GW Center for Integrative Medicine
- IV Therapy
- Ketamine Therapy
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Washington, DC
Ketamine therapy in Washington is delivered through psychiatry-led clinics, anesthesia-run infusion centers, and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy practices, with hospital referrals often tied to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, GW Hospital, and Howard University Hospital. Demand reflects a federal-workforce, diplomatic, and high-income professional population and an active local market for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and chronic pain.
The strongest evidence supports intranasal esketamine (Spravato, FDA-approved for treatment-resistant depression) and intravenous racemic ketamine (off-label, substantial supporting evidence). Clinics in Washington, District of Columbia also offer intramuscular, sublingual, and at-home oral lozenge protocols, with weaker evidence and variable safety oversight. DC Board of Medicine scope and strict compounding rules shapes which clinics can operate as cash-pay versus insurance-eligible.
With ketamine clinics on Regenerated.com in Washington, patients can compare whether the clinic offers psychiatric evaluation, anesthesia monitoring during infusion, and structured preparation and integration.
Regulatory context
Ketamine is a DEA Schedule III controlled substance, FDA-approved as a dissociative anesthetic and used off-label for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and chronic pain. The FDA approved esketamine (Spravato) in 2019 for treatment-resistant depression under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program that requires in-office administration at certified sites. MDMA-assisted therapy remains Schedule I; the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter in August 2024 to Lykos Therapeutics on its MDMA new drug application. Psilocybin is Schedule I and holds FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation through sponsors such as Compass Pathways and Usona, but has not received FDA approval. Oregon Measure 109 (passed 2020, operational 2023) created a state psilocybin service center framework, and Colorado Proposition 122 (2022) authorized regulated healing centers.
DC's Initiative 81 deprioritizes MPD enforcement against natural psychedelics but federal law applies fully on federal property (much of DC). The DC Board of Medicine oversees prescriber conduct. DEA enforcement on ketamine clinics focuses on diversion and Ryan Haight Act telehealth rules. Federal jurisdiction in DC adds enforcement complexity compared to states.