What is PBA?
PBA, or PseudoBulbar Affect, is a condition that is developed in patients who have suffered either a brain injury or a neurological condition. It is characterized by its symptoms of uncontrollable crying or laughing that is not associated with emotions a patient is feeling within. Nuedexta is the only and first FDA approved PBA medication available to patients diagnosed with the condition, but with rising prescription and medical insurance plan costs, it can be difficult to pay for it. Fortunately, The RX Helper was developed to provide discounts on prescriptions like this PBA medication for patients who are unable to afford the cost of their prescription treatments.
The Symptoms of PBA
The one symptom of PBA is either crying or laughing uncontrollably, suddenly, and without emotional reason. These fits can be described as both exaggerated and mismatched. Crying and laughing symptoms can last longer than the unaffected individual would usually cry or laugh. Additionally, these fits are likely to not match the situation. For example, a person with PBA may cry for a long time after listening to a sad song, laugh longer than others after hearing a joke, or cry in a moment that would normally induce happiness.
Who Can Develop PBA?
Only patients who have had a neurological injury or developed a neurological disorder are affected by PBA. All of the individuals diagnosed will experience frequent, sudden, and uncontrollable fits of either laughter or crying that do not relate to the emotions the patient is feeling. Neurological ailments that may lead to the development of PBA include:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Dementias
- Stroke
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Lou Gehrig’s disease
- Traumatic Brain Injury
Depression VS. PBA
Many patients mistake their symptoms of depression as symptoms of PBA. The similarity between these two ailments is crying. But, there are a few characteristics of both that can help us tell them apart. Depression is a condition that involves sadness that lasts for weeks or months at a time. Those suffering from depression are likely to cry when they are experiencing negative emotions, but their fits of crying are not sudden or over exaggerated like the crying symptoms of a PBA patient. A patient diagnosed with PBA will have crying fits that are sudden, unexpected, and last for very short amounts of time; all adverse symptoms of depression.
Why Do People Experience PBA?
PBA only affects individuals with neurological disorders because it is a disorder that is directly developed by lacking brain functionality. Individuals with PBA have concurring neurological problems that affect the way the brain communicates with the rest of the body, including functions relating to emotions and their display. Damage to the nervous system by neurological issues distorts signals that the brain sends that would normally result in a person’s ability to display emotion. What is translated is the symptoms of sudden displays of crying or laughing seen in PBA patients.
Getting Discounts for PBA Medication
Do you have a diagnosis of PBA and have been prescribed Nuedexta? Do you think that you are experiencing symptoms of PBA and are considering asking your doctor about Nuedexta as a treatment for PBA? If so, The RX Helper may be able to help you pay for your PBA medication. We provide discounts for hundreds of different medications for people diagnosed with a wide variety of medical conditions. Our discounts are provided through patient assistance programs. There are over 700 of these patient assistance programs offered by various industries, companies, and organizations in the United States. The RX Helper’s job is to find the patient assistance programs tailored toward you and your medications so that you can receive as much financial assistance as possible. Our programs are designed to help individuals with little to no health insurance that would otherwise not be able to pay for needed medications. To see if you are eligible, visit our website to look over our guidelines. To apply, simply fill out the free application also listed on our website. Whether you need PBA medication assistance or financial assistance for a number of other medications, we would be happy to help! If you have any unanswered questions please don’t hesitate to call us today at 877-767-3297.
