Thoughts from a Lab Rat

There are many studies out there for all types of people. Obviously, the biggest lure of doing studies is the amount of money that you get. While getting a nice chunk of change is nice, not every study requires procedures that merit a large stipend. In fact, most studies are don’t pay that much. Usually the higher paying studies require a specialized population or has extraordinary procedures that not everyone will want to subject themselves to.

First of all, are you afraid of needles? Well, if you are, maybe doing studies isn’t right for you. However, it’s certainly worth a shot and who knows, maybe it won’t be so bad after all. You can quit a study at any time for any reason. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out and people dropout for personal reason. If you don’t mind needles, then there are many studies for you. Most studies require multiple blood draws (pk) which require multiple sticks with needles. If you’ve ever have had an IV at a hospital and didn’t mind it, then an IV study would open up additional choices. Don’t mind big needles in weird places then injection studies may interest you. These may include stomach injections, skin injections and muscle injections.

If you’re not into needles and the like, there are studies out there. Unfortunately they are scattered and you just have to be lucky to run into one. It doesn’t hurt to ask the recruiters if they has minimal blood-draw studies or non blood-draw studies cause they do happen. There are other studies available like skin lotion, flu vaccines, cough medicine and etc.

The best place to look for studies, especially for clinics that don’t list their studies online or don’t even have a website is through the local newspapers, employment magazines and the weekly entertainment rag. Advertisements also may appear on buses and transit vehicles, billboards and local TV and radio. You just have to be on the look out sometimes.

My tip to people who are unsure if studies are for them is to do a short study for a few days long. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to do any more and you’ve made a few bucks. If you find that you don’t mind studies or can’t wait for the next one, then maybe you’ve found what you’ve been looking for. Either way, you’re helping medical science and without people like you willing to give up your time, medical advancements would not be possible.

It all starts with the first study. First of all, doing studies is not for everyone. Obviously, people who are squeamish about needles probably should stay away. My biggest recommendation is that you find a short study, less than a week so you can test the waters. By doing a short study, you will be able to see how the process works, how it feels to have 10 to 20 blood draws in a day and how it feels to be secluded from society. If you find that you don’t like how things are going, I do recommend at least finishing the study. A lot of hard work goes into putting a study on and while yes, you do have the right to quit a study at anytime, for any reason, once you have started taking the study drug, the safest thing to do is to finish out the study. If you do ask to be dropped from a study early, the study doctor will typically ask you to stay for at least one night to make sure that the study drugs are not having any adverse side-effects. Again, this is for your safety.

So, what should you expect during your first study? A lot of what happens during the study takes place at the screening. You will usually have ECG’s, vital signs, blood draws and examinations by the study doctor. Depending on the study, there may be additional procedures such has heart monitors, urine collection and position restrictions. All of the study procedures are outlined in the informed consent. Chat with some other people at the screening. Chances are, many of the other people there have done a study or two and can share some of their experiences. It’s usually not as bad as many people think it is. Most people who think being a research subject is dangerous or freaky probably have never done a study before. Of course, the media and film portrayals don’t help. Sure, things do happen but as long as you are truthful while enrolling in a study, you will minimize most risks.