I am currently in the process of coming off of my meds and it's going well. Only thing is that because my brain has been used to the meds for so many years, my psychiatrist and I have to taper very slowly to avoid psychosis/mania. I think one of the important things is to come off the meds with the help of your doctor rather than just stopping them abruptly on your own (not saying you're planning on doing this, but just in case I thought I'd warn you ).

Lifestyle modifications have been hugely important in functioning with fewer meds at lower doses. I maintain a very strict schedule each day--get up at the same time each day, take my meds at the same time, exercise at the same time everyday, go to bed at the same time, etc. I even try to have my first and last social contacts of the day at around the same time. Having a schedule has enabled me to function and feel so much better--it sounds simple, but I can't say enough about it's importance.

Spirituality has also helped me get through the hard times when coming off the meds. I don't think it matters what form of spirituality--just whatever is meaningful to you. Meditation is also immensely helpful, though I don't do it often because it's sooooo hard for me--though the difficulties probably mean I should do it more often, haha.

I know people who haven't had much success with fish oil, but I find it helpful in keeping the highs from getting too high and the lows from getting too low. It's not one of those things that makes you instantly feel better on a rough day--but taken over time, I have found that it minimizes the extremes of the mood. I use OmegaBrite because it's high in EPA, which my psychiatrist said is important--but there are other brands as well.

I'm so sorry to hear that you're struggling on the meds, and I agree that a blank slate could be helpful. Best wishes, and let us know how you're doing, okay Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about my experiences in getting off meds--I'll try to help in whatever way I can!

Best,
Hope