The FDA Issues A Warning Against Participating in “NyQuil Chicken” Challenge

First it was Tide Pods, now it’s NyQuil Chicken. One of TikTok’s newest viral trends to target its younger viewers is encouraging people to use NyQuil, and other over the counter cold medicines, as a marinade for chicken. According to HuffPost, the challenge is beginning to spread so rapidly that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) felt obligated to release a statement, warning people of the side effects.

“Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways,” the FDA stated. “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.”

The administration also includes a warning about other challenges, such as one that encourages teens to drink large amounts of Benadryl in order to hallucinations, which has resulted in the hospitalizations and even deaths of young participants. Parents are being encouraged to put these medications in hard to access places in order to prevent future overdosing.

“Sit down with your children and discuss the dangers of misusing drugs and how social media trends can lead to real, sometimes irreversible, damage,” the FDA said. “Remind your children that overdoses can occur with OTC drugs as well as with prescription drugs.”