Funny, I had this conversation with my T this morning that I sometimes just want to ditch all the meds, especially when I feel relatively functional. But then I also acknowledged that it would be really stupid for me to do that, because I'm not even fully stabilized yet and I can still remember how bad it was before starting mood stabilizers.

My answer to "what kind of life is that" is that for me, it's a promise of a more or less normal, functional life. But that varies by person, and you'll find plenty of people here who don't like taking meds or choose not to - VenusHalley is a great example of someone who manages well without meds. This topic comes up a lot around here; it's something most of us have to deal with at some point.

I gained 70 lbs in the last 5 years on a weight-neutral antidepressant because it didn't really kill the depression, which caused binge eating. Lamictal is also usually weight-neutral, so probably not the culprit for you. I've actually lost 10 lbs in 2 months since starting it, although I'm actually less physically active than I was before, because I'm not binge eating anymore. It's a huge relief for me. I have never had a "normal" appetite (always hungry, only full if I was really, really overstuffed, and even then...) so this is practically a miracle for me! I wish it could go that way for everyone, but our bodies all react differently to meds.

I'm also more cognitively functional on meds - again, a huge relief! Sure, I miss the euphoria of hypomania, but I desperately need more stability to achieve my goals and manage my life. I just can't take anymore depressions that last months and months and prevent me from working, or doing much of anything, for that matter.

You should keep your pdoc in the loop. They can't force meds on you, but if you want to taper down/off some of them, they can help you do that as responsibly as possible so that it minimizes the risk of bad side effects.