Hi. Your boyfriend seems to be a 'safe person' for you. When you are having these episodes, do you have a cell phone or a quarter on you so you could call him before you get into trouble?
Many people with mental illness do have to keep on taking meds throughout their life in order to be able to deal adequately with their lives. Stability can sometimes fool people into thinking that they can come off meds, and in mental illness this is a mistake of overconfidence. Consider that this happened because you came off one of them. I don't know if you decided on your own to wean off the medication, but if so, consider that doing so is not a wise action for you to do, ever.
If on the other hand your doc ordered it, then I would have a plan for having a safe person around during the couple of weeks you switch over to another med. We have to trust the knowledge and ability of some people in our lives. I would urge you to always discuss any medication change with your doctor rather than take action on your own, or deal with this on your own. There's no dishonor in asking for extra support while you're adjusting to new meds.
You still show some spunk. I disagree with you that your father robbed you of your potential. He may have affected or delayed your ability to reach some of it, but your post shows me that you are angry at what he did, and rightly so.
Through all of this vent, you still think of your children and your post shows you care about them. Raising them with love is one heck of a great accomplishment. (abuse is not love, so already you have surpassed the example set by your father) Please don't sell yourself short. I'm sure your children don't.
Hope you're feeling better today.