I was diagnosed after being hospitalized last summer. I've tried a few different meds, but none of them "felt like they worked."
I haven't taken any or seen the doctor in a few months, not really intentionally I just didn't make an appointment and convinced myself I was OK!
I'm starting to think that I should go back on them though... This isn't the first time I stopped them either, so I hate to keep crawling back after stopping them...
Needing to make an appointment every month and stick with it is unreasonable, lol, I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that consistently every month!
Anyways, how many times did you think you were cured and stop taking meds? If you have meds that work well, how could you tell?
It never works. It's always a trap. The medications help you remain on an even keel regardless of how effective you personally feel they are acting. You don't notice when you're doing just okay, you generally only notice when you're doing great or poorly. When you feel great it's an easy decision to think you can ditch the meds but then eventually you will degrade to a manic episode or a depressive episode.
This is the classic bipolar trap. Hitting a manic period and ditching the meds is an incredibly dangerous activity and often results in terrible social consequences.
The thing about meds is that they are entirely dependent on biochemistry - stuff that works for me might not work for you. Ultimately the best thing you can do for yourself is not just accept whatever the doctor orders, but to make an informed decision. There is a catalogue/database of all the issuable medications available, their benefits and potential side effects - whenever your doctor issues medications ask them to go over everything with you so you can make an informed decision over your own care.
Anecdotally, I found good efficacy with atypical antipsychotics like Latuda on top of mood stabilizers like Wellbutrin and Pristiq.