As a nurse in the antidepressant 2.0 era, I'm teaching my patients to cut down their doses using jewelry scales
Nurse practitioner Kristen Massingill discusses her work at the startup Outro, which helps patients safely taper off antidepressants. The piece highlights the challenges of withdrawal and the lack of formal training for medical professionals in de-prescribing.
Why it matters
As antidepressant usage remains high, the medical community is increasingly focusing on safe discontinuation methods to manage withdrawal symptoms.
Kristen Massingill is a nurse practitioner who de-prescribes antidepressants. Outro Telehealth startup Outro has raised $7 million for its de-prescribing service. A nurse practitioner shares her experience weaning people off pills as this practice gains momentum. The US Department of Health is expected to release new deprescribing guidelines this year. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kristen Massingill, a 36-year-old nurse practitioner working in psychiatry. Massingill works at Outro , a de-prescribing startup that announced today that it has raised $7 million in pre-seed and seed funding. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I've worked in healthcare for over 15 years. I started my career in the ER, and spent a long time working there, but I've also worked in hospice , palliative care, and electrophysiology. My main focus right now is working with patients on de-prescribing and discontinuing antidepressants.
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