Recently, Hollywood actress Selma Blair was arrested for assaulting and hitting a police officer on a plane, sparking concerns about the potential effects of missed prescription medication for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients.
According to multiple reports, the 54-year-old actress was charged with two counts of assault on Monday (October 12) after allegedly trying to open the cabin door and engaging in a dispute with flight attendants on a Delta Air Lines flight to New York City, where she also attacked a police officer and a nurse.
Blair’s representative stated in a statement that “Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged behavior; she received immediate medical care upon landing, and her current condition is stable.”
Her lawyer, Shawn Barnes, revealed in court that the incident stemmed from Blair’s repeated failure to take Nuedexta, a “potent medication for controlling severe neurological symptoms.”
Barnes added that Blair hit her head on the Los Angeles-bound flight while in a state of “severe confusion and disorientation.”
He also suggested that the altitude of the flight may have been a contributing factor.
He emphasized that the incident was a result of a “medical emergency” and not criminal behavior.
Blair was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2018, a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (including the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves). While the exact cause is not completely understood, it is believed to be associated with genetic predisposition, environmental factors, vitamin D deficiency, smoking, and specific viral infections such as the Epstein-Barr virus.
Dr. Lee Murray, a certified neurologist practicing at West Tennessee Healthcare, stated that “we use frontline treatments to prevent inflammation from recurring,” often involving intravenous fluids, oral medications, or injections that patients self-administer, “usually requiring several years of treatment to suppress Multiple Sclerosis and prevent relapse.”
The Cleveland Clinic notes that during a relapse of Multiple Sclerosis, doctors may prescribe high-dose steroids orally or via intravenous injection to reduce inflammation and aid in expedited recovery.
Murray pointed out that Multiple Sclerosis patients often experience other health issues as well.
He stressed the importance of medication adherence for MS patients, stating that “missing doses of Multiple Sclerosis medication can lead to disease relapse, resulting in acute or new changes in the nervous system. This may present with a variety of symptoms such as difficulty with balance, vision loss, dizziness, bowel or bladder dysfunction, or unilateral weakness, numbness, or tingling.”
He highlighted Blair’s case, stating that “using Nuedexta to treat her pseudo bulbar affect caused by Multiple Sclerosis, missing doses could result in uncontrollable crying or laughing and emotional instability… rapid or unpredictable changes.”
He added, “I have never seen missing Nuedexta lead to physical aggression.”
He recommended that if a Multiple Sclerosis patient misses medication and starts experiencing new neurological deficits, they should seek medical attention to determine if they are in an acute phase of Multiple Sclerosis relapse, as “prompt administration of high-dose steroids can reverse some symptoms the patient may be experiencing.”
(This article referenced reporting from FOX NEWS)