Disclaimer: I've never been on Lithium, but I might be able to help...

In general, mood stabilizers have calmed me down as well. I'm more patient and less prone to outbursts. However, these meds have NOT made me any happier, yet they haven't made me any sadder either. I still get depressed and manic on them. But at the same time, they're the only things that stop the outbursts, so I continue to take them. So remember, if the mood stabilizing med (in your case, Lithium) does SOMETHING positive for you, then it's a useful tool. It's not necessarily about "am I happier or not?" on the med. It's about "what positive thing is this med doing for me?"

Now personally, I need an antipsychotic and an antidepressant to help me stay happy. It is difficult to remember what true happiness is like when you've been euphoric for so long, but if you give your meds some time and get the doses right, you'll start to come back to earth and you'll be better able to differentiate true happiness from euphoria. It'll take some time, though, and isn't an overnight thing. If you've got a therapist, your therapist can help you tell the difference as well.

Just remember that you don't "have to live" with the side effects. So I recommend working with your psychiatrist on ways you can eliminate (or at least reduce the intensity of) your side effects. Sometimes there are other meds or lifestyle changes you can make to help some of these side effects. No one wants another med, of course, but if Lithium happens to be the only thing that works, you can try seeing if that's what you need. Though I would recommend trying to find *natural* ways first... because who wants another med added to the cocktail?