Hello! I also suffer from Bipolar. Have been on meds for years now, which ~ in combination with therapy ~ have me functioning fairly well on a daily basis. Much of my original weight gain was due to meds, which stinks, but I need them. Still trying to get the weight off.....
It concerns me that you only take your meds when you feel a bout of mania coming on. The idea of the medication is to
prevent mania and all of the destruction it can do to your life. As you mentioned, you did alot of damage in just 4 days. Why not stay on daily meds and prevent such damage? I realize that many bipolar meds have weight gain as a side effect, but your mental health needs to count, too. Believe me, I HATE the weight gain side effect, but the meds and therapy have given me my life back. That, along with my faith. If it wasn't for my deep faith, I would not be here today. Period. Anyway, I wish you the best and I hope that you will discuss all of this with a qualified psychiatrist, if you haven't already. My husband is also very good at gauging my moods, but he is NOT a doctor. With Bipolar Disorder, you should be under the continuous care of a qualified psychiatrist (if you aren't already) ~ and ~ you should be on your meds DAILY! Good luck!