Her father said the 15-year-old lost brain function after taking excessive doses of the allergy medicine.
ENID, Okla. — A 15-year-old Oklahoma girl died after attempting the so-called Benadryl challenge, a dangerous social media trend involving high doses of allergy medicine, her father said after confirming her death June 26.
Richard Presson said his daughter had been healthy before the incident and was later placed on a ventilator in an intensive care unit after losing brain function. The case has drawn renewed attention to a challenge that federal health officials warned about in 2020 after reports of teenagers being hospitalized or dying after taking large amounts of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl and many generic allergy medicines.
Presson first shared his daughter’s condition publicly June 12, then confirmed her death two weeks later. He said the family learned from one of the girl’s friends that both teens had been taking part in the challenge. “Within 24 hours, she tried this, and she’s laying lifeless,” Presson said. He described the days in the hospital as “heartbreaking” as his daughter remained on life support. Before her death, Presson said she had lost all brain function and that a ventilator was helping keep her alive.
The Benadryl challenge involves taking excessive doses of diphenhydramine in an attempt to get high or cause hallucinations. Health officials have said high doses can cause serious heart rhythm problems, seizures, coma and death. The exact amount the Oklahoma teen took has not been publicly released. No official autopsy findings or toxicology results had been reported in the initial accounts of the case. The teen’s name was not released in the Gray News report, and the father’s account remains the main public source for the reported link to the online challenge.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a drug safety warning in 2020 after reports that teenagers were ending up in emergency rooms or dying after taking part in the challenge. The agency said diphenhydramine is safe and effective when used as directed for allergy and cold symptoms, but taking more than the recommended dose can be dangerous. Pediatric researchers have since said misuse of the medication among adolescents and young adults has continued beyond the first wave of attention, with reports involving heart arrhythmias, seizures, coma and death.
Social media companies have said they restrict content that promotes dangerous challenges. TikTok said content encouraging behavior that could lead to serious injury violates its community rules and is removed. The company also said searches for the Benadryl challenge have redirected users to safety and substance support resources for several years. YouTube said it has long-standing policies barring content that encourages dangerous challenges or substance abuse that could lead to serious injury or death.
Presson said he is speaking publicly because he believes faster awareness could have changed the outcome for his family. “If someone would have spoke sooner and made us aware, this could have saved countless lives,” he said. His comments focused on the speed of the incident and the difficulty of recognizing a trend that can spread through private messages, short videos and conversations among teens before adults know it exists.
The case remained a family-reported death as of Wednesday, July 8, with no public investigative findings released in the initial report. The next major development would be any official confirmation from medical or local authorities on the cause and manner of death.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.