Drug Helps MS Patients Control Emotions
April 15, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new drug may help multiple sclerosis patients with a condition that makes them unable to control their emotions.
The condition is called pseudobulbar affect, and it results in episodes of uncontrollable laughing or crying. It is also sometimes seen in patients with other neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke and brain injury.
Researchers from the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington studied 150 MS patients with pseudobulbar affect. For 12 weeks, they received either the drug known as AVP-923 or a placebo. They kept a diary tracking laughing/crying episodes and were assessed four times.
Of those taking the drug, 84 percent reported improvement in the condition compared to 49 percent of those on placebo. Patients taking the drug had 46-percent fewer emotional episodes than those who received placebo. They also reported overall improvement in the condition and improvement in their quality of life, quality of relationships, and amount of pain experienced. However, they reported being dizzy more often than those on the placebo did.
Researchers conclude, "This is the first drug designed specifically for this condition. The only treatment now is antidepressants, which can have unpleasant side effects."
SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology's 57th Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Fla., April 9-16, 2005