If the “cons” are outweighing the “pros” to such a degree that the drug is detracting from your quality of life, then lithium is not working out and you might try another one.

Before pulling the plug–has your psychiatrist tried upping or lowering your concentration? There’s wiggle room as long as you’re between 0.6 – 1.2 mmol/L.

If lithium is your first drug, it makes sense that you're starting to lose confidence in your diagnosis. (It also makes sense if you’re putting a lot of expectations and hopes on lithium because it’s touted as the “gold standard.”) But when a drug works, it really works.

Another point is that some of these drugs are multi-usage e.g., olanzapine, an antipsychotic, and trazodone, an antidepressant, are often prescribed as sleep aids; lithium, as an adjunct for treatment-resistant depression; lamotrigine is an anti-epileptic, as are carbamazepine and divalproex sodium; risperidone, used to treat behavioral issues in persons with autism spectrum disorders. Matching “bipolar drugs” to a “bipolar diagnosis” isn’t really how this works. What’s important is (1) what compelled you to seek medical advice in the first place, and (2) are these drugs helping you?