How Many of You Mom's Are on a Happy Pill as the Doctor Calls It :)

I don't like calling them "happy pills" because I am truly clinically depressed. Then again I'm having a relapse so maybe if I were happier I'd be able to call them happy pills :-(

I love my "happy pills" ! I take Celexa 40 mg (I think that is the right dosage). I've been on Zoloft - didn't do much for me and one other (can't remember right now what it was). That worked good but the cost went up on me and I couldn't afford it anymore so we switched to Celexa (I take the generic). It really helps me deal with things. I'm not so short tempered and don't feel out of control. I feel like I can handle things.

I take a few "happy pills" Clonazepam, Nortriptyline, and various vitamins to help manage my conditions. I've taken several others such as Zoloft, Paxil, Tramadol, Prozac and have not had much luck. Do they make me happy? Nope but some of the time they enable me to manage my PTSD & other issues relatively well.

Took more then my share. They almost killed me. Would never take them again.

Found they made me feel like a zombie. I hated I needed a medication to feel,even the simplest of feelings.

I have been on Adivan(spelling),Clonezapam,Celexia,Wellburtin and Zoloft.

I have found natural remedies myself and joined a support group. I found talking about the things in my life that I was taking the happy pills for, was the best medicine. Knowing that I am not alone.

I live with PTSD and probably would be on medication the rest of my life if my doctor's had had their way. I had a counselor though that saw that as not a way of life, merely just existing and worked with me on positive coping mechanism's. That is not for everyone...but with a fear of Pharm drugs and the fact they almost killed me it is a must for me.

Just be careful. Once you are on them..You may never be able to be ''off'' of them. They are h*** o* your system and sometimes the side effects are not worth just working through and finding good positive coping mechanisms. Even if they are drugs that have been around for decades....I do not trust that they are safe and have non lasting effect on our bodies.

Just my mind on the matter:)

I've been on Paxil for about 6 months now and will NOT be going back to life without them!!

I was diagnosed with PPD, but looking back at the past 6-8 years I'm pretty sure I've just been depressed the whole time. *Now* I feel more content and peaceful; little things don't cause a whirl-wind of emotion in me and I can better control how I react to stupid people making stupid comments (rather than just telling them they're idiots! lol). I used to have ZERO motivation to clean the house, take care of myself, or even play with my kids :( But now, we have so much fun! We go outside, do crafts, bake and take little outings all the time. I've NEVER loved being a mom SO much!

My doctor told me that there is not one "better" anti-depressant....but sometimes you have to try a few to find the best "fit" for YOU. My only side effects are mild constipation (easily dealt with) and fatigue. But I just take my pill around 6pm and am good and sleepy for bedtime :)

I think a lot of Moms do.
For whatever reasons... hormonal a lot of times.

I have a friend, that whenever her in-laws visit... she goes to her Doc for a tranquilizer or something. And she has 4 kids.
Forget what her pill is called. But she says that is the only way she can survive... the ickyness.

Maybe the solution is: the Men or Husband should take one. They 'create' the stress too, right?
LOL

Nope, never taken any happy pills. I try to keep my body as med free as possible. With that, 1 year ago my surgeon told me I was the healthiest person he had seen in months. Your liver has to process every med you put in your mouth.

Certainly I like everyone else go through a funk, so to speak. When I feel this way I just go do something for myself. I do something that makes me feel good about me.

I think it is pretty common to feel a bit of a funk after the winter months. The weather has kept us in and we tend to feel trapped inside the house.

Here is a website where you can see if some of the things you are feeling is caused by your medication, or if you and anyone else share symptoms that may not have been listed on your prescription notes.

www.askapatient.com

Best wishes! Open the blinds and let some sun shine in the house!

I do not take any, I think I could possibly benefit from it though, it may help me get the motivation I need to get healthy again - but then I actually have to see a doctor!

I used to think happy pill was offensive, but have since realized people can call it whatever they want if that's what it does for them. I started taking zoloft 50mg many years ago and it was very helpful. After my baby was born in September I asked my doctor to up it to 100 and he did so happily. We (my dr. and I) both have a responsibility to maintain my mental health; as I put it, I don't want to wind up on the news and neither does he. It's been helpful, for sure.

I've been on Celexa almost a year now due to depression from dealing with a special needs child. It's worked great and I've had zero side effects. It's really helped me cope with the ups and downs of our son's conditions.

Well, I threw out my back (muscle spasm that just wouldn't quit) 2 weeks ago and the ER doctor prescribed Valium. Apparently Valium is actually a muscle relaxer, but I'll tell you what... I could get used to taking that stuff! It took my normal super-type-A personality down about 4 notches. My kids would do crazy stuff that would normally send me over the edge, and I just kinda sat there being totally okay with it. Of course, I did have to take myself off the stuff because if I hadn't, my little monsters would have burned the house down. Anyway, I need to find a way to take Valium daily, bottom line. Life is so shiny and happy when I'm on it. ;)

I did take Zoloft when I was pregnant with my second daughter because I had a bad experience with PPD with my older daughter, and Zoloft worked well for me. I do remember ramping up the dosage slowly though. Started with half a pill every other day, then half a pill per day, then a whole pill every other day/half pill on the alternate days, then finally a whole pill per day. If you aren't reacting well to the full dosage, why not ask your doctor if you can build up slowly? Just a thought.

