FDA tells public not to cook chicken in Nyquil after 'sleepy chicken' TikTok video goes viral

Health chiefs have said consuming chicken cooked in cough medicine could be fatal.
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Public health experts have been forced to take action after videos appearing to show people cooking chicken in Nyquil went viral on TikTok.

Nyquil is a cough medicine, used to alleviate symptoms of colds and flu. It contains acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and doxylamine.

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While taking too much Nyquil in its liquid state could be dangerous, boiling it can make things even worse - to the point where its chemical properties may change.

Furthermore, boiling chicken in Nyquil will release vapours - which, if inhaled, could impact upon the lungs.

The FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) said: “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.

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“Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realising it,” a spokesperson said.

The FDA also suggested that consuming “sleepy chicken” could be fatal, especially to young children.

“Social media trends and peer pressure can be a dangerous combination to your children and their friends, especially when involving misusing medicines,” said a FDA spokesperson.

“One social media trend relying on peer pressure is online video clips of people misusing nonprescription medications and encouraging viewers to do so too. These video challenges, which often target youths, can harm people — and even cause death.”

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The spokesperson addedL “Nonprescription (also called over-the-counter or OTC) drugs are readily available in many homes, making these challenges even more risky. OTC drugs can pose significant risks if they’re misused or abused.”

Nyquil and Dayquil themselves have taken to Twitter to reinforce that they do not condone this behaviour. They also mentioned that consumption of Nyquil should not exceed four doses over a space of 24 hours.

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