Hi Lynn-
I'm so sorry for your daughter's mood difficulties and the impact it is having on your family. And I'm so sorry you feel trapped. I have felt that way too.
My son (almost 12) takes Lamictal (along with Risperdal and Abilify). Lamictal needs to be titrated up very slowly or there can be side effects, including a serious rash that can be very dangerous. That said, I've never heard of sun sensitivity as one of the symptoms. But if she is developing skin issues your should contact the doctor right away in case this isn't sun sensitivity but Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. In fact, it's very important that you do so because it can be life threatening.
As far as managing bipolar disorder (or any mood disorder) without medications, I'm sure people do it, but I don't presently know anyone who is doing so without first being stablized on medication for a long time before trying to slowly see if they can be stable without it.
I don't know anything about your daughter's diagnosis, but I can tell you that rapid cycling of moods is a hallmark of juvenile onset bipolar disorder. It's very hard to treat but not impossible. My son is currently stable on his medications but it took about a year of slowly increasing the medicines and then adding some to get him to stabilize.
Best wishes to you and hugs.
