The FDA has issued a warning over a cooking craze that has gone viral on TikTok to let the public know how dangerous this social media challenge can be.
Social media is riddled with challenges that encourage users to engage in dares. Some are harmless fun, while others pose serious health risks. “The Sleepy Chicken” falls into the second category. This challenge, which recently became a hit on TikTok, involves cooking chicken in Nyquil, according to TMZ. The FDA is sounding the alarm with a post on its website warning anyone that is tempted to take on this “very unsafe” dare.
.@US_FDA has issued a warning against a TikTok trend of kids cooking chicken with NyQuil. CNN medical correspondent @drtaranarula talks about the dangers of following this trend.
Watch here: https://t.co/KBAPorqUYJ
— CNN (@CNN) September 20, 2022
The FDA explains that acetaminophen, dextromethorphan and doxylamine are found in Nyquil and confirms that the cough and cold medication is not intended to be mixed into a meal. The FDA also notes that boiling medication can make the medicine far more dangerous than it is in its original form.
“Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways,” the FDA post reads. (RELATED: 9-Year-Old Strangled Self To Death Attempting TikTok Challenge, Parents Say)
FDA Advises TikTok Users Not To Try Viral NyQuil Chicken Recipe https://t.co/4v0tt9q4PR #WeGotUs #SourceLove pic.twitter.com/NEQDFzQOv1
— The Source Magazine (@TheSource) September 20, 2022
“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,” the warning continues.
Someone consuming meat marinated in Nyquil also has no idea how much medication they are actually consuming, and the results could be catastrophic, TMZ noted.
The FDA directs readers to the ‘Drug Facts’ label that is found on their medications for information on how to safely consume the product.
“The label tells you what the medicine is supposed to do, who should or shouldn’t take it, and how to use it,” the FDA explains.