My own experience: I take my mood stabilizer, but I stick to Lamictal and Gabapentin combined since I do not want to deal with the side effects of Lithium, Depakote, etc. That's just me.

High dose AP's are usually given to me to bring me down from manic episodes. However, when I'm feeling a little more level, I usually ask my pdoc to bring me down on the dose just a little bit, and she will listen to me. That is what I did recently. I choose to stay on an AP to help regulate my sleep, reduce the changes of paranoia or the occasional voices I will hear at night, and to attempt to alleviate the racing thoughts.

My opinion though....I would imagine it totally ranges from person to person. I guess a some might take into account if there's any recent hospitalizations, psychosis that leads to consequences (such as loss of job, income, or anything else that would impair someone as well as benefits vs. risks of taking AP's). It really should be a collaborative process between the patient and the pdoc....especially since you know your body....but that's just my two cents. Having a pdoc who will work with you and that you are comfortable with is definitely important.