Chenryu I was dx'ed with bp when I was 27 (I think) and I was on meds--about 9 different ones before my doc found something that worked for everything. I was living with my baby bro at the time and dating a guy who was dx'ed with bp1. He was the main reason I went to a doc--he pushed me into going and I am glad he did. I was on meds for about two years. I then quit my job--big mistake- and moved back home. I now live with my older sister who flat-out drives me f-ing insane. She is a major trigger. Because I moved back home, I had to give up my doc. I moved back in March of '09 and just now got back on meds. The past year and a half was the worst. could't sleep, gained weight, everything was a trigger, stayed angry most of the time, very irritable, at the drop of a hat, mind you, and everything that could go wrong in my mind did go wrong. I hated it. My cycle was this: depression, guilt, anger, depression, guilt, anger, etc...everyday. This past summer was the worst of my life. I even started to hate being around my nieces. I had been like this, only worse, before my diagnosis. I tried to go it alone...I tried things like omega 3 fish oil, valerian root to help me sleep, st john's wort, exercise, meditation, relaxation, you name it. Nothing worked.
Nothing works quite like good ol meds. I was never so happy to spend money in my life as I was when I saw that script bottle

That being said, not everyone is the same. I'm sure there are some of you out there who can do it and power to you, but I can't. Maybe it'll work for you. I think it is good advice to talk to your pdoc first, but if it's what you really want to do, maybe you should do a little research and prepare yourself and take the plunge. It may be great. I hope it works for you