Which treatment works the best and fastest for bipolar disorder?

Lithium: Lithium is still the best treatment for bipolar disorder. Unfortunately it has many side effects. Valproic acid (depakote) has been more commonly used over the past 20 years, because it has fewer side effects. More recently, Lamotrigine (lamictal) has proven very effective, but is not usually first-line due to a rare but potentially serious rash.

Mood stabilizers: Mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotics both used for treatment of bipolar disorder. The choice depends on what phase of the illness you are in, side effect profile and many other variables. You should talk to a sychoatrist about specific drugs.