Hi MrAbbott. I do have my prn meds on hand, including when I travel. When my issue is more on the anxiety side, I take a lorazepam (a benzodiazepine), though it's not prescribed in the country I live in now. My former doctor in the US and my new doctor in Czech Republic prefer I rather take prn quetiapine aka Seroquel (Kventiax in Czech Rep). It does help, I'll admit.

I understand sudden onsets of mania well. Though I've had many, I've also experienced more gradual ones. I agree with Nammu (above) that the former are hard to catch by yourself, but the latter can be. In the case of certain triggers, I have taken precautionary prns. For example, international air travel has always been a huge trigger of mine. Such experiences have brought on sudden manic psychosis.

I try hard not to depend on prn medications unless truly necessary. I know they shouldn't be a constant crutch. Other coping tools are best. Do you have any you use? If not, I encourage you to find and practice some. A therapist can help with that.