After I was first diagnosed and put on a medication regime I eventually "stabilized" and thought hey presto I'm not really bipolar I've been cured!

So I stopped taking my meds.

Really really bad mistake!!!

Stick to your medication as prescribed by your pdoc.

Do as much research as you can on the medications that you are on. Don't be put off by the side effects. All medications come with side effects and your doc would have outweighed the pros and cons, and as previously mentioned medication is not a one size fits all, sometimes it takes a while to figure out what's best for you.

Welcome to the forum.