Web Monitoring as an Early Warning System: “Benadryl Challenge” Online Mentions correlate with diphenhydramine overdoses reported to US Poison Centers

Web Monitoring as an Early Warning System: “Benadryl Challenge” Online Mentions correlate with diphenhydramine overdoses reported to US Poison Centers | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 February 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Web Monitoring as an Early Warning System: “Benadryl Challenge” Online Mentions correlate with diphenhydramine overdoses reported to US Poison Centers Authors : Jacob Altholz 0000-0001-8253-6439 [email protected] , Hannah St. Francis , and Christopher Hoyte Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177087971.18780960/v1 145 views 103 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Purpose: Social media has propagated several “challenges” that engage primarily adolescents in life-threatening behaviors such as the “Benadryl Challenge,” where participants filmed themselves ingesting large doses of diphenhydramine. Once shared online, these activities have the potential to propagate, leading to an increase in those seeking emergency healthcare. Methods: This study correlated call volume from poison centers with online mentions of the Benadryl Challenge. Data was collected from the National Poison Data System (NPDS) and the RADARS® Web Monitoring Program across July 1 to December 31, 2020. The NPDS provided diphenhydramine-related call volume across poison centers and the RADARS® Web Monitoring Program estimated the total number of online mentions related to the Benadryl Challenge across online platforms, blogs, forums, and news websites. Analysis utilized cross-correlation statistics, identifying lead-lag relationships between the datasets. Results: Cross-correlation analysis revealed a reciprocal relationship with an increase in all diphenhydramine-related calls predicting a consistent but not statistically significant increase in web mentions. Following the first spike in web mentions was a statistically significant increase in adolescent-only related calls. The increase in poison center calls was consistently elevated over baseline for over 25 days following the spike in web mentions. Conclusions: Poison center call volume and web mentions demonstrate a reciprocal relationship and poison center call volume remained elevated for over 25 days after the spike in web mentions. Emergency services/departments and public health efforts can be informed real-time by these relationships as an early warning to healthcare facilities and professionals and may justify integration within these spaces to educate and prevent harm. Supplementary Material File (pds-26-0135-file001.docx) Download 1.97 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 February 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords benadryl challenge diphenhydramine drug surveillance overdose pharmacovigilance poison centers toxicology Authors Affiliations Jacob Altholz 0000-0001-8253-6439 [email protected] Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety View all articles by this author Hannah St. Francis Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center View all articles by this author Christopher Hoyte Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 145 views 103 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Jacob Altholz, Hannah St. Francis, Christopher Hoyte. Web Monitoring as an Early Warning System: “Benadryl Challenge” Online Mentions correlate with diphenhydramine overdoses reported to US Poison Centers. Authorea . 12 February 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177087971.18780960/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. 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