Avicenna Centre for Brain Health offers esketamine (Spravato) treatment for adults in the Fraser Valley living with treatment-resistant depression. Esketamine is a nasal-spray medication approved by Health Canada for depression that has not improved after other antidepressants, and it is delivered in our North Delta clinic under physician supervision. For many people who have struggled to find relief, it offers a different mechanism of action and a faster response than traditional medications.
Avicenna was the first clinic in the Fraser Valley to provide esketamine, and our team has the experience to guide you through assessment, eligibility, treatment, and monitoring.
Esketamine, sold under the brand name Spravato, is a prescription nasal spray for adults with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, and for depressive symptoms in adults with major depression who have suicidal thoughts. It is chemically related to ketamine and works on a different chemical system in the brain than most antidepressants. Many patients begin to notice improvement earlier in treatment than they would with traditional oral antidepressants. Spravato is taken together with at least one oral antidepressant.
You may be a candidate if you are 18 or older and have tried at least two different antidepressant medications without adequate relief. Eligibility is confirmed through a psychiatric assessment, where a physician reviews your history, current symptoms, previous treatments, and overall health to decide whether esketamine is a safe and appropriate option for you. It is not suitable for everyone, and your physician will discuss any conditions that may make it unsuitable.
The medication is self-administered as a nasal spray in our clinic, never at home, and you are monitored on site for about two hours afterward by trained staff with a physician available. Because it can cause short-term effects such as drowsiness or a feeling of detachment, you cannot drive for the rest of the day and will need to arrange a ride home. Our location on the Scott Road corridor, close to transit and easy pickup points, makes that simpler. A typical plan begins with two sessions per week for the first month, then less frequent dosing guided by your response.
Most antidepressants act on serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine. Esketamine works on the brain’s glutamate system, which is thought to support the formation of new neural connections. This different pathway is part of why it can help some people who have not responded to other treatments, and why it can act more quickly.
Most side effects occur during the monitoring window after a dose and usually ease before you leave. They can include a temporary sense of dissociation, dizziness, nausea, raised blood pressure, sedation, or anxiety. This is exactly why treatment takes place in a supervised clinical setting. Your care team will review the full safety profile with you before you begin.
The psychiatric assessment that determines your eligibility is an insured physician service, so it is covered by the Medical Services Plan (MSP) when you have valid BC coverage and a referral. The cost of the medication itself is handled separately, usually through private or extended health insurance, with support available from the manufacturer’s patient assistance program. Our team will help you understand your coverage and out-of-pocket cost before treatment begins, and assist with any forms required to request insurance coverage.
A psychiatric assessment to determine esketamine eligibility requires a referral from your family doctor or nurse practitioner. Ask your provider to refer you to Avicenna Centre for Brain Health with an esketamine enquiry, and a member of our team will follow up to guide you through the next steps. See our referral information for details.
Avicenna is a referral-based clinic and is not an urgent or crisis service. Esketamine is not a substitute for emergency care or hospitalization when those are needed. If you or someone you care about is in crisis, please call 911, call or text the 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline, or call the BC Mental Health Support Line at 310-6789.
Avicenna was the first clinic in the Fraser Valley to provide esketamine, and it remains part of a full psychiatric clinic rather than a standalone treatment centre. That means your eligibility is assessed by a psychiatrist, your treatment is supervised by physicians, and your esketamine care can be coordinated with the rest of your mental health support, from medication review to therapy, all through one team. Our coordinators also handle the insurance legwork so you can focus on getting well.
Our clinic is at Unit 216, 7313 120th Street, in North Delta on the Scott Road corridor near the Delta and Surrey border. It is easy to reach by Highway 91 and the Alex Fraser Bridge and is served by nearby Scottsdale Exchange transit. Call 778 590 8334 to learn more.
They are related but not identical. Esketamine (Spravato) is a Health Canada approved nasal-spray medication for treatment-resistant depression, given in a supervised clinical setting. Ketamine used for depression is a separate, often off-label, treatment.
Yes. The psychiatric assessment that confirms esketamine eligibility requires a referral from your family doctor or nurse practitioner.
The psychiatric eligibility assessment is covered by MSP. The medication cost is handled through private or extended health insurance and the manufacturer’s support program. Our team will help you determine your coverage before you begin.
No. Because of the medication’s short-term effects, you cannot drive for the rest of the day and should arrange transportation home.
It varies by person, but many patients notice improvement earlier in treatment than with traditional antidepressants. Your provider will track your response and adjust your plan.
Unit 216, 7313 120th Street, in North Delta on the Scott Road corridor, near the Delta and Surrey border.
If standard antidepressants have not worked for you, esketamine may be worth exploring. Ask your family doctor or nurse practitioner for a referral, or contact our Delta team to learn more. You can also read about our broader Esketamine program or return to our Delta mental health clinic overview.
