Real Stories
Sequena is a real patient living with PBA and Liyah is her caregiver. Image reflects patient with PBA at the time the image was captured.
Meet Our PBA Ambassadors
Hear from real patients living with Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA) as they share their experiences, from their first uncontrollable crying and/or laughing episodes to the discovery that their symptoms have a name and can be treated with NUEDEXTA.
Karen was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and started to experience strange crying outbursts that left her and her doctors confused.
Karen couldn’t figure out why she was still crying and laughing uncontrollably in inappropriate situations.
Sequena learned about PBA for the first time after months of uncontrollable crying that started after she had a stroke.
Sequena was being treated for depression. But when she discovered PBA, she thought it could be the true cause of her crying episodes.
Jill lived for years with uncontrollable crying and laughing episodes, until a new provider asked important questions about her medical history.
Jill spent a lot of time trying to get help for her uncontrollable crying and laughing with little success. Then her psychiatric nurse practitioner asked if she’d ever experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Mary-Beth, who has epilepsy, struggled to find the cause of her crying and laughing symptoms for years before landing on a PBA diagnosis.
None of the medications that Mary-Beth took for mood disorders helped with her uncontrollable crying episodes. That’s when her neuropsychiatrist decided to assess her for PBA.
Carol was persistent in her search for an effective treatment for her crying episodes, which began after a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Carol was anxious about trying another medication, but after discussing it with her doctor, she started taking NUEDEXTA. Then she started seeing results.
Individual results vary. All ambassadors are real patients living with PBA. Images reflect patients with PBA at the time the images were captured.
Watch Jill Share Her Journey to a PBA Diagnosis
“I want to encourage others with PBA—especially the skeptical ones like me—not to give up hope.”
— Jill, a patient living with TBI and PBA
Liyah
Sequena’s daughter and caregiver
I would go to the doctor’s appointments with [my mom Sequena] and I would recite stories [of her crying episodes]. I would explain that she’s crying because she can’t control it.
Tim
Carol’s husband and caregiver
Within a few days [of Carol seeing the doctor for her head injury], the crying started and she couldn’t control it. I kept taking her to appointment after appointment.
Karen
Patient living with multiple sclerosis and PBA
My episodes of laughing or crying could be triggered when nothing was funny or sad. I constantly wondered, ‘What is wrong with me?’
Individual results vary. All ambassadors are real patients living with PBA or caregivers for real patients living with PBA. Image reflects patient with PBA at the time the image was captured.
Ready to Take the PBA Quiz?
If you think you or someone you love might have PBA, take the PBA Quiz to learn if the symptoms suggest PBA.
Liyah is a caregiver for a real patient living with PBA.
