American schoolchildren are suffering from seizures at a record rate due to over-the-counter medications

Parents are being reminded to keep medicines safe as more children suffer from seizures caused by over-the-counter pills.

US researchers said the number of people experiencing medical emergencies after taking medicines or illegal substances had doubled overall in the 15 years to 2023.

Among those aged six to 19 it had doubled, while among those under six it had risen 45 per cent.

The common hay fever and nasal congestion drug, Benadryl, was the most common drug that children overdosed on before having seizures. Antidepressant Wellbutrin was the third most common drug.

Dr. Christopher Holstege, a toxicologist at the University of Virginia who led the study, said: ‘It’s a stark reminder to parents and caregivers to store medications safely so children can’t get their hands on them.

‘The increase in seizures in children exposed to these drugs is extremely concerning and must be addressed.’

He added: ‘In the US we also need to have a serious discussion about whether products like diphenhydramine should be sold in containers containing such large quantities of pills.’

The study used data from the American National Poison Data System on seizures recorded in children between 2009 and 2023.

The study also found that tramadol, sold under the brand name Ultram and an opioid for pain in adults, was the second most common drug given to children before having seizures.

And the fourth most common was Spice or K2, the name given to illegal synthetic cannabinoid substances.

Benadryl is an antihistamine that can bind to receptors in the brain and stimulate the nervous system. Overstimulation from exceptionally high doses can lead to seizures, doctors say.

Overall, the study found that the number of children hospitalized for seizures from over-the-counter medications increased by about five percent each year.

In 2009, there were 1,418 cases among people under the age of 20. But by 2023 this had risen to 2,749 cases.

The results of the study were presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark.

It comes after several deaths among children who took part in the viral craze called the ‘Benadryl Challenge’ – which involved taking up to fourteen pills at a time to get high and experience hallucinations.

Chloe Marie Phillips, from Oklahoma, died at age 15 after taking an unknown number of Benadryl tablets for the challenge

She is pictured above in a photo from Facebook. Her great-aunt posted a now-deleted message urging others not to take up the challenge

The manufacturer says that children over 12 years old should not take more than four pills every four to six hours.

Among those who died after attempting the challenge was 13-year-old Jacob Howard Stevens of Greenfield, Ohio, who took 12 to 14 Benadryl pills at a time in April 2023.

The teenager was at home with friends and was filmed taking on the challenge before suddenly having seizures.

He was rushed to hospital, where scans showed there was no activity in his brain.

His parents were told he would never open his eyes, smile, walk or talk again. After six days in the hospital, his ventilator was turned off.

His grandmother Dianna Stevens said through tears: “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure another child doesn’t go through this.”

Justin Stevens, his father, described the day his son’s ventilator was turned off as the “worst day of his life.”

In another case from September 2020, 15-year-old Chloe Marie Phillips of Oklahoma died after overdosing on the drug. It is unclear how many pills she took.

Her great-aunt, Janette Sissy Leasure, said online at the time in a now-deleted post: “This has got to stop with taking our children or putting them in the hospital.

“Don’t let it take any more children…I don’t want families to go through what we’re going through right now.”