Parents are reminded to store medications safely amid a rise in children suffering seizures caused by over-the-counter pills.
US researchers said the number of people who suffered medical emergencies after swallowing drugs or illegal substances had doubled overall over the 15 years to 2023.
Among those aged six to 19, it had doubled, while among those under six it had increased by 45 percent.
The common medication for hay fever and nasal congestion, Benadryl, was the most common medication that children overdosed on before experiencing seizures. The antidepressant Wellbutrin was the third most common.
Dr. Christopher Holstege, a toxicologist at the University of Virginia who led the research, said: “It’s a stark reminder to parents and caregivers to store medications safely so that children can’t access them.”
Pictured above is Jacob Stevens, 13, of Ohio, who died after taking 12 to 14 Benadryl tablets at a time and having a seizure. He is pictured in the hospital before doctors turned off his ventilator.
“The increase in seizures in children exposed to these drugs is extremely concerning and must be addressed.”
He added: “In the United States we also need to have a serious debate about whether products like diphenhydramine should be sold in packages with such large quantities of pills.”
The study used data from the US National Poison Data System on seizures recorded in children between 2009 and 2023.
It also found that tramadol, sold under the brand name Ultram and an opioid for pain in adults, was the second most common drug that children overdosed on before suffering seizures.
And the fourth most common was Spice or K2, which is the name given to illegal synthetic cannabinoid substances.
Benadryl is an antihistamine that can bind to receptors in the brain and stimulate the nervous system. Doctors say that overstimulation with exceptionally high doses can cause seizures.
Overall, the study found that the number of children hospitalized for seizures caused by over-the-counter medications increased about five percent each year.
In 2009 there were 1,418 cases among those under 20 years of age. But in 2023, this figure had increased to 2,749 cases.
The results of the study were presented at the European Congress of Emergency Medicine held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark.
It comes after several deaths among children who took part in the viral craze called the ‘Benadryl Challenge’, which involved taking up to 14 pills at a time to get high and hallucinate.
Chloe Marie Phillips, from Oklahoma, died at age 15 after consuming an unknown number of Benadryl tablets for the challenge.
She appears above in a Facebook photo. Her great-aunt posted a now-deleted message urging others not to attempt the challenge.
The manufacturer says that children over 12 years old should take no more than four pills every four to six hours.
Among those who died after attempting the challenge was Jacob Howard Stevens, 13, of Greenfield, Ohio, who took 12 to 14 Benadryl pills at a time in April 2023.
The teenager was at home with friends and was filmed attempting the challenge, before he suddenly started having seizures.
He was rushed to hospital, where scans showed there was no activity in his brain.
His parents were told he would never open his eyes, smile, walk or talk again. After six days in the hospital, they turned off the ventilator.
His grandmother Dianna Stevens said through tears: “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure another child doesn’t go through the same thing.”
Justin Stevens, his father, described the day his son’s ventilator was turned off as the “worst day of his life.”
In another case from September 2020, Chloe Marie Phillips, 15, of Oklahoma, died after overdosing on the drug. It is unclear how many pills he took.
Her great-aunt, Janette Sissy Leasure, said online at the time in a now-deleted post: “This needs to stop taking our children or putting them in the hospital.”
“Don’t let more children be necessary… I don’t want to see any family go through what we’re going through now.”