TikTokers are warned against ‘unsafe trend’ that involves cooking chicken in NyQuil cough medicine

Many people have hurt themselves and others while trying unsafe social media trends in the hopes of going viral.

The FDA in The United States has stepped in amid an alleged TikTok trend that sees people cook their chicken in medicine.

The “sleep chicken” social media challenge sees TikTokers cook chicken in NyQuil, which is an over-the-counter medication commonly used to treat cold and flu symptoms.

However it contains acetaminophen, dextromethorphan and doxylamine - which when boiled can become “much more concentrated”.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a federal agency for The USA’s Department of Health and Human Services, has issued a statement called the trend a “recipe for danger”.

It reads: “The challenge sounds silly and unappetizing — and it is. But it could also be very unsafe. Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways.

“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.

“Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it.”

The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter medication.

Part of the statement explains how parents can protect their children from these disturbing challenges.

The agency suggests locking up medications and discussing drug misuse.

They wrote: “First, keep both OTC and prescription drugs away from children, and lock up these medications to prevent accidental overdose.

“Sit down with your children and discuss the dangers of misusing drugs and how social media trends can lead to real, sometimes irreversible, damage.

“Remind your children that overdoses can occur with OTC drugs as well as with prescription drugs.”

Despite the concern from the FDA, some media outlets have argued “sleep chicken” isn’t a new trend as videos of the challenge are not easy to find and it was started as a 4-Chan joke a few years ago.

Howver, this is not the first time the FDA has had to step in concerning social media challenges that use non-prescription medicine.

In September 2020, the Benadryl Challenge saw TikTokers encouraged to take large doses of the antihistamine to induce hallucinations.

Benadryl is an antihistamine medication, containing Diphenhydramine - taking excessive doses can cause health issues, and even death in some situations.

It was reported that a 15-year-old girl from Oklahoma died following this challenge, and many teens began suffering from morbidity.