Oh my god!!! I feel at the end of my tether, with exactly the same probs with my hubby!!! He is going through a manic episode at mo, and also I feel freeked out. I just came on the net as a last ditch attempt to try and find someone who can understand what I'm going through. I can talk to friends and fam but no one understands unless they live with the person. I also prefer the down periods, because as you say at least you can have a decent conversation with them. From what you said your hubby sounds very much like mine. I've been waitng 5 years for a diagnosis, and his meds are always being changed, which also make things really hard. Please get back in touch as it would be great to be able to talk to some one who understands. Ruth x