Social media is known to inspire bizarre trends, but one recent wave of appalling behavior really seemed to take stupidity to a new level: Women are shoving allergy tablets up their vaginas in response to TikTok videos. Thus, pharmacists are warning them against such baffling behavior.
As reported by the BBC, in Kenya, women have adopted the practice in hopes of making their holes tighter and moister, thereby boosting the pleasurability of sex, as promised by the geniuses posting on TikTok. As we will explore, the opposite effect is being achieved…
Cetirizine is the widely available drug at the heart of the controversy — it is used to treat sneezing, runny noses, irritated throats, itchy eyes, and skin reactions. Cetirizine is meant to be orally ingested and comes in various forms: pills meant to be swallowed whole, chewable tablets, dissolvable tablets, even syrups. Cetirizine is found in Zyrtec, for example.
Women Are Putting Allergy Pills in Their Vaginas Because of TikTok, and Pharmacists Are Horrified
Antihistamines can cause dryness, which some seem to be mistaking for tightness; they, meanwhile, do absolutely nothing to strengthen the vaginal muscles. The Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya confirmed for the benefit of the public, “Dryness is not tightness… instead, it may increase friction, discomfort, and the risk of tissue injury.”
As The NY Post pointed out, Dr. Mercy Kay, a pharmacist from Nairobi, told her TikTok viewers, “The tablet’s ingredients, since it was not meant to be used vaginally, can also upset your healthy bacteria and [make you vulnerable] to more vaginal infections.” The tears caused also contribute to the likelihood of these infections, she noted.
PSK bluntly told citizens to “stop” the cetirizine madness if they have tried the trend. They cautioned, “Inserting oral tablets is unsafe. Cetirizine tablets are made to be swallowed. Their ingredients have not been tested on delicate vaginal tissue.”
The society further stated, “PSK is aware of reports of increased demand, price rises and stock shortages in some outlets. We urge pharmacies to keep to ethical pricing and to ensure that patients who genuinely need cetirizine for allergies are not left without their medicine.”
This is far from the first time that social media has suggested that impressionable netizens misuse popular allergy medications. Some may remember the “Benadryl Challenge,” which emerged in 2020 as a product of COVID-era restlessness and encouraged participants to ingest dangerous amounts of the drug in order to induce hallucinations.
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