I did go off meds. It was my pdoc's idea so as to see the 'pure' pattern of my swings and then suggest the drug that was more likely to work as I was struggling to find 'my' drug for so long...For me it didn't go well. I went into a very confusing state of rapid cycle and mixed, and my anxiety got worse. It was also not the best time to do it I think - last semester of my final year at uni.

You can try going off, but I would suggest you have your pdoc by your side, you pick a time when everything else is stable in your life, and before you do it, look back to see how episodes occur - are there clear symptoms, like physical symptoms straight away? Or is the way you think affected first and you slowly get sucked into a severe episode that may cause problems that can't be solved with hospitalisation?

I wish you the best

Oh...And about different times and what people did...Quite a lot of them killed themselves...So I wouldn't look back for answers...You are who you are, and you need to find out what works best for you