By GvilleTX Newsroom
Texoma emergency doctors are warning Gainesville-area families about the Benadryl Challenge as an April 2026 Cook Children's alert and federal drug safety records describe emergency visits and deaths tied to misuse of diphenhydramine, the drug sold as Benadryl. The concern for Cooke County households is that Benadryl is sold without a prescription, and the FDA says high doses can cause serious heart problems, seizures, coma or death.
Hospital records reviewed for this report identify the local doctors tied to the warning as emergency physicians in Texoma. Texoma Medical Center lists Greg Hansen, DO, as an emergency medicine physician at its Denison location. Sherman Medical Center identifies James E. Frame, MD, as its chief medical officer and a board-certified emergency medicine physician.
The FDA's drug safety communication says teen misuse was sparked by social media posts promoting the Benadryl Challenge. The agency said in 2020 that it knew of reports of teenagers going to emergency rooms or dying after taking part in the challenge, and it told consumers not to exceed the Drug Facts label.
Cook Children's reported a North Texas cluster the same year. In a September 2020 first-party account, the hospital said three teenagers treated there after overdosing reported seeing TikTok videos that claimed users could get high or hallucinate by taking a dozen or more allergy pills.
That amount is outside the labeled directions for Benadryl Allergy Ultratabs. The DailyMed label for 25-milligram tablets says adults and children 12 and older should take one to two tablets every four to six hours and should not take the medicine more than six times in 24 hours.
The Benadryl safety page, published by Kenvue Brands LLC, says the online challenge involves taking excessive quantities of diphenhydramine. The company says Benadryl and other diphenhydramine products should be used only as directed on the label and says misuse can lead to long-lasting or life-threatening effects.
Cook Children's said in its April 24, 2026, alert that the problem had returned. The hospital said more than 100 patients had gone to its emergency department for Benadryl overdoses in six months, including one fatality. The hospital said the 2026 pattern followed the earlier 2020 spike.
A separate Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate statement in June 2026 confirmed three child deaths from apparent diphenhydramine overdose during the previous two months. The office said it could not confirm a connection to a TikTok challenge, and its statement focused on safe medication storage and adolescent misuse.
The FDA advises consumers to get medical help or contact poison control if someone takes too much diphenhydramine and has symptoms such as hallucinations, seizures, trouble breathing or collapse. Denison's police department operates a medication disposal drop box for Denison residents at 108 W. Main St.; the city says it accepts over-the-counter medications during weekday business hours.
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