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Are you in therapy? I've found it helpful to talk about the disorder with my therapist, how it and the meds affect me, worries about the future... Therapy can be a great support while you're making this adjustment, to explore what this means for you, how it manifests in you (everyone is different) and also help with other things, psychological issues, etc.
I know it can be hard with pdocs (short appointments and some seem to be seriously lacking in communication and/or social skills), but I would recommend trying to get him out of his coma and communicate with you. Maybe you could bring in a list of questions (it can be hard to come up with them in the moment, we forget, etc.), tell him from the get go that you have these questions, to kind of make sure you get through it and to communicate to him that it's important to you.
You can ask, amongst other things, what kind of expectations you can have with the medications. Knowing these parameters will give you a better idea as to if you might need to consult him for a med change (are they just working as well as they *can* or could they be working better if tweaked?).
But I don't believe that meds alone can fully 'fix' bipolar disorder. Lifestyle changes and therapy can help so much. Most people have some sort of psychological issue or another (or co-morbid issues such as anxiety) and I think that when these things are addressed, they can potentially help with the management of bipolar disorder.
Good luck and welcome to PC!
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