I have been stable for 4 years now on Abilify, Lamictal, Concerta, Provigil & Xanax except for one winter where I got depressed & had to add Wellbutrin & used a light box. My dx is bipolar I. I got off the Wellbutrin when spring came. I do have some SAD tendencies. Right now I'm hypo-manic, but not bad enough to change the meds (according to me--see doc in a week). I feel very good, but am not sleeping much & spending more than usual. So I guess I've had a couple swings in mood, but mostly on an even keel. The depression was very bad, but the Wellbutrin snapped me out of it. It took a year of experimenting to get me on the right combo of meds. I was lucky to have a doc that LISTENED to me, my side effects & whether things were working or not. I want the highest quality of life possible. I "fired" one doc because he refused to take me off Depakote & try something else even though I was clearly still depressed. I had arrived in a mixed state & since I wasn't so agitated on the Depakote he thought that was good enough.

I do have a friend who does well for a couple months & then gets manic or depressed & has to have her meds adjusted. I don't know why I have remained relatively stable. I have made my environment as low stress as possible--working only part-time at a not very demanding job, being married to a supportive husband, exercising, doing things I enjoy, staying away from people who trigger me (some family members) & having a structure to my day.

Everyone is unique in how the meds affect them.