There is an increasing number of Tennessee foster parents enduring child opioid withdrawal.

In Tennessee, and all across America, the number of children entering foster care is increasing. This increase is due to the sweeping opioid crisis that is gripping our great nation. Likewise, there is a growing number of Tennessee foster parents enduring child opioid withdrawal. These families are forced to watch as the small children they open their homes to go through excruciating detox from the drugs in their systems.

Sadly, this epidemic of addiction to prescription painkillers, fentanyl, heroin, and other opioids has produced a landslide of  children who have lost their parents to drug use or overdose. In 2015, there were 30,000 more children in foster care than there were in 2012. Unfortunately, that number is not slowing down.

Babies can become addicted to the same drugs their parents use.

Babies can become addicted to opioids while in the womb if their mother takes them while she’s pregnant. This is also true for breastfeeding. These tiny babies plunge into withdrawal once they’re born or weaned from breastmilk, as they no longer receive the drugs they’ve come to depend on.

What you may not know is that this agonizing withdrawal can lead to something called NAS. NAS, or Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, is a group of agonizing symptoms that infants who were exposed to drugs in the womb experience.

Initial symptoms of NAS include projectile vomiting, hyper-irritation, refusing to feed, slow weight gain, seizures, blotchy skin, and more. But the effects of NAS don’t stop once withdrawal is over. The long-term effects of NAS can include hearing impairments, developmental delays, problems with language, brain disorders, psychiatric illness, and more. This is why the opioid crisis devastating Tennessee foster families is so scary.

Darrell Castle & Associates, PLLC can help.

You and your foster child should not have to pay for the lifelong medical costs often associated with NAS. Here at Darrell Castle & Associates, PLLC, our team is hard at work fighting for families like yours. We are ready to take on the major opioid manufacturers to get you the compensation you deserve.

If you believe a child under your car has NAS,  or had NAS when they were younger we want to hear form you. Contact us right away to speak to an experienced TN infant opioid addiction lawyer at no cost to you. We are ready to listen and the call is absolutely free.