Paid medical trials - what's the craic?

Question

Been giving some thought to participating in some medical trials to help pay off some debt from Uni.
Just wondering if anyone has taken part in any such experiment and wouldn't mind sharing their experience as the web sites seem to skirt around the actual details of what you'll be subjected to:
Where was your trial? What did they actually do to you? How long did it last? How much were you paid?
Cheers.

Answer 1

Some members of my family have participated in medical trials.

There are various types - either those where employees of a pharmaceutical company are invited to enter the trial, or the more commercial ones where trial candidates are sought publicly.

Drug trials can vary from the very basic to the very extreme. Sometimes the money is good - sometimes it's lousy.

Pharamceutical companies need to run trials on their drugs which have already received quite extensive testing (on animals). What they are looking for is mostly concerned with results from blood tests. ie. They'll give you a drug (or even a placebo - a tablet that does absolutely nothing) and then take blood every few hours to see how your body reacts to it.

The reason they need to use placebos is to disprove any notion that it's 'mind over matter' or 'a curious anomaly').

You can be sure that those running clinical trials do NOT want anybody to suffer illness over it. The bad publicity is crippling to them.

To be considered for a trial you need to meet the trial criteria. This varies depending on the drug, but often they'll be looking for people who have not taken medication that they're actually trying to trial against. Simple example. They're producing a new heart drug. They do not want somebody who has been taking heart medication for the past two years. They do not want people who are obese or smokers. These are the sorts of criteria they set out, but it changes depending on what the trial is about.

Trials for HIV drugs are highly sought after and Pharamceutical companies get inundated with applicants to the point where the pharmaceutical company keeps it hush hush. So, it's a very closely guarded area - after all - the cost of devloping a drug to the point of trialing is immense and the trial co-ordinator wants to be sure that the trials members are the right people for the job. (eg. Past indications of poor adherence to medication dosing is a bad sign. ie. We can;t trust this person to take the med at the right time or, this person says they will not drink alcohol - but they have done in the past.).

Think carefully. And ask questions before you go ahead.

Answer 2

I am an alternative medicinal therapist and an ex nurse and I can tell you that I know a few people who have done this and the tests have gone badly wrong. I can tell you of one person that went for test trials for a vaccine, and ended up in hospital with a very bad allergic reaction.You do not get compensation.I wouldn't help the medical profession to kill anymore humans off. I'll stick to what God made, it's far safer.

Gloria(BSYA)

Answer 3

Two men remain critically ill and four others are in a serious condition after suffering a violent reaction while taking part in a clinical drugs trial.

Answer 4

well recently there has been bad press, a load of healthy people went on a trial and came out with cancer,

my mate was offered £600 if they could stop his heart,

be very careful,

Answer 5

no way wouldn't even think about it
once working pay off the debt or change your name, flee the country , anything but take an unknown drug unless u fancy to be paid to commit suicide!

Answer 6

Danger - Danger- Danger. Why do you think they skirt around the actual details?