hello everyone,

i’m an 18 year old med student. i was diagnosed 2 years ago. i’ve lived in 2 countries during these years and doctors from both countries have diagnosed me as bipolar. i used antipsychotics like aripiprazole and seroquel, antidepressants, trileptal, lamotrogine… but i’m not getting any results.
i’m not the kind of person who expects meds to work magically, so i completely changed my lifestyle: i have a routine, i wake up early, study, work out, try to maintain a social life despite my heavy work load… but i’m still not stable. the highs are very high but the lows are very low. it’s so frustrating and exhausting. 
the side effects of these medications are ruining my life and my body. i had countless health issues caused by my meds. if they worked and made me stable i wouldn’t complain, but i’m honestly just exhausted at this point. 

i’m considering asking my psychiatrist to help me stop taking meds, unless she can give me something that will work. my meds make me sleep too much, which is a huge inconvenience because i have to study 12 hours a day. it’s ruining my life.

has anyone else gotten off meds? how was your experience? did it help or make things worse?