I have BP 1 (with psychosis) and severe ADHD.
My life has been okay so far, but I'm kinda out of options for ADHD meds. Adderall induced a manic episode where I stayed up for 3 days straight and I had f***ed up hallucinations. As a result, I'm afraid to try another stimulant, and my new pdoc doesn't want me to try another one anyways. So, we're trying Strattera to see how that works out, even though I think it will be utterly useless. We'll see though. I have a bunch of free samples for Strattera (it's a "starter kit"), so it's not like I'm even paying to try it out. Then if it doesn't work, it's no loss to me.
But anyways, I have a Master's degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering, and I didn't start ADHD medication until after I graduated in 2015.
While I was in school, I just figured out my weaknesses and did my best to avoid them. For example, I always failed tests because of my ADHD, so I just picked courses with no tests, or courses with no final exam (since final exams always f***ed me over). Then I did fine. Graduated with a 3.7 GPA for my master's and had a full scholarship. I also got paid $20k a year to cover my housing costs (which were only $15k a year), so I essentially got
paid to do a Master's degree and I made a profit.
And yes, I really DO have severe ADHD, as Dx'ed by 2 different psychologists. You just have to be smart about what you do, and learn what works and doesn't work for you. So instead of focusing on the negatives, focus on developing coping mechanisms.
Good luck