There are situations when being a
medical guinea pig can be a really good
opportunity. People who already have and are taking medication for various
diseases and
conditions are
prime for finding a really good medical
study to take part in. Asthmatics, for example.
I suffer from exercise and allergen induced asthma, as well as intrinsic asthma. It's very severe, and I need to take 3 separate drugs besides my rescue inhaler to keep it in check. When I was in high school, I had the chance to take part in a medical study that payed me about five hundred USD total. The pay wasn't half bad, it was the perks that proved really helpful.
Once a week for two months, I got up early and drove to the doctor's office to blow into a little tube. I kept records detailing exactly how often I used my inhaler each day, any additional medications I took (such as aspirin), what my lung function was in the morning and at night, and any physical problems -- a cough, a sneeze, a pain in my right leg. I turned these records in each week.
For that effort, I received an enormous red pill to take each week. It was either a placebo or genuine medicine, I still do not know. I also received free inhalers and an antihistamine to settle my allergies. The cost of medication that I saved probably totaled over a hundred dollars. In addition, being forced to keep meticulous, almost anal track of my physical condition made me very aware of my asthma and what triggered it. I was able to cut down on my previously needless, almost compulsive inhaler use.
So if you have a medical condition, please consider looking into some ongoing studies. You might find a really sweet deal, and learn some more about yourself and your body while you're at it.