If you see kids experimenting in the kitchen by cooking chicken breasts in a pan with an uncommon ingredient, you must warn them of the dangers of following this new viral stunt called the Sleepy Chicken TikTok trend.
According to the New York Post, the Sleepy Chicken TikTok trend is slowly gaining popularity on the video-sharing platform among millennials who want to try new and "healthy" food. However, this recipe calls for braising the chicken in at least half a bottle of NyQuil, the cold and flu medication, for at least five minutes.
However, the soaking solution doesn't sit well with Dr. Jeff Foster, a general practitioner, who said that the viral TikTok stunt is "not just stupid, but incredibly dangerous."
What Happens When Chicken is Cooked in NyQuil?
Whoever invented the Sleepy Chicken TikTok trend thought this food would bring beneficial health benefits, especially during the flu season. However, Foster said that heating a cough medicine like NyQuil will change the concentration of the ingredients, making the chicken meat "super-concentrated" with some of the drugs' components like antihistamines, decongestants, acetaminophen, and dextromethorphan.
Another medical practitioner, Dr. Aaron Hartman, a clinician at the Virginia Commonwealth University, told Mic that anyone eating cooked cutlets of a NyQuil-infused chicken is actually "consuming a quarter to half a bottle of NyQuil." He also said that boiling the ingredients will allow the inhalation of NyQuil, which can enter the bloodstream faster without the liver processing it.
"This effect can be quite bad depending on how much you inhale," Hartman said, adding that this could lead to acute liver poisoning, which will make a sick person feel a lot worse.
Both experts reminded the public that medications are taken in doses for an important reason -- to avoid an overdose. The other ill-effects of this TikTok stunt include vomiting, dizziness, seizures, as well as death.
Was it Supposed to be a Joke?
Forbes reported that the original video instruction of the NyQuil chicken appeared to be a joke, but the danger lies with the content creator never clarifying if he's doing a cooking lesson, a parody, or health advice. However, it was hard to take the cooking video seriously upon closer scrutiny because NyQuil typically doesn't taste good, unlike a strong ingredient like bourbon.
Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, a medical doctor and journalist, said that he hopes people on the internet will stop cooking food using the medication and stop showing stunts like this on social media. A spokesperson for Procter & Gamble said they are not encouraging the dangerous use of their products other than for what it's intended. Since NyQuil is an over-the-counter medication for treating nighttime symptoms of the flu and cold, it should be taken as directed by the doctor. Meanwhile, TikTok has deleted the earlier videos of the Sleepy Chicken TikTok trend, but new ones are still popping every day.
The doctors also said that if the kids are experiencing a cold, the best thing to do is get plenty of sleep and rest and drink lots of fluids. It could help to gargle salt and water for sore throat and then drink a medication properly.
Related Article: COVID-19 vs Colds? How To Tell if a Child Has Coronavirus From School
