> We are talking about long time off the drugs not a missed dose or two.
That being the case, yeah, your observation could easily be right — if you don’t take your meds for a long time then they can’t help you with your bipolar disorder.
Other people — like you — would probably notice the change in her personality long before she did. It is certainly observable.
It’s actually quite dangerous to stop taking your meds suddenly: if you stop taking them at all (I never will) then you are supposed to taper off your dosage under close medical supervision. This involves plenty of blood tests and quite a few weeks or months.
I’m quite happy to stay on my meds forever: they don’t have any side-effects that bother me, and the difference between feeling normal and feeling lousy is big enough that I’d never voluntarily be without them.
That was our observation and some of her family members, that she DCed her drugs for a period of time,relapse and went back into the behavior that drives away everyone.
As you noted, patients/people, who are titrated correctly on the drugs and take them as directed do very well.
Congratulations to you for doing what is right for you, your family and friends.