Medical trials?!?!

joblessummer12

Hi. i was looking into taking part in medical trials to earn some money. I was wondering has anyone done it and if so what their experiences were? would anyone recommend it or should i stay clear? any advice would be appreciated please.

bc3000

I'd like to know too. Is it worth the hassle? Getting there and if you have to stay overnight or whatever. And how dangerous are they ?!

mandi

I think you would have to be a monster raving loony , but then thats just my opinion . No one can be that strapped for cash ............... can they

Becles

I've had too many bad reactions including anaphylactic shock to prescribed medicines, so there's no way I would take something to test it!

hayley11

I've thought about it but then realised I don't like hospitals and i'm scared of needles and I generally think i'd hate it :rotfl: Plus you just never know how safe you are with these things do you? It would worry me far too much.

My OH went for one but they found something wrong with his heart (nothing serious) so he couldn't do it anyway.

southernscouser

I suffered side effects from one trial. But having two penises isn't the end of the world.

scotsbob

joblessummer12 wrote: »

Hi. i was looking into taking part in medical trials to earn some money. I was wondering has anyone done it and if so what their experiences were? would anyone recommend it or should i stay clear? any advice would be appreciated please.

I use to go for 10 days every year to the Cold Research Establishment in Salisbury, it's closed down now. You got free travel there and back, free board and lodging and some pocket money. Half the volunteers got the virus on day one the other half didn't. Then the medics tried to find cures. I was one of the first people in the UK to get Interferon.

I also did sleep trials when I was a student. That was a doddle at £50 a night.

Go for it, you won't get rich but you will meet interesting people and have little anecdotes to post on forums when you are older!

save-a-lot

My brother does it and pulls around £1000 a time.. he does it with Covance.. he has mixed feelings about it though, sometimes getting bored as the trials last a few days. Google healthyvolunteers - he wants to get on a trial with AZ as I think they pay a better amount I believe.

Me. I would not do it. Too squeemish, hate needles, especially canulars, and I do not fancy being woken up in the night so samples can be taken.

beccam

No harm in signing up to see what you're offered!

I know people who have worked as nurses etc in some of the research places and the majority of the studies are pretty boring and routine drug studies with very little chance of any side effects.
My sister did one which was a brain study thing so not even any 'chemicals' involved just lots of looking at crazy patterns and answering computer questions, she got paid nearly £1000 for 3 days and nights. They then offered her £5000 for another study......have your baby toe cut off and then stitched back on again...it was to test new suture material!! LOL she declined!

Also know someone who managed to give up smoking doing a test on smoking cessation products so not only earnt money but saved forever by giving up the fags.

I'd do it but they never want, fat, pregnant, unco-operative nurses!!

benjo

When I was a student nurse many moons ago, alot of the students used to take part in medical trials. From what I can remember they were very varied in what the trials were, from eating radio active mushrooms and having scans every 30 mins for 24 hours, to trialing non steroidal anti inflammatory meds and then having a series of endoscopes to having a picture taken of your face for the psychology research department. Remuneration ranged from £10 - £500.

There was also a scheme where the local burns research unit used to 'harvest' skin for transplantation.

I only ever heard of one person having problems - mind you, they were quite significant as he got an ulcer:eek:.

The only trials I have experience of were all carried out by the NHS research departments or the University, I have no experience of trials carried out by drug companies etc.

If you do decide to go down this route, dont forget you have a choice about what you find acceptable and what you agree to. There certainly used to be plenty of trials that didnt involve testing new medications.

joblessummer12

thanks for all the advice given, it's also good to know there are known invasive ones about. The idea does seem very attractive for the pay i got to admit, especially when work for students isnt so readily available.