Comparison of Adverse Drug Events Data: Twitter Social Media Tweets versus Reports to the FDA FAERS System

This web site presents project posters from the Purdue University School of Nursing Evidence Based Practice in Nursing course taught by Professor Janet Thorlton. Each project poster compares adverse drug events (ADEs) for a specific drug described by data from Twitter social media tweets versus data reported to the FDA and documented in the FAERS system. Students used the SafeRx Database to query and analyze FAERS data.

The SafeRx project is a collaboration between the Center for Medication Safety Advancement (CMSA) at the College of Pharmacy and the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing at Purdue University.

Click on a drug name to view the student poster.

Spring Semester 2017

Project Authors: S. Berrios, M. Cruse, C. Hetisimer, M. Huffman, K. Krcelich, A. Schneider Project Description:.Nexplanon is a subdermal Progestin implant that is inserted into the inner side of the upper, non-dominant arm. Nexplanon is used therapeutically as a form of female contraception, which is defined as the prevention of pregnancy. Our group was interested in researching this drug because the average cost for one device is $925.82, and it may or may not be covered by insurance.	Project Authors: E. Birlson, A. Mickow, R. Neligan, M. O'Malley Project Description: Medical marijuana was chosen in order to research it as a new form of treatment for epilepsy. We will compare 300 random tweets collected between 01/01/2016 to 01/01/2017 to the side effects on FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS).	Project Authors: N. Bryan, R. Kwong, A. Lubelski, L. Triscari, M. Tuskey, L. Tyler Project Description: Adderall was the drug of interest during our research. We chose Adderall due to its widespread use, as well as occasional abuse among young adults and college age students. We compared data from 300 randomly selected tweets to the FAERS data base in order to see trends and commonalities in reported adverse events. The date ranges for the tweets and FAERS reports were the same.	Project Authors: M. Cooper, C. Hamilton, S. Kincade, E. Maegerlein, A., Sagstetter, H. Tompa Project Description: According to FAERS data, over 2,300 reports have been made related to adverse effect of Adderall. In order to compare the FAERS reports to public discussion of adverse effects, we collected 300 tweets from Twitter related to the adverse effects of Adderall. We only reviewed tweets that were posted between January 1, 2016 and June 30, 2016. We used the following keywords to include as many slang terms for Adderall as possible: "Adderall OR adderall OR Addy OR addy". Tweets were only collected if they were originally written by the person posting the tweet.	Project Authors: P. Akella, R. Dristas, M. Krol, T. Phillips, E. Schneider, K. Stanley Project Description: Albuterol was selected because it is one of the most common drugs prescribed for the treatment of COPD and its symptoms. 300 tweets were randomly collected as a sample on 02/20/2017 with tweets dating between 01/01/2017 and 02/20/2017.
Project Authors: Alexis Hash, Jessie Lee, Carlie Schneider, Morgan Dinsmore, Ania Niezgoda Project Description:. Rifampin is an antibiotic that is mainly used to treat or prevent Tuberculosis. For this project, we used Twitter data and SafeRx FAERS data to compare the most common reported adverse effect of this drug.	Project Authors: E. Budzon, M. Gerst, C. Happ, T. Pacillo Project Description: Vyvanse was selected because it is one of the primary pharmacological treatment options for ADHD patients. 300 tweets were selected and analyzed to assess the drug's most significant adverse events dating from 12/14/2015 to 12/25/2015. This data was then compared to peer-reviewed data from the FAERS database.	Project Authors: S. Dillingham, B. Godfrey, M. Michel, E. Miller, K. Ritzenhaler Project Description: Tamoxifen is an oral estrogen modulator that is used as treatment of metastatic breast cancer and adjuvant therapy for early breast cancer following surgery or radiation therapy. It also serves as a preventative measure for those who are at high risk of developing breast cancer, especially estrogen dependent breast cancer. To top 300 tweets were randomly collected a a sample on February 23, 2017, with tweets ranging from January 1, 2012 through February 23, 2017.	Project Authors: B. Avis, A. Yule, A. Allred, A. Fritchley Project Description: Adderall is a prescription stimulant that is commonly used to treat narcolepsy and ADHD because it helps to focus attention and combat behaviors. Recently, college students nationwide have been using Adderall recreationally for a burst of energy, and an increase in productivity, during busy times of the semester. Our group compared adverse effects reported on Twitter with those reported on the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS)	Project Authors: Ashley Bowerman, Ali Davidson, Libby Peterson, Morgan Resler, Shannon Roberts, Kennice Wroblewski Project Description: 16% of women in the US ages 15-44 y.o. rely on oral contraception for relief from dysmenorrhea, acne, PMS, hypermenorrhea, anemia and other medical complications related to menstruation (CDC, 2017). Finding a safe and effective oral contraceptive can be a challenge due to the tendency to elicit harsh and potentially fatal adverse reactions. We compared Twitter and FAERS data to determine the safety of Yaz as an oral contraceptive for women who are dependent on these pharmaceuticals for their medical conditions.
Project Authors: T. Ryken, F. Guillen, H. Kore Project Description: Captopril was the drug of choice because it is an ACE inhibitor, which is one of the most common drug choices to treat Hypertension.	Project Authors: Reilly Dillon, Hailee Elderkin, Sally Everett, Christian Guzman, Erin Ryan, Tiffany Springmeyer Project Description: Isotretinoin (Accutane) was selected because it is prescribed as the top ten acne medication for moderate and severe acne. 300 tweets were randomly collected on 27 February 2017 for a sample with dates ranging from 26 April 2010 to 27 February 2017.

