I rode my touring bike with bar end shifters for about two years, and even tough I really liked how the shifters worked, I didn't like reaching down to change gears. I also never rode in the drops when touring, so decided to change the bars to trekking bars and move the shifters using Paul's Thumbies. It was a very good decision, the bike feels very stable, bars are comfortable and shifting easy.
I suggest you ride the bike as is for a while and see if you get used to it, you may end up loving the set up. But if not, you can always change things around.