I was diagnosed with ADD years ago, but once I tried the meds I immediately noticed how good they make me feel. Uncomfortably good, more like being high I guess. I'm not sure if the effect would have worn out over time, but I was frankly too scared to take another pill.
Later on I got a new diagnosis (this time while trying to get rid of sleeping problems) and now I'm on medication for bipolar personality. Much better, and propably a better diagnosis. Althouh I have noticed that when I need to produce creatively, I need to cut down on meds.
I still get very ADD-like symptoms if I don't sleep properly, and when I'm on a prolonged manic stage I also tend to cut down on meds just because life is so much more fun that way, and sleeping less just lets me have more fun :P
My life is certainly better with medication, but I still go without them occasionally, just to remind myself of... myself I guess. I've noticed that over time (years) I've gotten much better at understanding the effect of the medication and thus understanding myself and what "this bipolarity thing" means for me. I've gotten pretty good at controlling my own dosage (although my doctor grumbles at me) and more importantly as I've learned to recognize some behaviour issues better, I've learned to get rid of them and just be more like the person I want to be, with or without meds.
Hmm, that was longer and more personal than I originally expected. Oh well.
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