agreed that there are other meds you can take if you are not tolerating lithium well. the thing about not taking meds is that you don't always get to have manic/hypomanic episodes...you don't get to choose which way you are going to go, up or down...and those of us who have had dysphoric mania/agitated depression...what most of us know as mixed...those are HORRIBLE to go through. and of course depression, I don't personally care to go back into that hole. for me, although hypomania felt pretty good I also made bad decisions, despite how productive or out going I might have felt. I did some stupid things in that state.
bottom line, stable is the way to go...as an aside to that, anytime I have been manic or hypomanic, without fail, a depression always followed. the only way to stop the crash is to not climb the high to begin with.

do you have a therapist? mine is worth her weight in gold...not only does she talk with me about things, she also helps me recognize when I am going into an episode...she can notice a depression coming pretty fast...manic/hypomanic..not so much because I hide that pretty well. she's even told me that before. it is usually after talking for about 15 minutes that she will catch on to that. because she works in the same office as my psychiatrist, she helps get me an appt sooner if she sees something that needs to be addressed. win/win situation