Venus,
No offense, but I have to say... Although being med free is your choice and may work for you, I don't think the majority of people with bipolar can or should be off of medication. I see you seem to try to educate that you do Zen and yoga, however I think people don't really "get" what you mean by that (I do, but I don't know if others do). Making them think if you can do it, then they should be able to also. And I just don't think that's realistic for MOST people with BP. Usually, if someone meds aren't working, causing side effects, are too flattening...then the meds should be changed or adjusted. If their Pdoc is not skilled enough to do this appropriately my suggestion would be to find another Pdoc. Going off meds altogether is incredibly irresponsible in my opinion.

You said yourself-

>>>freedom comes responsibility. Freedom is a burden and can be deadly<<<

I hope this statement really sinks in for anyone thinking about going off medications. Especially since the BP group has a very high suicide rate, if not medicated properly.

I equate it to a diabetic that wants to control their disease with diet and exercise only and not any medications. They would have to stick to their regimen for life and not falter, or they could die from a diabetic coma. However, some diabetic are so severe they can NOT control it with diet and exercise.

Just like I think most people with BP, including myself are at a point in the disorder that there is no turning back from medications without serious consequences.