Bluemountains, if I remember correctly, you said you were going through menopause. You should discuss that with your psychiatrist and your doctor because hormonal changes do affect moods. You might benefit more from some kind of hormone therapy if that's the root of your problems. I hear good things about bioidentical hormones.

However, if you're feeling restless and having trouble focusing, it could be a symptom of hypomania (I know it's an early symptom for me) so you should bring that up as well because that would warrant a change in your prescription. You said the holidays have been stressful and they're definitely a time when routines are broken, which can be a trigger for some people, so if that's the cause for your symptoms, then you might just need something temporary like Xanax to get you through.

To answer your question, when I've been good and taken my meds when I'm supposed to I find that I don't need to adjust them very often unless I encounter a strong trigger like a major life change or I neglect managing my stress for long periods of time. I don't find that I have to change meds very often if I take good care of myself, and when I do need to adjust, it's usually temporary and it's just a change in dosage. Regular exercise (an hour a day 5 or 6x a week) really helps keep me stable.