What are the pros and cons of participating in a clinical study?

There are thousands of medical studies going on at this very minute, not including our kids' efforts to determine the effects of nonstop music on hamsters. New drugs, new treatments, and then new follow-up information on old drugs and treatments…the variety is limitless and the supply of info, never ending.

The closest you may have ever come to a clinical study is seeing an advertisement in your local newspaper or city magazine that reads, "Do you have insomnia? Get free drugs by volunteering to be studied!" But there are many more opportunities than that. Whether you're undergoing laser vision correction or open-heart surgery or shopping for an arthritis pain medication or insulin, there is likely a clinical study being conducted that's relevant to you.

The advantage of participating in a study is that you may get access to a new and improved treatment—which can be a lifesaver in some cases—and you'll also be ensured of receiving very meticulous care. There may also be a big cost savings.

The disadvantages? The drug or treatment being tested on you might flunk, or you might be in the group receiving the placebo (the fake drug or treatment). There's still the warm and fuzzy feeling of donating the services of your body to science while you're still breathing, however. You're helping doctors develop new and better treatments and likely even helping to save lives.

The biggest pro is probably that you will get free medication. You would receive treatment that might be better than the currently available treatment. Generally, in pharmaceutical trials, if the medication is not yet FDA-approved for the illness being studied, the drugs will be provided for free. Sometimes, if you participate in the early trials, you will be invited to continue to take the drug free of charge after the trial ends, as long as you agree to allow the study sponsor to collect ongoing data. An additional pro is that you will be helping to add information to the medical data that will be used by physicians to treat patients in the future.

The biggest con is that you might be assigned to the group receiving the less effective treatment. Today, most drug trials do not involve a placebo group, but compare the new drug to another treatment, which might be less effective. However, that is one of the points of the trial -- to find out if the new treatment is better, worse or just as effective as the currently available treatment. Another con is that you may have unexpected side effects, but finding out about potential side effects is another reason why the sponsor is conducting the trial.