About the Study

I'm a guinea pig. A lab rat. A test subject.

I am 22 years old, female, Caucasian, and have clinical depression.

I was on Prozac for about 5 months, but instead of making me feel better about myself and raising my motivation, it made me feel completely apathetic. I wasn't sad, but I also wasn't functioning. So in February of this year (2008) I took myself off of Prozac. I have not had any sort of treatment for my depression since then.

Last week I saw a commercial about a study on depression that was looking for participants.
I e-mailed them.
They called me.
I had my first evaluation.
I'm in the study.

Here's the information about the study I have entered as posted on an information website:


Are you currently depressed? This is a study using an add-on treatment to see if it may reduce your symptoms of depression. We will watch to see how you do on an SSRI. Then we may add another medication to boost its effects.
If this study is right for you, you may receive at no cost:

• study medications
• physical exam
• 20 clinic visits
• and other study related procedures.

The study lasts up to 16 months. This study is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Participants needed: Depressed men and women age 18 – 80
Compensation: Services above at no cost
Visits: 20 visits over 16 months


and here is my version of the study, from what "Research Lady" told me over the phone:


The study is in 3 phases.

The first phase: I have a long psychiatric evaluation (check!). If they think I am a good fit for the study they send me home with a depression medication called Lexapro (check!). I'll be on this medication for 10 weeks in the first phase, and each week I will have an appointment where they see how I am doing on the medication. If the Lexapro works great for me over the 10 weeks then they will help me find a way to continue taking the Lexapro outside of the study (through a doctor they get me in contact with, or whatever). If the Lexapro isn't doing as much for me as it should, they I will enter phase 2 of the study.

Phase 2: they do some physical tests (like an EKG, blood tests, etc) to make sure I don't have any physical causes of my depression, and if I don't they add either a placebo or a medicine called Geodon to my dose of Lexapro. Geodon is currently used for bipolar disorder and schitzophrenia, but they are testing to see if it helps people who aren't responding to regular depression medications. I stay on that combo for 10 weeks, with the same weekly visits to see how it is working. If the combo works for me, they I enter phase 3.

Phase 3: I continue taking the combo as part of the study for a year, with a monthly visit to make sure it is still working well for me.

I can withdrawl from the study at any time, and they also reserve the right to withdrawl me from the study if they think it is in my best interest. All of the evaluations, procedures, and medications involved in the study are free.


This blog is for me. It is for me to be honest about how I am feeling each day to see how the medicine is affecting me. But I invite you to come along. Follow me. Encourage me. Tell me if you see patterns in thoughts or behaviors that I may not see. Help me be the best guinea pig I can be.