The Most Deeply Affected Victims of the Opioid Crisis May Surprise You: They’re Babies.

Prescription Drugs Affecting TN Newborns is a growing problem. Over the last few years, you have probably heard a lot about the opioid epidemic. Opioids are a class of drugs that include prescription medications and illicit drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, heroin, fentanyl, and methadone.

You may have also read many disheartening facts about this crisis. For instance, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 115 people in the United States die every day by overdosing on opioids.

However, there’s a devastating problem you may not know about. Aside from the people who tragically overdose on opioids, there is another set of victims widely overlooked: their babies.

Babies become addicted to the same drugs their parents use while in the womb.

If a mother uses opioids while pregnant, her child will also become addicted to the drugs while in the womb. This is true for children who are breastfeeding, too.

This means that, after birth or weaning from breastmilk, the child will suffer agonizing and painful withdrawal during the first days and weeks of its life. This is because it is detoxing from the drugs it has become dependent on. This type of intense withdrawal can lead to Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or NAS.

NAS occurs in newborns exposed to addictive opiate drugs while in the womb. A baby who has NAS may have symptoms like extreme irritability, blotchy skin, refusing to feed, arching its back, seizures, slow weight gain, and more.

The effects of NAS don’t stop once a child has gone through withdrawal.

The harm done by prescription drugs affecting TN newborns doesn’t stop after the withdrawal is complete. Later in life, children who had NAS may find that they have respiratory complications, hearing disabilities, language delays, learning impairments, psychiatric illness, and more.

The number of babies born in the United States addicted to opioids has tripled in the last fifteen years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The sad truth is that this number is growing.

If  you suspect that a child under your care has, or had, NAS, you need legal help.

The long-lasting effects of children born to mothers addicted to opioid painkillers can require a lifetime of care. As a foster parent, adoptive parent, or family member caring for one of these vulnerable children, you should not have to bear the financial burden that comes with caring for a child with NAS.

It is our belief that the companies who played a tremendous role in the opioid epidemic should be held responsible. A dangerous drugs lawyer Memphis, TN relies on has seen countless injuries caused by unsafe prescription drugs, procedures, and prescription practices, we’re here to help.

At Darrell Castle & Associates, PLLC, we have a team of experienced lawyers ready to take on the big pharmaceutical companies who manufacture these opioids. We are ready to fight on behalf of you and your family to get you the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a consultation — the call is absolutely free.