I experienced my first bipolar episode in 1999. In addition to bipolar disorder, I suffer from migraine disorder and hypothyroidism (exacerbated by lithium).

My profile picture is borrowed from josef.stuefer.

I was diagnosed with major depression when I was 16, and spent the next few years trying out different flavors of antidepressants. None of them worked, some of them made things worse, and I was hospitalized a few times.

I was tentatively diagnosed with bipolar disorder when I was 18, but the diagnosis didn't 'stick', and the meds didn't help (partly because I rarely took them). Since my grandiose delusions seemed perfectly sensible, I didn't see the need to mention them to my university-mandated psychiatrist. Doctors continued to diagnose me with major depression until a mixed episode landed me in the hospital for a month at age 22. 
 
I was on a combination of lithium, lamotrigine, and levothyroxine more or less continuously for the next 4 1/2 years. I still struggled with some pretty severe periods of depression while on these medications, and my psychiatrist has admitted to me that she's out of ideas when it comes to medicating me. At some point, I decided that it wasn't worth overloading my body with these medications when my records on PLM show I've done just as badly on them as off. I carefully tapered down my dosages and am now working hard to manage my illness without them, at least until something better comes along.