Citizen's Forum: Where is the Help for Local High School Students Struggling with Benadryl Addiction?

A local mom writes about concerns on Benadryl abuse by local high schoolers, while hoping for more support for them, after her son recently went into psychosis, got help but then relapsed, even as she tried to alert his school and other parents of other possible troubled youths in his circles.

“They placed him on a legal hold,” she writes of her teenage son after a tragic event led him into a drug binge, becoming manic, having hallucinations and going to the ER in Reno during the last school year.

“Finally I was able to go through my son's socials and scour before he could delete anything. I found that he was using various forms of drugs. Also drinking but then something started happening and someone got the idea of getting high on Benadryl. I was reading no less than 20 kids or more taking 10, 15, 20 .... 40 pills at once,” she wrote to Our Town Reno in a detailed message, as she seeks to create more awareness.

“It creates apparently a full body calm but makes them feel like they have vibrant mental clarity. Perfect drug for teen gamers, right?“ she writes, with withdrawal effects lasting up to several weeks, and anxiety and insomnia lasting for months for some.

“This can be bought everywhere by anyone of any age. And most pharmacies don't even have it locked up,” she warns.

“We ended up placing my son in a residential faculty for treatment. While there my son disclosed that other kids were there also for Benadryl addiction but it did not seem like anyone was really treating this as serious of an addiction as other well-known drugs. My son was ultimately released early and set up with outpatient therapy.

I tried to get word out to the school and to [school police] about the event that occurred with my son …

I explained I had proof that the other boys in the group were in dangerous territory with the Benadryl usage and wanted (a police officer) make the parents aware of signs to look for and what to expect.

My son was in full blown psychosis for about 72 hours. He's not genuinely violent. But there were moments I was scared.

I couldn't imagine another parent mindlessly going through this with their teen son who may be bigger than them and may have history of aggression in the past.

To me it was urgent and there was urgency in my plea to him,” she then writes of asking a school police officer to help.

“I asked him to make all the parents aware, especially one in particular, because I was having difficulty figuring out who they were. We haven't lived here long at all. I also urged him to give this mother my name and contact details. He said will do.

Fast forward. My son is released… My son got right back into it. After his relapse he admitted that he rushed through treatment to be released. I get his phone back again at this time before he can delete anything and now I start seeing signs of manic behavior … and abuse from [another] teen again and I think I really need to find another way to contact this parent. I call that office again and do not receive a call back at all this time. I search. I finally find them. The parents are stunned,” she says alleging the parents were never notified about the Benadryl issue by the school deputy or anyone else despite her attempts to have them alerted.

“No one from the school let them know what we were dealing with our son. Completely in the dark….”

Feel free to share this article on local social media: