I don't know if this is my depression talking but I'm not a big fan right now. But it's hard to say for sure if it's fair for me to blame the lithium.

I'm type 2 and was a rapid cycler. My episodes would generally last from 6 weeks to 3 months or so. In addition to hypo, I would get irritable/agitated periods and sometimes I would have extreme blowouts from this state where I would be very destructive and self destructive. These episodes worry me because I'm so volatile and could easily suicide on impulse in the heat of the moment. It's also expensive to replace things like broken iphones and laptops. I noticed that I hadn't had those episodes since being on Lithium until one broke through due to extreme stress I was under for a long period of time.

So that was the positive. But looking back I think my hypomania yanked me out of my depressions. Without hypo, I stay mired down and have been depressed for about 10 mos of the year for the two years I've been on it. I have no creativity or passion for life, no engagement in my life and I feel like I'm watching it pass me by through a dirty window. I simply can't engage. I feel like I've had a chemical/emotional lobotomy.

I know I've read about people who have found this to be their miracle drug though and it's hard to know how you will react until you give it a good trial. I've given it two years and that is enough. I'm currently tapering off and will be all the way off next week.

Once I'm off, I might look back and see that it was helpful.

I'd suggest keeping a mood journal and ideally you'd have one from before you went on it to compare.

Good luck with it. It really does help some people. I wish I could be one of them.