The so-called ‘tranquiliser challenge’ invites young people to take potentially dangerous drugs, and has already claimed several victims in Mexico. The situation is such that it is causing concern among the country’s authorities.
“The last one to fall asleep wins.” So goes the ‘tranquilizer challenge,’ now viral on TikTok, which involves taking clonazepam, a drug prescribed for epileptic seizures and anxiety, and then staying awake for as long as possible despite its sedative effects.
At the beginning of February, 15 students aged between 10 and 12 years old at a school in Guanajuato, Mexico, suffered the effects of this dangerous challenge. Some of them had to be hospitalised.
The Central American country has been seeing a wave of young people participating in this challenge over the past few months.
In January, eight students in the capital, Mexico City, and three others in the city of Monterrey, in the north of the country, previously fell victim to this challenge.
The situation is causing concern among Mexico’s authorities.
On Jan 25, health authorities issued a national alert warning against this challenge and the taking of clonazepam, which can be dangerous if taken other than in a medical context.
Authorities are urging the public to report pharmacies that sell the drug without a prescription.
Clonazepam is a member of the benzodiazepine family of drugs, known to be highly addictive. Clonazepam is usually used to treat epileptic seizures, nervousness and anxiety.
Its sedative action is powerful and can be felt in less than an hour. This medication relaxes all muscles and nerves.
However, it can have potentially serious side effects, such as tachycardia, breathing problems and convulsions. In high doses, it can even cause coma and death.
But it is not only the pharmacies selling such drugs without a prescription that are being targeted to stamp out the trend.
Following the hospitalisation of the Guanajuato students, the city’s mayor, Alejandro Navarro, also appealed to parents on his Facebook page, urging them to keep an eye on their children and their use of social networks.