Local woman speaks out about unconventional way to treat depression

Lynette Ebberts receives ketamine infusions every 5 weeks for her depression

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – Lynette Ebberts said fighting depression the traditional way by taking antidepressants doesn’t work for her.

“My psychiatrist, we tried everything,” she said. “All sorts of antidepressants, and you have to wait a while for those to kick in. It didn’t work.”

Ebberts said she didn’t know what was wrong with her at first.

″Depression is a lot different than being sad,” she said. “It’s heavy, it’s dark. It’s like a cloud that follows you.”

She used to work in public affairs for the Pentagon. It was her dream job, but her depression and thoughts of suicide eventually took over.

“I had to leave my job because I became so ill. Nobody knew it was depression. I lost 30 pounds,” she said.

After many rounds of different medications, her doctor suggested trying ketamine infusions.

Ketamine was first used as an anesthetic for animals in the 1960s. The drug was approved for people in 1970, according to WebMD.

Ketamine infusions work differently from antidepressants like Zoloft and Lexapro because those medications are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs.

SSRIs work by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain, according to Pacific Psych Centers.

Ketamine is believed to repair damage to the brain that can be caused by stress hormones.

The ketamine infusions can cause nausea, high blood pressure during infusions, and disassociations, according to doctors.

Ketamine treatments are not covered by insurance because they’re not approved by the FDA.

Each infusion can cost $500 or more.

Dr. Sayten Madiker, who’s a psychiatrist, says ketamine infusions are never suggested as a first option for patients.

“People don’t usually try them because there are so many treatments we do for patients who have not responded to the traditional accepted treatments,” Madiker said.

Ebberts has been receiving ketamine infusions since 2016.

She said during the infusions, she lies in a recliner and turns on songs by musical group Journey.

The infusion process itself takes an hour and a half.

“You get these visions,” Ebberts said. “You see images; you see people. I’ll find myself on stage with Journey and my son is playing the drums.”

Ebberts said it took her only three infusions to start feeling better.

Doctors say it usually takes up to six treatments to feel better and for some people, it doesn’t work at all.

She said she has to undergo “booster” ketamine infusions every five weeks or else she’ll start to feel the depression creeping in.

Ebberts takes antidepressants along with receiving ketamine infusions.

Madiker said antidepressants take weeks to start working, while this treatment works quickly.

“It’s a very powerful treatment. That’s why we want to do it judiciously,” he said.

Ebberts can’t imagine what her life would look like if she didn’t start receiving ketamine infusions.

A woman with a happy and bubbly personality, who’s fighting away dark clouds of depression every day.

Important numbers

If you or anyone you know has struggled with thoughts of self-harm, there are resources available: