mania affects everybody differently. for some a cycle can last hours, some days, for some it can be weeks. how much a mania interferes with your life determines what you are going to do about it. I spend thousands of dollars shopping when manic so I cant afford to be manic. I max out all my credit cards and go into severe debt. I have to medicate. but I am on meds that don't have any side effects for me. I have tried about all of them out there and found the ones I respond to the best. and I live a pretty normal life with them. I wish I didn't have to take them, but I cant manage my mania without them.