A Dad checking in on this one, yes I take a nightly happy pill and yes, it makes things better. Xanax

The trick is getting the right med for you. That often means having to experiment-which stinks since some will make you sick, sleepless, etc. I don't know much about Zoloft, but 20mg of Celexa and 300XR of Wellbutrin are my cocktail and it's been working for years now. It does take time for meds like Wellbutrin to build up in your system before they are at full efficacy, but if the drug is making you sick during that time, I'd call your dr and request something else. In the meantime, try taking it before bed and see if it helps-maybe you can sleep thru the nausea part.

I was on Zoloft for 6 months when my son was 1 1/2 yrs old (he's 13 now).
I was burning myself out trying to be super Mom and barely getting 6 hours sleep a night.
I felt like I had to be on duty all the time and I couldn't relax.
I went in for my yearly physical saying how tired I was and when my doctor jokingly said I needed to get more organized I almost bit her head off.
I gave her a blow by blow description of my typical day in 15 min increments from 4am to 10pm (how the bleep could I GET more organized when I'd already organized the heck out of everything!) and she was like "Whoa! Honey, you can't keep doing this!".
It took several weeks for it to really start working, but when it did it felt like the hair on the back of my neck could finally stop standing on end all the time.
6 months was enough.
When I went off it I didn't slide back into the hectic pace I'd set for myself before I was on the medication.

LOL I love how you phrase it! I went on something last year...maybe Zoloft I don't remember...for situational anxiety. My husband and I had gotten into a fight that ended up in his being arrested and he moved out for a while. I'm pretty even-keeled but this gave me panic attacks and I couldn't sleep. I couldn't take a sleeping pill because I was home alone with 4 kids each night so this medicine was to take the edge off. I was only on it for a couple weeks though and the situation at home got a lot better so I ended up going off of it before it really kicked in. I was kind of looking forward to some loss of appetite a a side effect because I'm always up for some weight loss but that didn't happen. My doc said that stomach problems were the most common side effect and that starting slow (I was on half a pill a day for the first 3 days, then one full pill a day) was the key.

Just about everyone I know is or has been on something. My girlfriends were joking that I was "the last one to fall" and join them. Life is stressful and hard - I'm grateful that there are things out there to help people cope with temporary or long-term mood problems. Better than drinking at noon or popping valium all day!

For me the best thing to do is to make a very dedicated start to begin exercising! I bought an elliptical machine a year ago and started jumping on every morning. At first I could barely manage 10 minutes. Now I am going for about 45 - 50 minutes every morning and burning about 800 to 900 calories. I find that this improves my mood and gives me a lot of energy. I have lost 10 pounds and feel so much happier. I eat a big salad almost every day for lunch. Personally, I think that the "natural" way is better for our overall well being as women. Like Hipocrates said; "Let medicine be thy food and food be thy medicine." Somehow I believe that this is still relevant even though it is centuries later - and a bit of exercise thrown in is not a bad idea either! All the best!

I am on the generic of Zoloft. I know I am much more aware of how I feel and I am not so down. I mean don't get me wrong nothing will cure bad days 100% but they definitely help.

I would check into simply taking St. John' Wort. It's an herbal supplement with no side effects other than it stabilizes your mood. In studies it is as effective as medications. It made a complete night and day difference for me with both postpartum depression and clinical depression.

I don't take anything, but my brother, mom and a few friends I know have all taken paxil at one time or another. It really helped them a lot and to my knowledge none of them experienced any ill side effects. We often joke that they should put just a touch in the city water to make everyone's life a bit easier! lol
HTH,
A.

my sis was on 2 prior to & after her divorce. She developed tachycardia & was reduced to 1. Night & day difference attitude-wise between 1 & 2. We prefer her behaviorally on 2, but want her to live a long life .....so put up with her on just 1 med. It's not pretty a lot of the time....

& she drinks until drunk waaaay tooooo frequently. Irony Lesson #1: leave an alcoholic & become one. :(

Geeeee, sounds like I need one! :) But to further answer your question, my BFF & I are the only ones not on meds in my entire circle of friends/family. Wow.

My mom is on "happy pills" (too funny). I forget what kind but I do know that she has been taking them for a few years now and she absolutely cannot go a day without taking them. The doctor recently increased her dose because her body was getting used to them.

My mom and I have a typical mother/daughter relationship. We talk on the phone alot and hang out alot. We tend to bicker at each other occasionally and don't always agree on the same methods of doing things. But we have a good relationship. However, when my mother does not take her "happy pills", it is torture. Not just for me but for my little brother and my father. She stays nervous and is extremely argumentative.

But since she started taking them.. she is now unable to get off them. The dr told her it would hurt her more to stop taking them than to continue taking them.

If my psychiatrist referred to one of my meds as a "happy pill" I'd fire him immediately. That's offensive.

I have Paxil but I only take it when i feel iky or the stress level is going through the roof. This is usually about three times a year.

Hubby takes Lexapro for his issues. When he came off of the medicine it was worse than having a good friend around with the emotion displays. I suggested that he get a new prescription for his pills. He has been good ever since. Wheww. It is nice to be able to go to a chick flick and take the box of tissues for the two and enjoy it.

If you need them take them. But if you don't that is fine also.

The other S.

I take Celexa 5 -10 mg depending on how things are going in my life. I didn't start till I was about 47 You should def start out with a Very low dose and go slowly,

i take pristoq 50 mg a day. i think they refer to it as a anti-anxiety medication, though i feel like it has improved my life in all aspects. i started about a year ago, and was the best decision ever. i know it takes up to 2 weeks for the body to adjust to the med.