Those pills are terrible, if only because, exactly like you said, they lock part of your brain (and emotions), but sometimes they are nescessary to prevent mania. If you can manage yourself well enough to be aware when light hypomania sets in and take measures if it does, you might not ever need them.
But.. Don't just stop taking them because you forgot them last night and you feel good. Ask your doctor how to best quit the meds. Some can be quit just like that, for some it is safer to slowly decrease the dosage when quitting.
But I'm sure you know all this.
I mean, my mom (a qualified shrink herself) and my shrink are perfectly fine with me quitting
if that is what I believe is the best decision for myself. If anything, they want me to quit, since it's clear that I'm happier without them
if the mental illness (which is apparently anxiety, but it starts showing (pre-)psychotic effects as it worsens) isn't being a total buzzkill. It's all predicated on if, and they have given me that control. I'm stable enough for them to give me that power over myself.
I'm at baby doses at this point. I mostly only need them to push my brain just that little bit down so that I can actually sleep. It also keeps the illness in check, that pesky thing, but it does this by suppressing the brain. It just reads like economics to me. Lose part of your brain and be able to sleep, but gain more sanity. Lose sanity and ease of sleep, but you have full brainpower. I value sanity and sleep enough that I'm normally willing to take the brain loss, but I would love to have my brain back, you know?
But yeah, thanks for reminding me. It's dangerous to just completely ditch the meds just because it makes me happy.