Have you ever thought of trying alternative treatments like the mineral supplement lithium orotate and amino acids? I ask this because you said Cymbalta can trigger a manic episode and scares you.

I was on meds for 13+ years, and can honestly say it saved my marriage by turning me into a zoned out zombie with a host of serious side-effects. When they got so bad I couldn't take it, I went off them 9+ years ago and then came across using amino acids to regulate my brain chemistry the way the meds supposedly do. I was amazed at how much more stable my mood was, and how much better I felt as the side-effects subsided. A little over 4 years ago my naturopath put me on lithium orotate to help control the hypomania, and it's done a fabulous job of keeping me stable.

I believe that mood disorders, anxiety disorders and things like OCD, ADD, ADHD, agoraphobia and the like have a genetic component where your brains aren't able to produce the neurotransmitters needed to keep us stable so we need to supplement them using amino acids. I compare this to juvenile diabetes where the pancreas doesn't function and the child has to be given insulin.

Here are some links on the subject:

This is an article about lithium orotate which is a mineral supplement, and why it's more effective than the drug lithium carbonate. I use this brand of lithium orotate, and have done great on it. The only side-effect I've ever noticed is that if I take an extra dose [I take 4 tablets normally], I get a bit constipated.

Natural Treatment for Bipolar Disorder and Alzheimer's Ignored! - Natural Health Blog | Holistic Health Blog

This is an article about treating depression using amino acids:

https://www.integrativepsychiatry.ne...epression.html

This is a brain function questionnaire that shows the emotions/feelings related to the different neurotransmitters, and which amino acids produce which neurotransmitters. I used this as a guide when I first start using amino acids.

http://drjolee.com/Brain-Function-Questionnaire.pdf