ChiefsFanatic
04-18-2008, 03:45 PM
I just wanted to let all parents know about this, because I had no idea, but learned the hard way.
Apparently, when benadryl is taken in high doses it produces hallucinations. My 11 year old daughter has severe excema, and has taken benadryl in the past to help her with the itching. While visiting my mother, she needed to take some, and my mother sent her home with a bottle. My daughter is a very intelligent, gifted student who the school has tried to move up a grade twice. She did not tell us about the benadryl, and instead kept it in her room. She figured we gave it to her anyway, so why not just keep it with her. I did not know she had this bottle at all.
On Thursday morning she woke my wife and I at about 7:00 am, and told us that there were bugs all over her. We looked her over, and there were no bugs to be seen, but she would not accept this. She started to become hystrerical, screaming and wiping these bugs off her skin. She acted like any 11 year old girl would if they were really covered in bugs they could not get rid of.
Needless to say, this was scary as hell. I was not sure if she had taken some illegal drugs she received at school, or if she was having a psychotic break with reality. I took her to Children's Mercy. On the drive from Blue Springs she acted like the woman from the anti-drug meth commercial. As a parent this was an extremely scary thing to witness. She screamed and kept begging me to get the bugs off her and to make it stop.
At the hospital they took blood and urine, and determined that she had benadryl in her system, and that hallucinations and the other symptoms she was having stemmed from a high dosage benadryl. During this time she became convinced that the bugs had started to eat her clothes. It was very hard to watch her be so terrified, and not being able to help her. After several hours the hallucinations stopped, but we had to wait for her heart rate to become normal. It remained very elevated for a couple of hours after the hallucinations stopped.
As stated above, my daughter is not stupid, but she claimed that she did not take any benadryl since Monday. Benadryl only stays in your system for about 18 hours. I could not get her to budge from this statement. I did some research online, and discovered that many people take large amounts of benadryl specifically to trip and see hallucinations. I never knew this, and could not believe that something that you can get over the counter could be so well known for tripping.
As it turns out, another girl at her school had recently done the same thing, and other students became aware of what she had taken. I can't get her to admit she did it on purpose, and I don't even want to believe that she did it on purpose. From talking to some other parents, they have heard stories of several school kids from Blue Springs doing this.
So, if you have children in school, please be aware that this fad may be starting to sweep through the schools. From my research I also learned that dramamine can be used in the same way.
Maybe everyone already knew this, but I hope I informed at least one of you. It is not something I would want any of you to have to experience.
Apparently, when benadryl is taken in high doses it produces hallucinations. My 11 year old daughter has severe excema, and has taken benadryl in the past to help her with the itching. While visiting my mother, she needed to take some, and my mother sent her home with a bottle. My daughter is a very intelligent, gifted student who the school has tried to move up a grade twice. She did not tell us about the benadryl, and instead kept it in her room. She figured we gave it to her anyway, so why not just keep it with her. I did not know she had this bottle at all.
On Thursday morning she woke my wife and I at about 7:00 am, and told us that there were bugs all over her. We looked her over, and there were no bugs to be seen, but she would not accept this. She started to become hystrerical, screaming and wiping these bugs off her skin. She acted like any 11 year old girl would if they were really covered in bugs they could not get rid of.
Needless to say, this was scary as hell. I was not sure if she had taken some illegal drugs she received at school, or if she was having a psychotic break with reality. I took her to Children's Mercy. On the drive from Blue Springs she acted like the woman from the anti-drug meth commercial. As a parent this was an extremely scary thing to witness. She screamed and kept begging me to get the bugs off her and to make it stop.
At the hospital they took blood and urine, and determined that she had benadryl in her system, and that hallucinations and the other symptoms she was having stemmed from a high dosage benadryl. During this time she became convinced that the bugs had started to eat her clothes. It was very hard to watch her be so terrified, and not being able to help her. After several hours the hallucinations stopped, but we had to wait for her heart rate to become normal. It remained very elevated for a couple of hours after the hallucinations stopped.
As stated above, my daughter is not stupid, but she claimed that she did not take any benadryl since Monday. Benadryl only stays in your system for about 18 hours. I could not get her to budge from this statement. I did some research online, and discovered that many people take large amounts of benadryl specifically to trip and see hallucinations. I never knew this, and could not believe that something that you can get over the counter could be so well known for tripping.
As it turns out, another girl at her school had recently done the same thing, and other students became aware of what she had taken. I can't get her to admit she did it on purpose, and I don't even want to believe that she did it on purpose. From talking to some other parents, they have heard stories of several school kids from Blue Springs doing this.
So, if you have children in school, please be aware that this fad may be starting to sweep through the schools. From my research I also learned that dramamine can be used in the same way.
Maybe everyone already knew this, but I hope I informed at least one of you. It is not something I would want any of you to have to experience.