Bipolar disorder.. should I get back on my meds?

I have bipoler II or soft bipoler. I have been off my meds for like two years. I deal with alot of anger issues. Sometimes I wake up and I feel like punching a hole in the wall. I am doing ok right now and the mood swings are ok. But I know that they may get bad again. I stoped taking it to become a cop but I became a teacher instead. I don't get to manic. I cycle between depression,anger and irrtbilty (spelling).

Hi. I was like you in my early twenties. Depression, irritability, and for me, very mild euphoria. I was undiagnosed and untreated for a couple decades more. Then I blew a gasket, went nearly full on manic after a psychotic depression which came after a terrible mixed state. I lost over five years to being sane enough to minimally function but too crazy to recognize how crazy things had become. In other words, bipolar is a progressive disease. If you choose to do nothing, you will inevitably get worse.

Do some serious research on Lithium. There is a fair amount of reseach showing that it is the most neuroprotective of the stabilizers. There also is some research indicating that it may help heal the brain. There's enough of this for the scientists to have started looking at this refound med for Parkinson's and Alzheimer's and some other brain diseases. PubMed is a good research site. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez Or, you can go to http://www.crazymeds.us and ask someone to point you to the research links they have there. If you are one of the ppl who can take Lithium w/o side effects and who receive benefit, you might be able to take a very low dose for life and never have a problem with the illness again. It does happen for some.

No one can answer this but a mental health professional. I'm impressed with your level of insight and your awareness of your own behaviors and cycling. Go see a psych meds doctor, or maybe two. Do your research too. Were you as angry when you were on meds? Or is it due external factors in your life now? Maybe something or a relationship is feeding all this anger?
Professional advice along with your own research will certainly help you. Good luck.

I say go and see a psychiatrist first. After being off your meds for 2 years, introducing those chemicals might have an adverse effect. But get on some sort of medication (if the psych. sees fit). If you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for your students.