#sleepychicken on TikTok

The #sleepychicken challenge may put some people to sleep for good. According to the FDA, cooking Nyquil Chicken—the new trend on TikTok—is not safe. It has been proven by scientists that consuming Nyquil chicken results in food poisoning and can be fatal. This is not the first time that medicine and social media trends have come together, which is why the FDA issued a warning calling the pair a “dangerous combination.”

One detail that separates this trend from past trends—which included medicine—is that you don’t even have to ingest the medicine to get the harmful effect. The FDA has revealed that simply breathing in the fumes of Nyquil chicken while cooking could potentially cause lung damage. The FDA stated on its website, “Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it.” The FDA also disclosed that “boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated.” This is why seizures or death may be caused by the consumption of cooked Nyquil chicken.

What’s ironic about the situation is what occurred afterward. Only a day after the FDA put out the statement, searches about Nyquil chicken skyrocketed from 5 on September 14th to over 7,000 on September 15th. However, it’s good news that the FDA chose to tackle the Nyquil chicken trend early on. Although searches increased, the warning increased our knowledge against hazardous trends, ultimately being helpful rather than negatively impacting those on TikTok. Social media trends can be dangerous, for example, The Tide Pod Challenge in 2017 caused a handful of deaths and many hospitalizations. Therefore, the FDA was wise in forewarning a possible trend as it may have saved many lives.

Although cooking Nyquil chicken may seem reckless, the truth of the matter is that many kids want to explore the trend. So for their safety, the FDA recommended that parents keep both non-prescription as well as prescription drugs away from children. Furthermore, the FDA advocates against the ill use of drugs by teens and the unrepairable effects of overdosing.

Poison Control #: 1-800-222-1222