Update on Human Guinea Pigs...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
August 31, 2009 10:34am CST
The other day I started a discussion on the very first human guinea pigs I’ve ever heard of and now I’ve actually met the husband of the couple that does it. He’s a very nice man (a preacher at that) and he said he’s been doing it for years. Since I had the opportunity I decided to ask him a few questions. He says their mostly testing new medications to see how they react to other medications ppl are on. For example right now he’s testing a new arthritis medicine…the normal dose is about 75mg and they are giving him like 2mg so not enough that it would hurt him in any way. The other thing is that there is animal testing done with it first, he says on mice and not any other animals, but the horrible part is that they end up overdosing the mice so that they can find the lethal dose amount. He says there are some clinics that pay more than others. My understanding is they inject the medicine in you, wait a couple of days and then have you come back and stay at the clinic for a certain length of time while they take blood samples. For example, he’s had the first injection, now he has to spend 3 weeks at the clinic while they do more testing and blood work. He can watch TV, lay in bed, play on his laptop, whatever he wants as long as he’s there. He gets paid $250 a day so he’ll have like $6000 when he’s done. I don’t think I’d do it but I did find it very interesting and learned a lot talking to him about it.
What do you think of this type of job? Knowing these new facts would you do it now?
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
13 people like this
25 responses
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
2 Sep 09
My understanding is that this couple heard about it from a friend. There are several clinics here in Missouri but I understand that he uses the one in Indiana. I'll try to get some more information on them when I see him again since they are moving here and pass it along.
[b]~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~
**STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
31 Aug 09
It is a lot of money and I'm sure it's as safe as it can be but I still wouldn't want to do it, there was a case in England a few years ago where some students who were doing some of these trials lost limbs. So even if it has previously been tested on animals there can be unpredictable side effects when they give it to a human.
3 people like this
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
31 Aug 09
after i saw that guy from the UK that basically got elephantitis of a sort from some test,no way would i sign up.his head swelling to a couple times it's size.
medication studies i'll pass on.if it were something like a sleep study,maybe.
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
7 Sep 09
i think this was the same case-check it out
(not a referal link)http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1737856&page=1
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
31 Aug 09
If I didn't have dogs to care for, I'd go for this kind of job in a second!
Someone has to test the meds and it would be a useful thing for me to contribute while helping me to survive financially. Of course, my mom would have a fit and I couldn't let her find out! Even though I'm 55, she is still concerned for my health as I would be for my sons. 
2 people like this
@kitty42 (3923)
• United States
31 Aug 09
Hello my friend
wow thats something else, I know I can't do this due to health reason, but if I was in good health who knows, they need to try these things on someone right lol
I guess it all depends on the individual we know what our bodys can take, I say good for him, I wish him well, as long as they don't inject nothing that can kill him he should be alright 
wow thats something else, I know I can't do this due to health reason, but if I was in good health who knows, they need to try these things on someone right lol
I guess it all depends on the individual we know what our bodys can take, I say good for him, I wish him well, as long as they don't inject nothing that can kill him he should be alright 3 people like this
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
31 Aug 09
I don't think there is any way that I would do that. Although if I had no family to take care of it might be another story.
2 people like this
@bonbon664 (3466)
• Canada
31 Aug 09
My husband has done some allergy studies. He gets paid big bucks for it too. Lots of times, there is a group who doesn't even get anything, they get a placebo. He's gotten paid a couple of thousand of dollars for doing them.
2 people like this
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
20 Sep 09
At this point in time when we might be losing our house in the near future, I probably would for the money. $6000 will pay off both our cars or make 11 months of house payments.
1 person likes this
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
1 Sep 09
Hi twoey, No, I would not be interested in doing something like this, I don't believe that our health is something to be fooled with. If I was dying from an incurable disease, than I might consent if there was a chance that it would help others. Blessings.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159002)
• Boise, Idaho
3 Sep 09
Well, this is very interesting. You have to respect this fellow for what he is doing whether it is normal or something we ourselves would do it or not. I know I couldn't do it! I want to live for as long as I can and I can't imagine doing anything that might put that in jeopardy.
1 person likes this
@sweetbabyjane (1929)
• United States
3 Sep 09
I would probably be scared that something would go wrong. The pay sure does ound good though. I guess some people are willing to take that risk though.
@Carpathian (582)
• United States
17 Sep 09
Where can I sign up??? I would do it if the money was right and the medicine was not poison. If you think about it you are doing that now anyways. I mean how long did the food you eat sit on the shelves at some warehouse before the trucks picked it up to bring to your store? And, can you guarantee that the guy in the factory that was working there was not made at his boss and contaminate the food? Or, the trucker? Or, the packers? Or, all the million of things that could have gone wrong? At least this way you are getting paid! I would try it! So, like I said, Where can I sign up???
**Peace and Love gets you through everything in Life**
1 person likes this
@LittleMel (8742)
• Canada
1 Sep 09
it does sound like good money, but there is a chance you will die or complication. what will happen to the money if this happen? is there any compensation for the family? I never had much money but I'm good at saving so I wouldn't consider doing that to earn.
@hotsummer (13835)
• Philippines
1 Sep 09
if i would be sure that they will use only small and safe amount in me and not overdose me with it. and if they person doing it is concerned about the safety of the person than the money he could have earned doing that experiment.
anyways, why are they doing human testing. is it because it is much better than animal etsting to try it in humans than in animals. or is this because of some people are against animal testing. cause i feel if this was a result of some protest against animal testing, i will say that it is better if we test or try than on animals than on humans cause humans are more important than animals.
1 person likes this
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
1 Sep 09
Not bad money for what appears to be an easy job; that is if the health doesn’t suffer! That would be my main concern. Medications, side effects, I don’t know….I read on one of the responses that you are required to sign a document so you cannot sue if something goes wrong...Don’t like the sound of that too much...As much as I need money I may just pass on this. 
1 person likes this
@Boffle (123)
•
1 Sep 09
Yes, I think I would do it, though it would depend on what was involved. I know someone who was paid several thousand pounds (in the UK) to have the end of his toe cut off and then stitched back on to test a new type of suture. I'm not sure I'd want to go that far but the kind of thing you're describing would be something I'd be quite willing to do. I can only ever remember hearing about one incident where something went wrong, so I imagine on the whole it is a very safe thing to do.
1 person likes this
