If you have ever had a headache, you know how painful and annoying they can be. But have you ever had a throbbing headache in one area that had an intense pain associated with it? Did you experience a sensitivity to sound and light?
If so you may have been experiencing a migraine headache. These types of headaches are common yet not fully understood. If you are looking for a treatment for these headaches (and would like to get paid in the process) then signing up for migraine clinical trials could be a good fit for you. Just make sure you look for legit clinical trial companies. More on this below.!
This article will break down all of the steps to participate in migraine clinical trails and will hopefully not cause any hassle or headaches in the process.
What is a migraine headache
Migraine headaches can often be self diagnosed. It is not uncommon to feel a throbbing in one specific area, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound.
Some other common symptoms are dizziness, light headedness, vomiting, distorted vision or seeing flashes, irritability, or general malaise. Migraine headaches can last for hours or even days and can affect one’s daily activities. Sometimes the only thing migraine sufferers can do is lay in a dark, quiet room until the pain goes away.
Although migraines aren’t fully understood, genetics and environment appear to play a large role in who gets migraines and why. This is a major reason why migraine clinical trials are so important for ongoing research.
How do I participate in Migraine clinical trials?
It is estimated that over 38 million Americans and 1 billion people worldwide are affected by migraine headaches. If you have tried several medications and you haven’t had a migraine drug work yet, a clinical trial may help find something that does.
One of the first steps you can take is to ask the doctor who is currently treating your headaches if they know of any open migraine studies in your area. Doctors will generally have a good feel for what studies are being performed locally.
If your doctor isn’t aware of any, the next step would be to contact any local university or research hospitals. These are the types of hospitals that perform many of these clinical trials.
Last but not least, if all else fails, the internet is an amazing resource for finding migraine clinical trials. Migraine sufferers are always looking for new treatments to address their migraine symptoms, why not find some migraine trials that could get you paid as well?
Some of the best websites for medical research
There are many sites that address clinical research and finding a research study that addresses a chronic migraine or migraine attack is surprisingly easy. I always recommend starting with the government.
ClinicalTrials.gov is a great website to start with. The U.S. National Institute of Health runs this site and it has a large database of studies. You could search the site very easily by typing in “migraine” and “New York” and it would populate a clinical study list of all of the current research studies being performed in New York on migraines.
Research Match is another wonderful website that matches you with a clinical study of your choosing. You have to join the site by entering your demographic information, but once you sign-up, you are instantly given access to over 1,000 studies at any given moment.
Finally, Center Watch is a great website where you can search clinical trials and also opt in for their newsletter. This will give you email alerts when new studies are listed, so even if you are not selected for one study, you may soon hear from them via email about another option.
What does the process of a migraine clinical trial look like
Now that you know where to find these clinical trials, and you have signed up to participate, we need to look at the entire process. This generally starts with a health screen to see if there are any underlying conditions to be aware of besides the migraines.
Having a pre-existing condition does not rule you out of a clinical trial (in fact it may rule you in), but your health is a serious factor all studies take in to consideration before you participate in any study.
Researchers will generally look at height, weight, age, gender, the number of migraines you experience monthly, any medications you are taking at present time, any medications you have taken in the past to treat the migraines, their effectiveness, and any other medical conditions.
An informed consent form will have to be signed before you start the study. When you sign this form, you are acknowledging that you understand the purpose of the study, as well as the benefits and possible risks of the study.
What questions should I ask the researchers
When you are reviewing the informed consent for clinical trials, it is a good idea to ask those performing the research some questions to make sure you can make a well informed decision about your participation in the study. You want to be sure you understand everything and anything that can happen to you.
Questions like “what is the purpose of the study?”, “what treatments will be used?”, “what are the benefits and risks of the study?”, “will I be paid for my time?”, “how long will the study last?” and “will there by any side effects?” are all good questions to get answered before you agree to participate in the study.
Once you have all of your questions answered, if you feel comfortable moving forward with the study, you can sign the consent form. If you start the study and do not feel comfortable at any point in time, it is also important to note you can withdraw from a study at any time.
What are the payments for clinical trials for migraines
Payments for clinical trials generally vary to a great degree. They can be anywhere from $30 – $300 per day depending on the risk associated with the treatment being tested.
Generally clinical trials with riskier and more invasive treatments will pay more, but could have more involved side effects. Trials that require longer stays (several days or more) also pay greater for your time.
At the end of the day, it is nice to get paid, but hopefully the trial will lead to a helpful remedy for the symptoms of migraine headaches and you would be benefitting humanity too by being a human subject.
Summary
If you are experiencing migraine headaches and you are seeking treatment that may result in you getting paid, then consider migraine clinical trials. This clinical research may help you find an answer to treatment of the symptoms of the migraines, and may put some extra cash in your pockets.
For more information on a clinical research study like this one, or many others that we cover, sign up to Stan’s Gigs Newsletter to receive emails detailing the release of all of our new articles. We aim to give you all the cash earning side gig and side hustle details and none of the headaches!
Dr F Scott Feil is a husband, a father, a physical therapist (PT, DPT, EdD, Cert-APHPT), a professor, and most recently an Amazon best-selling author. F Scott is  also a business coach and mentor. He is one of the creators and co-hosts of the Healthcare Education Transformation Podcast which aims to break down the silos between healthcare professions in an attempt to find best practices in teaching and learning throughout healthcare academia. He also hosts the Professors of Profit Podcast where he interviews healthcare professionals about their side gigs and side hustles. His goal is to help at least 222 professors and clinicians pay off their student loans quicker and/or more efficiently by using multiple revenue streams. He is also the owner of PTEducator.com , FGI Consulting, and Epic Therapy and Wellness.
