[**MrsPotatoHead*...]

So I'm sitting here in the hospital with some "Roomies" on our last day of a 3 month drug trial and I am bored out of my brains so figured I would share my journey for anyone interested.

It's been interesting to say the least. I'm lucky that I have had no adverse reactions to the drug other than figuring out excessive amounts of alcohol DO NOT agree with me And I prayed to the porcelain gods more times than I would like to have on two separate instances before we worked out I should avoid alcohol until the end of the trial... LOL. I have made a couple of new friends and had more needles in the last 3months than I have had in my whole life but it's been good to do something different for a change.

Why did I do this you ask???? MONEY... pure and simple. I knew I was going to lose my job before Christmas so started this in November so I knew I would have some money coming in later (unfortunately we don't get paid till the end of the trial but hey, it's money right... better later than never!!!)

I have had twice weekly visits to the hospital for dosing/testing for the last 12 weeks. And two over night stays, the first one at the beginning of the trial and the second being today our last day. We've also had one 24hr halter monitoring test at the beginning of the trial where by we are connected up to a portable ECG and blood pressure machine and it takes readings EVERY 30mins for 24hrs (Oh what fun that was... NOT!!) We also have another 24hr halter monitoring at the beginning of next week (So not looking forward to it as people look at you as though you're a freak Anyone who has had a 24hr BP monitor knows how noisy and uncomfortable they are, so every 30mins through the night makes for interesting dreams.

For our overnight stay we get in here at 9am (after fasting for 12hrs) to have our vitals done, cannula inserted (not fun I tell you!) ECG, medical work up and then we get dosed by sub cutaneous injection into our stomachs at 10. Then we have blood taken at 15mins, 30mins, 1hr, 2hrs, 4hrs, 8hrs, 16hrs and then 24hrs with vitals checks at each time. We don't get to eat until lunch time by which we are all starving and obsessing over food and what we are going to be having (not good when it's a Weight loss Drug Trial ) And we only get fed at prescribed times!!!

So would I do it again you ask?? Yes... for the money again!! Depending on the length of your trial will depend on how much you get. Usually an overnight stay is around $250-300.

It's been hard scheduling the 40min trips into the hospital twice a week and because we must be dosed at precise times there is NO running late or just skipping it altogether, and having just had 7wks of school holidays it has meant dragging 3 children in with me, oh the joy.

It was a double blind trial which means that neither us the or the people dosing us know what dosage we are getting or if it's even the placebo.

We started out 9 of us and are down to 4 of us. 1 got a full time job and had to pull out, another went on a holiday and 2 had adverse reactions to the drug so also had to pull out. All this considering the clinic had hoped to start the trial with 15 people but after screening over 30 people only managed to get 9 people suitable


All in all though it's been fun and an eye opener.

[Missy Shelby]

Sorry OP, you are much braver than me, it does not sound like fun at all!!

Hope you benefited from the drugs you were administered? From what you said they were for weight loss, if you do not mind asking how much weight did you end up losing?

[amabanana]

You're braver than I, OP.

[Procrastinator50...]

That's pretty interesting. How much money did you make from it overall?

[Foogle]

You do this for money? Odd.

but it's been good to do something different for a change.

I'm sure.

[nlman]

I trialled a new asthma diagnostic tool when I was at uni. It was meant to trigger an attack (so it was designed to be used by the army etc). Unfortunately for them, not matter how much they gave me it didn't trigger an attack. It was all done at RPA hospital so there were plenty of trained staff around

It also meant I got early access to Oxis which was a new restricted drug. It was a long acting reliever and rocked my world!!

[**MrsPotatoHead*...]

Without going into too much detail Procrastinator lets say it was the equivalent to me working one day a week for around 10 weeks after tax Not a huge amount but will help with some bills that I have been putting off

Odd Foogle?? How so?? I couldn't get a job as my ex husband was unwilling to look after our children during the holidays so I could get a job (the whole 7wks of school holidays other than every other weekend was my responsibility), all vacation care was already fully booked. Money is money, I don't care how I earn it.

And it WAS interesting seeing how the same drug can affect people differently, meeting new people from all walks of life and having some great conversations, also helping drug companies trial new drugs to help people... How is that odd?

[VermithraxPejora...]

I've done two and I think they are a vital part of any drug trial. The money is good for ones that involve overnight stays.

Of the two I did(both double blind and randomised) we were told what we had after the end. I had one placebo and one drug. The drug was a new Japanese Encephalitis vaccine.