Primarily used as anti convuslants for the primary use of epileptic fits. It was the first drug I was put on. I actually didn't find a difference using it. So, mood stabilisers were added along the way, I did some research to discover that most of the additional drugs were highly addictive. My thought process was - why am I taking additional meds, when the base med could be changed? I did some more research myself and felt that lamictal was by far the superior drug. However, because of its potential side effects you have to build up the dose very slowly. I got impatient with that, so now I'm running med free. Not something I'd advocate for, but I've been stable for a good few months now, I'm very self aware, I track my moods and I have a community mental health team which are aware of my situation and we have a relapse plan. But I'm open to using drugs again in the future if the need arises.

Anyway, the reason I thought I'd share all that is because of the importance of research and being self aware. When you get hit with a label, there is an element of grieving involved. Denial, anger, resentment, relief, etc. Medical professionals also have different views on the illness, so you'll have to rely greatly on yourself to research what works best for you. Ask questions, check in with other people, read textbooks. I just read, Bipolar Disorder II by Dr Ronald Grieve - I prefer textbooks to autobiographies, although, An Unquiet Mind by Dr Kay Jamison was well written, I found it a bit pretentious. Bipolar for Dummies is an excellent source of easy read information.

Do you have a good support system? My husband knows my moods even better than I do, so he's able to keep me grounded as well.

Anyway, sorry to waffle on - welcome to the site and I hope you find a wealth of information at your fingertips, see if you can find a local support group as well.

Take care!