Reading these posts just makes me remember the blurb that r010159 posted in another thread about this very thing. This is an episodic disorder that often becomes more severe with time. The meds you are on may be overkill but to go off them completely seems to be just waiting for the bomb to fall. IMO I will strive to be the least medicated I can possibly be, but I'm willing to accept that I will need to be for the rest of my life to some degree. These swings haven't been so bad for me when I'm on my meds.