{"id":1003621,"date":"2026-08-16T02:54:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T02:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1003621\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T02:54:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T02:54:31","slug":"lindsay-clancy-trial-throws-spotlight-on-seroquel-use-for-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1003621\/","title":{"rendered":"Lindsay Clancy trial throws spotlight on Seroquel use for sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of the long list of psychiatric medications Lindsay Clancy<\/a> was prescribed in the months before she killed her three children in their Massachusetts home in 2023, one drug has come up repeatedly during trial: Seroquel.<\/p>\n

In testimony this week, it was revealed that Clancy\u2019s nurse practitioner, Rebecca Jollotta, initially prescribed the non-controlled antipsychotic as an off-label treatment for insomnia \u2014 before increasing the dose for mood stabilization.<\/p>\n

Lindsay Clancy waits for Judge William Sullivan to call a prospective jury member into court on day three of jury selection in her triple murder trial in Plymouth Superior Court on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. She is charged with murdering her three young children in 2023 in their Duxbury, Massachusetts home. (USA Today 2026) USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

The disturbing, headline-grabbing case is shining a spotlight on the surprisingly common practice of using the drug, which is FDA-approved for psychiatric disorders but has strong sedating effects, to help patients sleep \u2014\u00a0sparking a conversation about safety. Maker AstraZeneca previously tangled with the government over marketing of the drug \u2014\u00a0resulting in a $520 million fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether the medication Clancy was taking played any role in her actions is currently being examined. Her defense seeks to blame a litany of prescribed drugs for the worsening of her mental state and an eventual psychotic break. Clancy\u2019s journals describe<\/a> worsening anxiety, panic attacks, numbness, and new intrusive thoughts and suicidal ideation \u2014 after starting Seroquel.<\/p>\n

Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and ICU nurse Melissa Pauline told The Post that Seroquel, which she described as a \u201cgo-to\u201d for many providers, is used \u201cquite frequently\u201d in the ICU \u2014\u00a0particularly for patients who may be agitated or delirious and can be continuously monitored.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague of the Plymouth County DA\u2019s office enters a bag of prescription pills into evidence that were prescribed to Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of killing her children, during her murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Monday, July 27, 2026. (USA Today 2026) via REUTERS<\/p>\n

But using it for ordinary insomnia in an outpatient setting is completely different, she said \u2014\u00a0for one, sleepwalking is a common side effect, one difficult enough to monitor in a busy hospital, even more so when a patient is at home alone.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSeroquel \u2026 is one of those last meds that we use when it comes to sleeping,\u201d the Atlanta-area insider said, adding that it typically comes after exhausting all options.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA significant difference exists in the fact that sedation does not equate to restorative sleep,\u201d Dr. Lauren Grawert, a psychiatrist and addiction specialist in Boston, told The Post.<\/p>\n

Using Seroquel solely for insomnia presents \u201ca very different risk and benefit calculation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A list of medications posted next to the lectern of attorney Kevin Reddington is seen during the Lindsay Clancy trial at Plymouth Superior Court on Monday, August 10, 2026. Clancy is charged with murdering her three young children in 2023, with the defense claiming she was suffering from post partum sycosis at the time and is not responsible. (The Patriot Ledger) Gregory Derr \/ POOL<\/p>\n

Dr. Gil Lichtshein, a Pennsylvania psychiatrist, told The Post he rarely prescribes Seroquel<\/a>, describing it as a \u201cpotent drug\u201d with potentially serious adverse effects that he generally reserves for patients with a psychiatric indication for the medication.<\/p>\n

One 38-year-old Baltimore woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who took lower, 50-100 mg doses of Seroquel for a year and a half, told The Post troubling side effects were apparent within days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Back in her mid-20s and battling insomnia, she was prescribed the drug \u2014\u00a0which put her in a \u201ctrance-like state.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI would sleepwalk badly sometimes, leaving my apartment,\u201d she told The Post. \u201cMy husband once came home and couldn\u2019t find me, the apartment door wide open. I lived in the middle of [the] city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham presents prescription medication as evidence during Lindsay Clancy\u2019s murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. (Mark Stockwell For The Boston He) Mark Stockwell \/ Pool via REUTERS<\/p>\n

On several occasions, she woke up covered in food wrappers and crumbs, completely unaware she had been eating all night. If she woke up early, before the full effects of the medication wore off, she struggled to grasp her surroundings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I tried to stop taking the medication, I was met with [even more] severe insomnia. My days were a blur,\u201d she recalled. \u201cAs someone with bipolar disorder, not sleeping to this degree is very unsafe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Seroquel is widely considered non-habit-forming, other sources echoed experiences of intense withdrawal and insomnia after stopping.<\/p>\n

