FDA warns against dangerous TikTok challenge, ‘NyQuil Chicken’

The US Food and Drug Administration is warning the public and TikTokers alike who are trying the latest trend. Nyquil-marinated chicken is potentially dangerous, and the FDA advises not to try the challenge craze.

Social media users are jumping on the bandwagon called the “NyQuil Chicken Challenge. It’s a process of covering chicken meat with over-the-counter treatment for treating colds, flu symptoms, and allergies.

Some called it “sleepy chicken,” and some claim it helps with colds. However, FDA is saying otherwise. The agency warned that it could lead to dangerous results. The negative outcome doesn’t only come from ingesting the NyQuil chicken but also from the cooking process itself. 

The FDA has issued a warning about another dangerous social media trend involving cough medicine and chicken. A recent video challenge encourages young people to cook chicken in NyQuil pic.twitter.com/ZHHJkYAcis

— No Jumper (@nojumper) September 20, 2022

FDA explained, “Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways.” They also added that just inhaling the medicine’s vapors while cooking could cause high levels of the drug to enter your body. People who cook this often could be using more than the recommended dosages. Hence, this could be dangerous.

The warning also said, “It could hurt your lungs. Simply put; someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it.” Nyquil contains acetaminophen, doxylamine succinate, and dextromethorphan HBr. 

NyQuil Chicken Challenge Craze

FDA also pointed out that the social media craze depended on “peer pressure” with “online video clips of people misusing nonprescription medications and encouraging viewers to do so too.” NyQuil chicken challenges are the same as other trends circulated online, such as the “Benadryl Challenge.”

FDA warns against potentially deadly 'NyQuil Chicken Challenge' https://t.co/0TjycR9xkv pic.twitter.com/3biphRBqaX

— New York Post (@nypost) September 20, 2022

Moreover, NyQuil overdose can cause symptoms like dizziness, seizures, breathing, and liver problems. A physician and assistant clinical professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Aaron Hartman, explained why the NyQuil chicken challenge is dangerous.

He said, “If you ate one of those cutlets completely cooked, it’d be as if you’re consuming a quarter to half a bottle of NyQuil. When you cook medicine like NyQuil, you boil off the water and alcohol in it. This leaves the chicken saturated with a super concentrated amount of drugs in the meat.”