FDA Warns Against Dangerous Social Media Challenge: Cooking Chicken in NyQuil

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning about the dangers of a social media challenge that involves cooking chicken in NyQuil. Dubbed “NyQuil chicken” or “sleepy chicken,” the challenge involves cooking chicken breasts in a pan while they’re coated in NyQuil.

The challenge has been making the rounds on TikTok and Twitter for months, but seems to have picked up in popularity again recently. The FDA specifically warns that making NyQuil chicken could be “very unsafe” and “even cause death.”

But what is NyQuil chicken and why is it so dangerous? Doctors break it down.

What is NyQuil chicken?

Videos of people making this “dish” floating around TikTok all follow a similar vein: You put raw chicken breasts in a pan and then pour NyQuil over top while they’re cooking. The chicken is eventually fully cooked, with the NyQuil essentially acting as a marinade.

It’s not entirely clear where the idea for this came from, but one widely circulated tweet on the topic dates back to 2017. “If she makes you nyquil chicken…do NOT let her go,” the poster wrote, alongside photos of chicken breasts that turned green after being cooked in NyQuil.

What is NyQuil again?

NyQuil is an over-the-counter medication that’s generally used to suppress coughs, along with treating other symptoms of the cold and flu. But there are a few formulations available.

“NyQuil is a combination of three different medications that each have different effects,” says Mark Conroy, M.D., emergency medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Acetaminophen is a pain reliever, dextromethorphan acts as a cough suppressant, and doxylamine is an antihistamine that works by blocking histamine in the body, relieving allergy-like symptoms.”

Some formulations also contain phenylephrine—a decongestant—or guaifenesin, which increases mucous clearance in the body, says Jamie K. Alan, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.

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Why is NyQuil chicken bad for you?

There are a few reasons why NyQuil chicken can be really bad for you, per the FDA’s warning. “Boiling a medication can make it much more concentrated and change its properties in other ways,” the agency notes. “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.”

Cooking this odd combination can even hurt your lungs, the FDA says. “Put simply: Someone could take a dangerously high amount of the cough and cold medicine without even realizing it,” the warning reads.

Alan stresses the importance of not heating up NyQuil. “NyQuil has these medications in a certain quantity within the liquid, which contains a significant amount of water,” she explains. “By boiling the water out, you concentrate the medications into a small volume.”

That can cause you to take large quantities of the medication and put you at risk for a slew of potentially serious issues. “Acetaminophen can cause liver toxicity. Doxylamine can cause drowsiness, disorientation, and a slow heart rate,” Alan says. “Phenylephrine can increase blood pressure. Dextromethorphan is the typical drug that people desire to concentrate from cough medications. Side effects from dextromethorphan include dizziness, nausea and can also include arrhythmia and coma.” Basically, you could get really sick from this.

Inhaling the medication could cause you to take more of it than you mean to, as the FDA warns, but it can also “potentially harm the tissues of your lungs, leading to inflammation and difficulty breathing,” Dr. Conroy says. “Another issue is vaporizing these medications, which may be associated with increased absorption, as inhaling can be much more effective than oral administration,” says Pranav Kidambi, M.D., a pulmonologist at Spectrum Health. The doxylamine and diphenhydramine in the medications in particular “can cause a variety of negative and life threatening effects” if they’re misused, he adds.

At baseline, you really should follow a medication’s instructions for use, says Andrew North, Pharm.D., pharmacy specialist and emergency medicine doctor at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Medicines are designed to be safe and effective when taken as directed,” he says. “When altering the medications, there can be possibly concerns for toxicity and poisoning.”

While eating chicken that’s been dunked in NyQuil is probably not high on your to-do list, experts say this is a social media trend you want to take a pass on. “Just avoid it and follow the instructions that come with the medication,” Dr. Conroy says. “Over the counter medications might be easily purchased, but can still harm people when used inappropriately.”

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