A 66-year-old woman in Illinois, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said she was prescribed Seroquel in June 2025 while transitioning off the antidepressant Cymbalta.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was prescribed to me for nightmares I was having, and I do suffer from anxiety [and] PTSD, but was just looking for something for sleep,\u201d she told The Post.<\/p>\n

Duxbury Police Officer Stephen Hall testified about responding to the home of Patrick Clancy and finding his children. AP<\/p>\n

She initially did rest better after first being prescribed a 100 mg dose, but said she remained exhausted even after nine hours of sleep \u2014\u00a0and continued to experience nightmares and anxiety as her dose increased toward 200 mg.<\/p>\n

But her main concern, she said, was not understanding the effects of what she called a \u201cdangerous drug.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just took it and didn\u2019t ask questions. I should have never been on it,\u201d she said. \u201cThey just keep throwing drugs at you, and as long as I was sleeping, they think it works,\u201d she added. \u201cThere should be informed consent \u2014 especially when you are being prescribed it for sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weight gain, elevated blood sugar, and other metabolic changes are well-documented risks of Seroquel. The FDA label also reports nervous-system adverse reactions including psychosis, hallucinations, paranoid reaction, delusions, manic reaction and apathy \u2014 some of which echo symptoms now being discussed at Clancy\u2019s trial<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Tufts sits on the witness stand during the Lindsay Clancy trial in Plymouth Superior Court on Monday, August 10, 2026. Clancy is charged with murdering her three young children in 2023, and the defense claims she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time and is not responsible. (The Patriot Ledger) Gregory Derr \/ POOL<\/p>\n

AstraZeneca\u2019s whopping fine was handed down in 2010<\/a>, to resolve allegations that it illegally marketed Seroquel for uses not approved by the FDA, including insomnia. The drug behemoth denied the allegations \u2014\u00a0and doctors remain legally permitted to prescribe approved medications off-label.<\/p>\n

Over time, Seroquel has become deeply polarizing online, spawning Reddit forums and Facebook support groups devoted to side effects, withdrawal, and what some users call \u201cSeroquel injury.\u201d Posts carry alarming titles like \u201cNo one believes me Seroquel is destroying me\u2026\u201d while some users claim the drug \u201cruined\u201d their lives.<\/p>\n

Others describe the opposite experience, crediting Seroquel with finally allowing them to sleep and function when other medications failed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another woman who spoke to The Post anonymously embodies that contradiction.<\/p>\n

She was initially prescribed Seroquel for insomnia at 17, eventually reaching doses of 300 to 400 mg.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An exhibit is shown to the court as Patrick Clancy, the father of Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy, looks on from the stand during Lindsay Clancy\u2019s murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. REUTERS<\/p>\n

At one point, she said, she was instructed to take it twice daily \u2014\u00a0and the second dose made her feel \u201clike someone other than myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet she remained on Seroquel after realizing it helped stabilize her mood and allowed her to stop taking other medications, including Lexapro and Lunesta.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving experienced nearly all of its heavy side effects firsthand, I fully understand the concerns surrounding prescribing a medication this powerful for off-label or unapproved uses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For another woman who spoke anonymously to The Post, hearing Seroquel discussed during the Clancy trial struck a particularly personal chord.<\/p>\n

She was first prescribed the drug at 19 after voluntarily admitting herself to a psychiatric hospital during a mental-health crisis. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she remained on Seroquel for years while cycling through multiple psychiatric medications and providers before eventually being reevaluated and told she did not have bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I heard Lindsay was trialing and erroring multiple medications, I felt that in my soul,\u201d she recounted.<\/p>\n

Still, she doesn\u2019t condemn Seroquel itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeroquel does work for people,\u201d she said. \u201cMy observation is that psychiatry\u2019s patient load nationwide is so high that they do not get enough time with patients, and I feel like they\u2019re prescribing what sticks to the wall in a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

By January 2023, after weeks of reporting worsening anxiety, numbness, and suicidal thoughts, Lindsay Clancy voluntarily admitted herself to McLean psychiatric hospital, where Seroquel was discontinued. <\/p>\n

Days later, her children were dead.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Of the long list of psychiatric medications Lindsay Clancy was prescribed in the months before she killed her…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1003622,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[34],"tags":[54246,210,1165,236901,1060,16588,8007,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-1003621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-bipolar-disorder","tag-health","tag-lifestyle","tag-lindsay-clancy","tag-medication","tag-postpartum-depression","tag-trials","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117102934363564909","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1003621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1003622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1003621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1003621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1003621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}