# Los Angeles - SA Clinical Trials



## SpesVitae (Oct 20, 2005)

Hello folks,

A fellow SAS-er once recently posted about SA clinical trials currently being performed in Los Angeles. I've just signed up for it and was encouraged by one of the research psychiatrists to tell you guys about the program, hopefully to encourage some of you to participate because they could use more subjects.

There are two offices where the SA clinical trials are being done: Beverly Hills and Burbank. Choose which one is closest for you. The study involves a new experimental drug which has been shown to have evidence in treating SA. If you qualify for the study, you will be placed in either the experimental group, the Paxil group, or the control/placebo group. The first meeting will involve an extensive evaluation of your past and current health, physical and mental. Mine lasted 3+ hours. This is where I am at now. The next meeting will take place approximately 2 weeks later, at which point lab test results should have been completed to determine whether or not you qualify to continue with the study and start taking the medicine or placebo. If you do qualify, you will be asked to follow the medication regimen and return once-a-week for about 12 weeks for followup. These meetings should last only about 45 minutes. (The first will be the longest.)

Participating in this study is free of charge. (They even pay for parking.) Depending upon how far you complete it, you can be financially compensated up to $700.00. At the end of the study, you may qualify to continue receiving free treatment for up to 6 months, which may involve appropriate medication and/or psychotherapy.

If you're interested, the website is: http://www.435.com/

You will need to call:

Carolyn K. Rahnama, M.A.
Southwestern Research, Inc.
Toll Free: 888-444-1104
Local: 310-858-7448
Facsimile: 310-858-7489

Good luck!
Mark


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## StrungOut (Jan 18, 2004)

Thanks for the info. Can you elaborate some more on what the evaluation entails? What exactly did you do for 3+ hours?


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## SpesVitae (Oct 20, 2005)

The evaluation entails an extensive interview to assess your and your family's past and current physical and mental health (including, specifically, SA severity), as well as actual physical tests like a partial physical, a urine sample, a stool sample, a blood test, and an electrocardiogram. (You can come back later to drop off the poop.) There is also about 45 or so minutes devoted to them allowing you to read the consent form and then talking about it with a coordinator to answer any questions.

The evaluation was long but it went pretty smoothly. Everyone is so friendly too.


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## StrungOut (Jan 18, 2004)

Hey, can you give any updates on how its been going so far?


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## SpesVitae (Oct 20, 2005)

Hmmm I was disqualified after about a month because apparently a certain enzyme in my blood had been too high for the study. I believe it was the CPK enzyme, which skyrockets when one exercises rigorously. (I had done lots of running the night before the blood test!  ) Anyway, they wanted me to return for another study mid January (after having eased up on the exercising, of course), but I just didn't want to wait that long, so now I'm working with professionals in Kaiser.

If you'd ever like to chat through AIM or Yahoo, I'm always up for and enthusiastic about making a new online buddy!


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## JohnnyEnnui (Jul 10, 2005)

Hi SpesVitae, I'm already on meds that my doctor is unlikely to want to change, but I'm just curious what med this is a trial for. Do you know? Thanks.


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## SpesVitae (Oct 20, 2005)

It's a new experimental med that's not out in the market yet. I don't know the name, sorry. But I think I remember reading that it is an NK-1 inhibitor. 

The new trial that just started this January are for yet another med about which I'm totally clueless. But apparently, it, too, has been shown to help folks with SA.


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## JohnnyEnnui (Jul 10, 2005)

Thanks, SpesVitae.


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