Florida woman admits Xanax makes her a better mother

A Florida woman admitted taking the drug Xanax makes her a better mother, in a Parenting magazine report about anti-anxiety medication.

Hope Chanda's confession made the term 'Xanax better mom' go viral on the internet and shed light on the relationship between parenting and depression.

Chanda lives in Melbourne Florida, is the mom to twin 6-year-old boys and has been dealing with panic attacks since she began undergoing fertility treatments two years ago.

"Every time, I feel like I'm going to die," she tells the magazine.

Chanda and her husband, Joe, have been trying to get pregnant for the last couple of years, which means she's received six rounds of fertility shots and three cycles of the fertility drug Clomid. She said that even though the hormones "make [her] crazy," the two miscarriages have been the toughest thing to deal with.

After talking to her doctor about the panic episodes, Chanda was prescribed half a milligram of Xanax twice a day, and 20 milligrams of Celexa at night, a pill cocktail she takes religiously as it makes her feel like a better version of herself.

"It helps me be a better mom," Chanda said. "I look forward to taking my medication. I'm more flexible, tolerant, and rational. Before, when the kids were being a problem, I would get frustrated and yell immediately. Now, we work through the problem."

Chanda's decision to take the anxiolytic drug is in part due to her own experience growing up with a distressed parent. Chanda told Parenting she didn't want to end up like her mother, who was hospitalized with depression when Chanda was 10-years-old.

According to Parenting's article, consumption of anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications has become increasingly common for parents in the 21rst Century, whether it's the right thing to do or not, that is up for you, and your doctor to decide. For the full story on how many parents are coping with anxiety and depression visit Parenting.com