Is there a medicine/pill to stop the laughter? - Stroke Message Board

Pooky · 06-28-2001, 10:21 AM

Ever since my stroke, I've had emotional lability. Directly after the stroke, I cried all the time. After the crying ended, I started to laugh all the time (at inappropriate times). It's almost 2 years since my stroke, and I still laugh a lot; even at things that aren't even funny. I think that laughing all the time makes me look stupid/dumb, and I want to stop. The only problem is, I just can't hold my laughter in. Yesterday, I was in the store and I wrote a check to pay for my stuff [actually, my sister wrote the check (because my handwriting isn't legible all the time) and I just signed it]. Anyway, just signing the check made me laugh. I laughed for a full minute. So, if you know of a medicine/pill that will stop the laughing, will you please tell me the name of it? At first, I thought that the anti-depressent, Paxil, caused me to laugh, but I've been off that drug since March and I still laugh a lot. I go to see my doctor in mid-July, and am going to ask her about a medicine to stop my laughing all the time, but if she doesn't know of one, I would like to be able to suggest one to her. I just hope that she's able to prescribe something, because I start back at college in September, and I won't feel comfortable if I laugh all the time.

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I had a hemorrhagic stroke on September 8, 1999.

178j · 06-28-2001, 10:41 AM

i take celexa its balances the chemicals in the brain it is also an anti depressant but it has been a great help to me i had a hemmoragic stroke june 10,99 this is worth looking into 178j

janet119 · 08-16-2001, 09:58 PM

hi i was in the same boat. i take 20mgs of paxil for it. my friend too but she takes 150mgs of effexor and has had significant return to her arm since she started to take it
janet

suse104 · 10-15-2001, 08:51 AM

pooky.
I had a hemorrhagic stroke as well, back in 96'. I too seem to laugh a great deal easier, AND at inappropriate times. I went to a friends' over the weekend and I heard myself laughing at almost everything - and yes, sometimes when I "shouldn't* have.
I don't know if there's anything that can be taken for it. I kind of try to not beat myself up about it - people usually are quite understanding I've found.
I've noticed I tend to be my own worse critic, and I have to say I've lightened up about it a great deal.
Whatever you decide to do - much luck to you!
((((((hugs))))))
Susan