Human Guinea Pigs...

NO SHOTS thank you!

I'm doing it. I'm in a clinical trial for an anti-depressant, it's a double blind study and I'm in the fourth week with it. It's a pain driving 30 miles each way--I find as I get older, the freeways really get on my nerves!--but $100 at every visit is a VERY strong incentive!

I think it would be interesting to do. However I would have to know what the side effects where, what the pay was, and what they are testing for. I'd have to way all the benefits and risks. I don't want to be sick just for testing a medicine. Cheers

That's a little 'iffy' for me.....I would have to be making really good money so I could put it away for my kids to be taken care of if something fatal did happen. I'm guessing they must have really good life insurance policies!

No, I don't think I could take a job like that,no matter the pay..I do not like to get shots.As for spouse, if I had one I would not want him to do it either..I would not want him to take the chance that it might kill or paralize him or give him some kind o disease..The same can be said for any of my children..It would be too much of a risk..

I would do it. I'm getting old and all my children have been raised. If it pays well, then I'm all for it

I do know that people do this, but i could not do it because i would be afraid too...If my mate wanted to do that i would also object as well..You are right it pays excellent but it has a lot of risk involved..To me it would not be worth it...but some feel it is....I cannot say anything bad about people who do this however because it helps the public & saves lives of others as well, but i just could not do it...

I know what you mean but I was a guinea pig when my brain was telling my body to shut down due to a spnall injury well I am walking again thats one good thing but i spent a couple weeks with the porcerlien god I couldn't stop barfing so I dont know it had its goos an its bad but i would nt do it today

I'm with you on this one twoey, HELL NO WAY!! lol I have enough wrong with my body, why would I want to add more by being a guinea pig? There isn't enough money in this world to change my mind to do it. I don't even agree in animal testing either for it's mean and cruel. The animal can't give it's consent or not so it shouldn't be done.

I would be more than scared for both myself and any family member who would choose to enter such a risky job. I have in fact always wondered about the various improvements to medicine and the persons who stood in the gap for so many of us, so that we can have access to sometimes relatively safe medicines. Happy they are brave enough but I wouldnt want to be them no matter the earning potential.

Are you talking about clinical trials? Because I think these can be safe - but the only thing I have done so far is a healthy control. I'm not sure about being a true guinea pig - with something that has not already had vigorous other testing. Human trials is the last test, prior to that they do tests and also test with animals. At least anything the general public would have easy access to. There are some things I would do, but definitely not everything. The pay can be nice, there was one place that called me and offered $3600 for a trial, but it was an in-patient trial meaning I would have to stay at the facility for three separate weekends, 3 days each. I told them I couldn't, although if I could figure out a way for it to work that is a pretty good chunk for 9 days of work lol. I would also be willing to do a trade - be say, a patient for someone in training in exchange for free or greatly reduced cost for treatment, depending on what it is. This said, I won't do first string trials. I am more interested in things that have already been released but now they are doing trials for other reasons - to see what works best when you have different choices, etc or to quantify the types and occurrences of side effects in normal people. I'm waiting to find out about a study about insomnia done by the company where I did the other trial. I'm not a typical insomniac, I might be totally fine for months then suddenly... insomnia. It might last one day. it might last four days. It might happen, skip a day, then come back. Then it might go away again for months. I can't figure out why it happens and I hate taking anything for it. It's not a chemical problem and I would hate to take anything habit forming and then have to depend on it to sleep.

I would not do this job nor would i want any of my loved ones having a job like that either. I would certainly advise this couple never to have children.

The answer to this question is simple, I have no desire to be experiment on. No amount of money will prosade me. as far I am concerined, some one ealse can do that for there own reasons. I do not want my family involved in that either.

Hi Twoey. I once did take part in an experimental injection as part of a study to help find a cure for an illness I have. Those things, are something I would consider, but carefully. I was not paid for doing it, and that was fine. But...to be a guinea pig in general??? No! I cannot see risking oneself in such a way unless, as I described above, it pertains to helping one become well. Interesting discussion! Karen

I'll be honest I need money so badly I think if I knew a place near me where they would pay me for this I would seriously consider it. I too have seen it in movies but never known anyone who did it. I wouldn't think it would be something that you could do as a full-time job though - the different experiments would interfer with others, at least you would think. I've also thought about selling blood - seen a lot of that in movies but no idea where or how to do that :(

[b]I've been that desperate for cash, yes, but somehow I'm never exactly what they need as a test subject. I've had to settle for selling blood or panhandling. Shrug. That's life, sometimes. Maggiepie "WHERE'S THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE?"[/b]

I don't know it would depend on the money and it would depend on my children's age. I wouldn't leave them as children knowingly but, after they are raised and if I needed the money, I would.

I sure wouldn't want this for a job! This sounds way too risky! No, I wouldn't accept any amount of money to do this. I'm not married and I don't have any children. If I had a husband and he wanted to do this, I don't know what I would do. I would try my best to talk him out of it but it might not do any good. If I had any children, I sure wouldn't let them have a job like this! Kathy.