Prior to being diagnosed I found that I had more mood swings depending on the stress I was under and my pattern was similar to yours until my last major depression that lasted 3 months and I ended up in the hospital. As far as being off the meds you were prescribed it really depends what you were prescribed. If it was anti-d's and you do have bipolar that would cause more issues (that's how I was diagnosed). I would suggest speaking to a Psychiatrist regarding your symptoms.