I have had bipolar for over 20 years been on lots of types of meds etc, tried lithium did not work for me tried tegritol for a while it worked for a while think, side effects were not too bad so i think i stuck with etc, its a matter of getting the right dose correct etc it may work for you if not see your gp the key is hope you can relax at try and not worry it sounds like you have had a bad time of it i no with bipolar mods can change quickly etc.
Take it one day at a time all in your own time keep your chin up.