Written by Dr. Shavon Chambers, Assistant Coordinator, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Throughout my childhood and most of my adult life I never hesitated to take the medication prescribed to me by my doctor. I often remember seeing a list of side effects on the prescription label sheet and would simply throw it away without hesitation. This approach came to a screeching halt when one day while getting ready for work I found myself covered in sweat. It was so intense that I had to change my shirt because it was saturated with moisture. While I have always been one to sweat easily, I could not recall ever being drenched from a simple act of getting dressed in the morning. This new occurrence left me confused and quite troubled.
Once I arrived at work, I had a discussion with the school nurse. She asked me if I was taking any new medications. After some thought I mentioned that I had recently switched medicine to treat the nerve pain from my fibromyalgia. She then asked if I had read the side effects on the label cover sheet. I was ashamed to share that my habit was to simply remove the medication from the bag and throw away what I considered excess garbage. At that moment I realized that despite still learning about fibromyalgia, I never thought it was necessary to read about the medications prescribed to me by my rheumatologist.
After leaving the nurse’s office, I logged into my chart to read about the side effects of the newly prescribed medication. Ninth on the long list of side effects was “sweating”. I felt a sense of relief, but also shock and confusion at the same time. After four weeks of taking the new medicine, it had decreased my nerve pain tremendously. However, in addition to the sweating, I also experienced additional side effects which included difficulty sleeping, headaches, dry mouth, and occasional dizziness. I truly felt at a loss for what to do next. The pain from fibromyalgia was excruciating and impacted my daily lifestyle. Additionally, the new reality of being covered in sweat daily was embarrassing and uncomfortable.
As I reflected on my dilemma, I recalled a Health Provider Engagement Coordinator sharing information about the All of Us Research Program. During that discussion, I learned that the program strives to figure out which treatments work best for people of different backgrounds.
Research using All of Us data also focuses on the intersection of three factors: biology, environment and lifestyle. It could determine why factors such as certain foods and medication bring on side effects and how they differ from person to person.
This motivated me to read the fine print and take the time to research more about how I could continue to take the newly prescribed fibromyalgia medication but decrease the occurrence of multiple side effects. I am still in the process of figuring out the best approach for my medication journey. My hope is that in the future others with similar experiences will have access to medicine that is specifically tailored to treat, prevent and cure based on their genetic attributes. I look forward to the day when we will not have to sacrifice comfort due to side effects caused by medication.