Fall Semester 2016

Project Authors:Whitney Stedman, Carly York, Samantha Walesky, Madeline Tutich Project Description:Our group studied the prescription drug Olanzapine to collect data on the adverse effects talked about on social media versus FAERS data when used in treating Schizophrenia.	Project Authors: Kaitlyn Borowitz, Megan Bostick, Abbie Dralle, Rita Kendrick, Grace Malson, Annabelle Papai, Yi Tong Project Description: Accutane is an oral drug that is used to treat severe nodular acne. It is a form of Vitamin A that decreases the amount of oil secreted by oil glands. Accutane was selected to be studied because it is commonly used among teenagers, and that age group uses Twitter more than other generations to express their thoughts.	Project Authors: Claire Hornsby, Shelbie Huffmeyer, Taylor McBride, Ann Keimig Project Description: Neurontin is a drug used for treating epilepsy and neuropathy. We compared SafeRx FAERS data and Twitter data on the adverse reactions for Neurontin. We were curious about the differences between reported adverse drug reactions on different platforms.	Project Authors: Carson Mulvehill, Kiley Wendt, Elisabeth Eagan, Nicolas Moniz Project Description: Depression is common among adolescents and quite prevalent in our society. On average, 1 in 6 people will experience depression at some stage in their life. Lexapro is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRI) class used to treat depression and anxiety.	Project Authors: Allison Dugan, Sharon Benjamin, Brooke Wasserman, Maria Frenzel, Lindsey Haehl Project Description: Adderall was selected because it is a commonly used drug among all age groups. The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains multiple reports of Adderall reactions. 300 tweets (ranging from 6/3/2014 - 10/26/2016) were collected to compare adverse effects to the reported FAERS data.
Project Authors: B. Connor, K. Joseph, A. Hershberger, J. Zielinski Project Description: Zoloft was selected because it is a highly reported drug to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). 300 tweets were randomly collected as a sample on 10/8/2016 with tweets with dates ranging from 12/7/15 - 10/8/16.	Project Authors: Jessica Stillson, Carolyn Wehman, Kaitlyn Schriver, Kara Gromnicki, Kiersten Smith, Lauren Kirwan Project Description: Vyvanse was selected because it is one of the top drugs for treatment of ADHD. The top 300 tweets were chosen from Twitter as a sample on 10/17/2016 with tweets with dates ranging from 10/11/2016 to 10/19/2016.	Project Authors: Sarah Burgen, Nicolette De Micco, Allison Kiley, Abigail Rector, Lucy Schenkel Project Description: We chose to use Zoloft because there were multiple adverse effects on both Twitter and within the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System 300 tweets were randomly seleted as a sample on 10/20/16 with tweets ranging from 09/04/16 to 10/17/16.	Project Authors: Emily Pawluk, Maria Touvannis, Jessica Helder, Sarah Myers Project Description: Tamoxifen was selected because it is a common breast cancer drug for women battling breast cancer. Tamoxifen was frequently reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). 300 tweets were randomly collected as a sample on 10/6/16 with tweets ranging from 12/6/13 to 10/5/16.	Project Authors:Sarah Leuther, Jeeeun Park, Anna Reed Project Description: Prozac was selected because it is one of the most common antidepressants.
Project Authors: Megan Puckett, Megan Haan, Allison Nevill, Anna Shultz, Hannah Laffin, Isabelle Boeck Project Description: Albuterol was chosen for its effectiveness in asthmatic patients; however, according to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), there are many adverse effects reported with the use of this drug. 159 tweets were collected as a sample with dates ranging from 09/23/16 to 10/16/16 to compare the Twitter data with FAERS.	Project Authors: Sarah Rominger, Abby Mochel, Brianna Stephan, Brian Matejcak, Elise Guveiyian, Julie Harlow Project Description: Prozac was chosen because it is one of many commonly prescribed antidepressants. 300 tweets were randomly collected between 10/18/2016 and 10/25/2016 including tweets posted between 10/17/2016 and 10/25/2016.	Project Authors: Anna Krefta, Michala Highes, Abby Wagner, Molly Wagner, Rachel Ritchie, Sarma Miller, and Yooyoung Kim Project Description: Zoloft was selected because it is a well-known selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that is mainly used to treat depresssion. 300 tweets, with dates ranging from 7/28/16 to 10/10/16 were randomly selected as a sample on 10/10/16.