I would really go to the doctor and have a talk. This is also a symptom for several other things so dont assume the worse. Most good doctors will run tests to check for many things at once.

If you find you do have MS or just need to talk we are here.

This is referred to as "Pseudobulbar Affect". It is a symptom of many illnesses. Although it is not cause to immediately think ms, because it is not considered an "onset" symptom, and you haven't mentioned any other symptoms that correlate with ms...oh--just looked @ your profile description. Well, google the term. It refers to emotional "lability", or the ability to control emotion. Also ingeniously called "emotional incontinence". I know, clever people, these phrase-coiners... 8^P

The ad on the right side of this page REALLY slows down the download of this discussion. Now back to the discussion...

That symptom is very common amongst us. I have it. I have also laughed in inappropriate places or times. It may be a funny situation but others didn't exactly laugh as much as I did. Oh well.

But it is problematic when we break out in tears. I never did that before MS. But now I do. Figureitout is right, that is called psychobulbar effect. It is common amongst MSers and it has been advertised for clinical trials in one of the MS magazine. So there are treatments for it. I take enough pills so I don't bother with meds for that problem.

Sometimes I get it with the MS & sometimes I get it with the Epilepsy caused by the MS...WEEEEE! What "Fun!" Hehe!

It's what everyone is describing where you aren't overly finding something funny, but you laugh too much anyway or you don't really feel sad, but you cry at times. The crying, for me, is more a symptom of when I'm in the middle of a seizure...it's what part of my brain is being electrically charged at that moment...depending on the type of seizure I am having at that given point in time...

http://www.pbainfo.org/patient/understanding_pba/understanding-pba

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/seizure_disorders/21403

I have "Complex Partial Seizures Secondarily Generalized" caused by the MS (which means they can start with "Partial seizures" & spread to other types of seizures OR stay at just the "Aura" stage & not progress to seizure or just be one small seizure or be more than one seizure. It all depends...

Than I got the MS to contend with! YAY! HA!

So yeah, that's what that last article was about...cause I said that the crying was (in my case) more a symptom of the seizures. Sometimes I laugh before a seizure too or during.

But yeah, that's just me & my MS...everyone with MS is different.

Take care,
Stay sane!

I second figureitout reply & just want to add a few thing to --i did read your profile after fio mentioned it & i saw you were not yet diagnosed...i assume that means you are keeping a symptom journal?...this episode should be recorded in your symptom journal.

Nov 1 2010 the FDA approved a new drug to deal with this symptom. i posted that it had happened been approved in case anyone was interested in that new drug...

http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Multiple-Sclerosis-MS/forum/In-The-News/10838476-first-drug-help-emotional

in the 2010 McDonald Diagnosing procedures it identifies a proximal symptom as... "paroxysmal symptoms (multiple episodes of paroxysmal symptoms occurring over 24 hours or more are acceptable as
evidence)"

a single episode cannot be used as evidence of an attack for diagnosing purposes, it has to be multiple episodes over a 24 hours or more period of time..from the 2010 McDonald Criteria Tip sheet
link to 2010 Mcdonald diagnosis, have to download tip sheet to see paroxysmal defined in diagnosis.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/news/news-detail/index.aspx?nid=4713

i had paroxysmal symptoms of flashing lights in my vision for 2-3 months i think a new occiptal lobe lesion was found on my mri....and episodes of the ms hug happening over a month peroid of time, then it never happened again in 2 years.

actually....
I also had a single episide of the hug then about 10 years before i was diagnosed, i remember it because i went to the ER thinking i was having a heart attach?
10 years later after , after Ii had been diagnosed i would get the hug for a few seconds while I walked i would get that hug sensation out of the blue when i walked..the episodes of the hug lasted for a few seconds for about a month it would happen unexpectedly then it hasn't happened in 7 years so far.

more on proxsymal symptoms from about com:

http://ms.about.com/od/signssymptoms/a/paroxysmal_utd.htm

from about com it has a page on IEED or psuedobulbar affect--
http://ms.about.com/od/signssymptoms/a/cmp_ieed.htm

I have had this happen to, but I don't know what I have yet either. I also am not depressed. If anything I tend to always be more upbeat, and drives people around me who are just plain mean, nuts! LOL! I hope I find out soon what I have as well though, my legs are getting so weak and shaky, on top of everything else getting worse. Someone mentioned to me that I could have Lyme disease even if I got a negative result for it before. I did once have a tick on my head when I was 19, never got treatment for it. I just woke up feeling dizzy, and flu like, and I have had problems ever since.

I'm thinking I must not have had a serious bout with this although.... there have been times when I cry at church but it's not uncontrollable.. more like fighting back tears and a little dampening around the eyes. I have laughed outloud very loudly at some funny movies before.

I would think this is a difficult thing to diagnosis. Was your pastor in the middle of a sermon when you began crying? Or, was it just completely spontaneous and not brought on by anything? It sounds like that's what your saying - crying for no reason at all. My pastor's sermons always feel like he's pulling experiences right out of my own life.

I've not heard of this pseudobulbar effect. Interesting to note though. Thanks for the posts!

The service had just started, we were singing a hymn. Suddenly I started bawling uncontrollably. I left the room and went to the restroom to try and get myself together. I just could not stop. I drove home crying and finally stopped when I got home 30 minutes later.