i had been on lamictal for about 7 years, and it worked pretty decent i guess - but it was when we added the lithium things really started changing. then, i got a nasty rash all over. and i had to go off my meds one by one, and several dermatologist appointments, a biopsy, & 3 months later, it turns out it was the lithium.

no, my doctor wants to try depakote (which i took for a few years when i was younger) alone for at least 2 months. i haven't been on it long, i suppose, but i do still feel that it should be managing my moods at least a little bit better by this point. i don't know. something. i've had a depression, hypomania, mania, and now depression again.

so i guess what i'm getting to is.... i feel lost. do i keep trying medicine combo after med combo for years to come, do i keep hoping more new meds are released? and i know this is controversial, but has anyone any experience with ECT? i mean, i feel like i'm at the end of a road.
additional info: i have also tried meditation, hypnosis, a couple other natural routes. i'm getting kinda hopeless at this point.[/quote]

You have a lot going on here so I am going to try to address your situations in the order you have listed them.
1) lithium was the first effective treatment for bipolar disorder and is a mood stabilizer. Lamictal on the other hand is the first FDA approved drug with the on label use for treatment of bipolar disorder as a mood stabilizer. Since the rash was identified as being related to the lithium, will you pdoc restart the lamictal? You have to be 1000% certain though that the rash was not related to the lamictal. If it was and you take lamictal again, it could be lethal.
2) There are several mood stabilizers on the market. Be patient. It might take a combination of them to get you back to the point where you feel stable. Tegretol and Lamictal work well as a combination for me but it took seven years to find this out.
3) I notice that you are not on any anti-depressants, some of these can have a stabilizing effect as well. You might want to ask your pdoc about those.
4) As you are describing it, you are rapid cycling. I hate to break the news to you but ECT while very effective in long-term drug resistant severe depression, it will not do anything for your mood swings. Bottom line is that you have to figure out with your pdoc some method of stabilizing your moods.
5) I find for myself if I utilize the principles of getting out of a rip tide, I can also better manage the mood swings that I do have. I do not hear you complaining of suicidal ideation or psychosis and thats a good thing so all we are really talking about is moderate depression to hypomania. Your life is not in danger but I hear you are suffering.
To escape a rip tide, one that drags you out to sea, if you try to swim directly to shore, you will exhaust yourself and eventually drown. The technique to escape is to swim parallel to the shoreline until you are no longer in the rip tide and then swim back to shore. How does this relate to hypomania and depression?
Rather than exhausting and frustrating myself trying to get back to "normal", I have a list of positive activities that I can utilize when I am in either state. There is a reason that we were once referred to as insane geniuses. I bet you have a creative streak in you a mile wide whether or not you have discovered it yet or not. Swim with the hypomania and use the extra umph to make your star shine bright. Conversely, I have a list of activities when I am depressed that uplift me. Going out for coffee with my daughter, watching a favorite movie, taking a bubble bath... the point is, just swim with it until you can find a solution, because it is only temporary. The mood will pass. Do whatever you need to get through it.
5) Keep up with the pdoc, the therapy and post here like crazy. You are only as alone as you want to be. Finally, don't give up. There will come a day, I promise you, where if your disease might not be a blessing, at least you can appreciate some of the gifts that come along with this malady. Hang in there, its worth it.
I will be praying for you.
ptk