FDA tip for anti-itch gel medication: Don’t eat it

When you’ve got an itch that no amount of scratching will get rid of, some gel might help. As long as you put it in the right place.

It seems some consumers have swallowed Benadryl Extra Strength Itch Stopping Gel instead of applying it topically. So the FDA issued a “consumer update” with this basic message: “Don’t do that!”

The agency reports that oral ingestion side effects include confusion, unconsciousness, and hallucinations.

Meanwhile, the folks at Johnson & Johnson (the maker of Benadryl) are doing what they can to help. They’ve changed the label to make the instruction “For Skin Use Only” more prominent. They’ve put a similar label on the product’s cap. And finally, they’ve begun studies to figure out why some consumers are misusing the gel.

That’s a study I’d like to see in action.

Researcher: Why did you take the gel orally?
Subject: It looked delicious!
Researcher: But when it tasted bad why didn’t you spit it out?
Subject: I was itchy

Hard to argue with that.

Source:
“Don’t Swallow Benadryl Itch Stopping Gel—Use on Skin” FDA Consumer Update, 5/12/10, fda.gov