Originally Posted by EndGameNYC

I'm not going to quibble with you about your personal experience with Seroquel. But some facts are in order.

Seroquel is indicated for certain types of schizophrenia and bipolar depression. It helps to manage hallucinations, delusions and racing thoughts, among other psychotic symptoms. At lower doses, it has a mildly sedative effect. It is not listed as a controlled substance. It is, for many rehabs in the States, a first-line drug for addicts and alcoholics who suffer from insomnia, often at doses well above 100mg. It is also indicated as a mood stabilizer for both mania and depression.

Mixing alcohol with Seroquel is a potentially lethal combination, and the two should never be taken together. Among much else, it can intensify known side effects of Seroquel. You stated that, in the past, when you've mixed alcohol and Seroquel, that you've awakened while sleeping as a result of your not breathing. Yet, after you increased the dose, you went ahead and started drinking anyway. You don't need to be a physician to know that this is a bad combination. You can blame your doctor for trusting that you wouldn't drink while taking Seroquel or after upping the dose, but I doubt that she'll ever make that mistake again.

I've had severe and chronic insomnia for my entire life. I was offered Seroquel in rehab in order to help me sleep. I started at 50mg., then 100 and then to 150. It helped me to sleep, kept my anxiety in check, and the last thing I wanted to do was to drink. I went up to 200mg. during my follow-up outpatient treatment, and suffered no ill effects. I've since come back down to 100mg. Working on my sobriety has helped me a great deal in terms of working on my insomnia and other issues. But I still need some help to fall asleep.

We always remember, and often focus on, the exceptional events. Because they're exceptional. Beyond what you say here, we have no way of knowing what you were feeling after you increased your dose. But to draw a direct link between you doctor's advice, or your increasing your dose as an explanation in defense of your relapse will leave you in a position in which you've learned nothing about what lead up to your picking up the drink.

If you're to achieve long-term sobriety, then you need to be honest with yourself.