Avesta Ketamine and Wellness Washington DC

Avesta Ketamine and Wellness runs a ketamine clinic in Dupont Circle, Washington DC, offering IV ketamine infusions and Spravato (esketamine) nasal spray, with sister clinics in Maryland and Virginia. Dr Ladan Eshkevari leads it, and it describes itself as the longest-standing ketamine clinic in the region.

Approach

Dr Eshkevari, a nurse anaesthetist with a PhD, designed her own ketamine protocols for psychiatric conditions and pain while a professor at Georgetown University, where she later directed the nurse anaesthesia programme. For mood disorders, treatment starts with at least six infusions of 45 to 60 minutes over two to three weeks, followed by boosters as needed. Chronic pain calls for five consecutive four-hour sessions. Patients stay awake but relaxed, and effects fade within about 20 minutes. It also offers integration coaching and IV vitamins, refers patients to local ketamine-assisted psychotherapists, and reports more than 20,000 infusions since it opened.

Who it is for

The clinic treats depression and bipolar disorder, anxiety and PTSD, OCD and substance use, and chronic pain including migraine. Patients need a confirmed mental health diagnosis and must be under a provider’s care.

Practical details

The DC clinic is at 1400 16th St NW and opens by appointment on weekdays from 7am to 9pm. An IV session costs $450 self-pay. Cigna, Veterans Affairs and Workers’ Compensation cover IV ketamine in network, which can bring a session down to $0, and most major plans cover Spravato with pre-authorisation.

Care and safety

Intake runs from a free phone consultation to a medical assessment, consent forms and a treatment plan. The clinic screens for uncontrolled high blood pressure or heart disease, psychosis and poorly controlled thyroid disease. A clinician monitors each patient for the whole infusion. Patients fast for five to six hours beforehand and cannot drive for the rest of the day.