Stressful

“I don’t think people understand how stressful it is to explain what’s going on in your head when you don’t even understand it yourself.” (HealthyPlace.com)

PseudoBulbar Affect (PBA) is a condition that causes uncontrollable crying and/or laughing that happens suddenly and frequently. It can happen in people with a brain injury or certain neurologic conditions. A person having a PBA crying spell may cry when they don’t feel sad or when they only feel a little bit sad.

Someone having a PBA laughing spell may laugh when they don’t feel amused or when they only feel a little bit amused. PBA episodes might be inappropriate: they might not fit the situation or how the person is feeling. For example, a person might laugh at a funeral or cry when a friend shares good news. PBA can often be confused with depression. The two are separate conditions that should be diagnosed and managed separately.

PBA interferes with relationships and employment in patients already grappling with loss of control over their brains and bodies. The effects can range from occasional to constant, from mild to crippling.

PBA's not a new condition; it was noted as early as 1872, when naturalist Charles Darwin wrote, "Certain brain diseases, such as hemiplegia, brain-wasting, and senile decay, have a special tendency to induce weeping."

In the past, doctors have treated PBA with off-label prescriptions for antidepressants or levodopa, which boosts levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. But these have a range of side effects and haven't been subjected to large studies in PBA patients.  

Today’s first approved therapy for PBA, Nuedexta, is taken once daily for the first seven days; and then twice daily. Avanir (the manufacturer) estimates the drug will run $3,000 to $5,000 a year, or about $250 a month.

Avanir is establishing a co-payment assistance program capping the maximum amount that qualifying patients pay out-of-pocket.  The most common side effects reported in clinical trials were falling, dizziness, headache, nausea and diarrhea. Over all, Nuedexta was safe, and reduced the frequency and severity of PBA episodes.

Whatever you're facing today, keep going. Keep moving. Keep hoping. Keep pressing on. There is victory on the other side!“Do not pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a difficult one” (Bruce Lee)[i]

 

I don’t think people understand how stressful it is to explain what’s going on in your head when you don’t even understand it yourself I don’t think people understand how stressful it is to explain what’s going on in your head when you don’t even understand it yourself.

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[i] Sources used:

·        “Pseudobulbar Affect: When You Can't Stop Laughing, or Crying” by Jane E. Allen

·        www.nuedexta.com

·        www.pbainfo.org/pba-tips