I'm a rapid cycler too, but can enter prolonged states on either end as well, but even those have mini cycles within them, altogether a difficult cocktail to manage in any sense. I tried meds for several years. I was never able to sufficiently "recover" as far as being able to work again or even manage some rather mundane aspects of simple living. The meds themselves presented their own difficulties which I eventually regarded as worse than the symtoms they were supposed to treat. LOL .

I stayed in therapy but got off of the meds and for the last two years, have worked it from the angle of lifestyle modification and vigilance of insight. I don't have any magic formula per se, but i'm a lot happier with my life these days.

Anyway, I'm happy to explore the possibilities with you, you never know where you'll pick up something that helps.

Sounds to me like we're unraveling the same riddle.