Selma Blair lawyer cites missed MS meds, head injury after arrest

Selma Blair's attorney Shawn Barnes told a court that the actress missed several doses of a powerful medication controlling severe neurological symptoms and suffered a head injury during a flight, contributing to a state of confusion. Blair, 54, was arraigned Monday on two counts of second-degree assault following an incident aboard a Delta flight into New York City, the Associated Press reported. The attorney characterized the incident as a medical emergency rather than criminal misconduct, suggesting that the altitude may have also been a factor. Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, though it remains unclear which specific medication she missed or whether her symptoms were directly related to the disease. Fox News Digital reached out to Blair's representatives for comment.

Dr. Lee Murray, a board-certified neurologist at West Tennessee Healthcare in Jackson, Tennessee, explained that multiple sclerosis treatments generally fall into three primary categories. He noted that first-line treatments aim to prevent recurrent inflammatory attacks and are often administered via IV infusions, pills, or self-injections over several years to keep the disease suppressed. When a relapse occurs, doctors may prescribe high-dose steroids orally or intravenously to reduce inflammation and speed recovery, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Murray emphasized that patients with multiple sclerosis often manage concurrent health issues such as bladder difficulties, depression, or neuropathic pain, requiring additional medications that address these symptoms rather than the disease itself.

Dr. Yoshua Quinones, a board-certified internist at Medical Offices of Manhattan, detailed the specific classes of disease-modifying therapies. She stated that these therapies reduce relapses, new MRI lesions, and long-term disability accumulation. Quinones explained that immunomodulators work by adjusting immune system activity, while anti-trafficking drugs block specific immune cells from traveling to the central nervous system. Cell-depleting therapies aim to eliminate particular immune cells and are generally regarded as highly effective. Other medications are used to manage acute relapses or specific symptoms like fatigue, walking difficulties, spasticity, and bladder problems.

Both doctors stressed the importance of medication compliance. Murray warned that missing doses puts patients at risk for an MS relapse, which can result in acute or new neurological changes. Potential effects of a relapse include balance difficulties, vision loss, dizziness, bowel or bladder dysfunction, or weakness and numbness on one side. He advised that patients developing new neurological deficits after missed doses should seek immediate medical attention to determine if they are experiencing an active flare. While high-dose steroids can reverse some symptoms and speed recovery from a relapse, the MS Society notes they have not been shown to improve long-term outcomes.

Quinones added that poor compliance increases the risk of relapse and hospitalization. She highlighted that stopping anti-trafficking medications carries a high risk of rapid disease reactivation and can trigger a rebound effect worse than the baseline condition. However, she noted that cell-depleting agents act over months, making a single missed dose less immediately impactful than constant non-compliance would be. The specific risks depend on the drug used, the duration of treatment interruption, and individual patient circumstances.