any type of medication from Walmart, even kids’ medicine, they make me show the delivery driver ID – if not they will return my whole order to the store.

‘The only thing they will leave without ID is Ibuprofen or Tylenol.’

Hall shared a local news article about the three overdoses on Facebook and expressed frustration that ‘they waited over a month to even put this out there’.

The Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate did not specify the medicine the three children died from taking too much of, nor did they identify the victims.

Several kids died during a 2020 social media trend called the ‘Benadryl challenge’ that dared users to take huge amounts of the drug far beyond the recommended dose.

They would then film themselves fighting the drowsy side effects, which produced a high if they were able to stay awake.

The sudden spike in deaths raised fears the ‘challenge’ was trending again, but Hall didn’t say whether it had anything to do with Rayah’s death. 

The OCA said in its statement that it ‘cannot confirm such a connection’ between Connecticut’s deaths and the challenge.

Concerns Grow Over the Return of the ‘Benadryl Challenge’ 

Benadryl owner Kenvue, when asked for comment about Rayah’s death, said it was trying to prevent children from overdosing on its products.

‘We extend our deepest condolences to the families and communities that have experienced tragic loss resulting from the misuse of OTC medicines,’ Kenvue told the Daily Mail.

‘We continue our efforts to stop the spread of this dangerous content on social media platforms and educate about the safe use and storage of OTC medicines.’ 

Diphenhydramine hydrochloride, the active ingredient in Benadryl, is used to temporarily relieve symptoms like a runny nose and sneezing due to seasonal or situational allergies or the common cold. 

Benadryl, along with other brands with the ingredient, is widely available without a prescription at convenience stores and the diphenhydramine hydrochloride is sold under a variety of brand and generic names in multiple types of medications.

Though the OCA couldn’t confirm a link between the three recent deaths and the ‘Benadryl challenge’, doctors around the US were worried it was making a comeback.

The cluster of deaths in Connecticut in just two months is ‘unusual’, Dr Krishnan Narasimhan, head of family medicine at Stamford Hospital, said. 

‘And definitely cause for concern because it’s a lot,’ she said.

Samantha Livermore, an emergency room nurse in South Carolina, called the ‘Benadryl challenge’ the ‘scariest’ trend she has seen so far.

‘Teenagers are taking 20-30 Benadryl pills in the hopes of “hallucinating” and “getting high,”‘ Livermore wrote on Facebook. 

‘At least 3-4 deaths have occurred recently, with so many others very sick or in critical condition. 

‘I had 2 of these patients recently in the same amount of days. Severe hallucinations, rapid onset of urinary retention, seizures, coma… it’s not a high, they could die.’

Mother Issues Warning After Daughter’s Benadryl Overdose Scare 

Courtney Lester, a mother living in Kentucky, warned other parents ‘about the dangers of Benadryl misuse, social media trends and peer pressure’ after she said her daughter attempted the challenge. 

Lester wrote online that her daughter, Aubrey, had a seizure earlier this month and became unresponsive, her skin turned pale, and a blue tint appeared around her mouth, signaling low oxygen levels and trouble breathing.

‘I truly thought she was going to die before EMS could get here. It was the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced and it will haunt me for the rest of my life,’ she wrote.

After she was rushed to hospital, Aubrey’s blood pressure tanked as her heart rate climbed, with her skin hot to the touch. 

Her mother also claimed she became confused and ‘went into a psychotic state’ as her speech slurred and she began hallucinating and trembling. 

Lester claimed doctors told the family they suspected Aubrey overdosed on Benadryl specifically.

‘On social media, the misuse of Benadryl is being called “Benny” and the amount of people glorifying it is sickening,’ Lester wrote. 

‘[Doctors] told us that the recent rise in teens they have seen for Benadryl overdose is alarming, and some do not make it out of the hospital.’

Taking too much diphenhydramine hydrochloride can lead to a high heart rate, seizures, agitation, hallucinations, urinary retention that can cause kidney dysfunction and an arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. 

Stephanie Felton, associate medical director for Cook Children’s Medical Center emergency department in Texas, said in April the hospital had one recent death in connection with the challenge.

The emergency department also treated more than 100 patients in the previous six months for diphenhydramine hydrochloride overdoses. 

Dr Felton told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at the time that the hospital wasn’t seeing as many overdoses as it did when the trend first took over in 2020, but the rise, primarily among teens and pre-teenagers, was concerning. 

Authorities Warn Parents About Dangerous Online Challenge 

‘We want parents to be aware that any medication, including prescription and non-prescription medication, is potentially dangerous to children of all ages,’ the OCA told the Daily Mail. 

‘We strongly encourage parents to store all medications safely to ensure they are not easily accessible to children.’ 

TikTok has since removed any videos related to the challenge from the platform, and a warning message pops up whenever it is searched for.

‘Be informed and aware. Some substances can be dangerous when used or misused. Learn more about how drugs, alcohol and tobacco can affect your mind, body and behavior,’ it reads.

A ‘learn more’ link then takes people to a substance use and emergency resource page. 

The Food and Drug Administration warned that taking high doses of the drug could cause heart problems, seizures, comas, or death. 

The agency advised parents to store diphenhydramine hydrochloride out of sight and reach of children and even to lock up medications that may be at risk of misuse by kids and teenagers. 

The notice also advised healthcare workers to be aware of the trend and alert caregivers about it.