@Rick7892: I'm sorry to hear that meds are such an issue for you. It must be incredibly frustrating to not even have that to pin your hopes to. I definitely believe people can react "abnormally" (i.e., not according to "the book") to meds. It's happened to me in the past with some meds, too.

As for what everyone else said, I completely agree that a good treatment plan should include both meds and coping skills/lifestyle or whatever you want to call it. That's exactly why I have both a Pdoc and a therapist. The therapy, for me, is more of a preventative measure. I can try to make my life as stress-free and stable as possible (although I'm utterly failing at that right now) and in that way try to prevent episodes from starting. To an extent the therapy also helps me recover after an episode. Coping skills help me when the episodes are still mild. But when the symptoms become more severe, there's no way I can manage it without meds.