I can totally relate. I was actually on lithium back in 1988 when I was incorrectly diagnosed with bipolar. I was on it for 3 months and stopped because all it did was make me gain weight and did nothing for my depression. I was lucky in that I was not bipolar or I would have been in trouble for stopping it. However later on it was discovered I was not bipolar and began a different form of treatment. I was under the impression that many other better alternatives to lithium have been made available for bipolar but I am not sure. It's a very old med.

I am in a very high paced professional field right now and am very cautious what meds I take as I must always be 100% fully functional. It's a tough juggling act. Good luck to you!