Love Dr Imbus and his son. They cared for my daughter when she was a baby and they gave her love, care and attention. We will never forget their kindness. read more

Doctor Imbus is a wonderful Doctor. He was my doctor when I was a child. I am free of epilepsy now. But he took care of me so well!!- Ely

My experience with Dr. Imbus was a very good one. I would definitely recommend him to others. I visited due to my migraines and my insurance company twice declining the only medication that works for me. My general practitioner thought the opinion of a neurologist would be helpful....and it was!! I was approved for my meds and just picked them up today. Yay!!! Those of you who have experience migraine or any type of bad headache know how wonderful it is when you find a med that works, and when I was declined with my new insurance I actually cried. It has taken me so long and so much pain to finally find a pill that worked. I was skeptical about seeing a neurologist because I saw one years ago and she not only wasn't helpful, but was really condescending. When she found out I was a psychologist, she said with that certain tone we all know, "Well, you should know migraines are caused by stress." Are you kidding me! I've had these migraines for many years now and I sure as heck know they are not caused by stress. I can be lying blissfully in a hammock in a tropical paradise and get a migraine. My migraines are hormonal, which is good because they are more like clockwork than a reaction to emotion and/or environment, yet bad because they are part of my life and all the stress reduction I've ever tried doesn't do a thing to help them. Besides, I have a fairly stress-free life (I"m knocking on wood about that right now). As you can see by my yelping, a lot of free time, nice meals out, fun events... Anyway, I resented her implication, so I didn't go back and I read three books on hormonal migraine and the neurology of migraine to educate myself on my condition. Now, Dr. Imbus was very knowledgable and practical. He mentioned life-style issues just to be sure I was covering all my bases, but seemed to understand my type of migraine. He also explained why Treximet might be working when Sumatriptan and Naproxen Sodium don't work as well taken as separate pills. I wish I had been more prepared for my appointment and benefited from his expertise more. I admit, I was a bit scattered because I'm not a morning person and had been up late the night before. I forgot to bring my log in to show him the pattern of my headaches. He might have been able to tell me more about my case had I done that. I also liked that he did a mini-exam to check my neurological health, which the previous neurologist did not do. All in all, I'm very happy with Dr. Imbus. Whatever he explained in his appeal for my meds convinced my insurance to approve me this time. I hope to feel good and not have to visit, but if my migraines change or get worse, I now know I have someone to go to that I trust. read more

Charles E Imbus, MD - Attractive building and easy parking. - Neurologist Near Me - Arcadia, California

Dr. Imbus, neurologist now works at 630 Raymond Pasadena CA with a couple of other neurologists. Read my review as he was useless and did not clarify what kind of inner ear condition causes my vertigo. Another shit Dr experience. Went to the neurologist IN PERSON (had to take FOUR AND A HALF HOURS VACATION FOR THIS!) to get the results of my MRI brain scan which could've easily been told to me on the phone, obviously he just wants another copayment. Which to him is probably 300 bucks. So he shows me nothing, he doesn't show me the physical MRI, doesn't explain anything about the brain, only says that my brain is completely normal and my vertigo is not coming from my brain which is good news. And he still suspects it's an inner ear problem as he said before the MRI. He has never diagnosed with a particular inner ear issue. There are many inner ear disorders. I asked him questions and he just didn't have answers. He seemed to be annoyed by questions. He only answered that he isn't an ear nose throat doctor and they also deal with vertigo patients. YET, I had already been to an ear nose throat doctor and they were the ones that said I should see a neurologist and this neurologist has no answers!. The vertigo is an inner ear problem and he wants a picture of the brain BUT they are all connected as a whole.. he should be more holistic in his knowledge and approach and delivery than what his cockamamy, grouchy, ignorant moneygrubbing exterior proclaims. Hes from Wisconsin.. meat and cheese state .. people dying hand over fist .. this explains everything.. he's much older than this photo. He said my brain is in within the normal parameters of a brain for my age and I'm thinking you shouldn't even be practicing anymore! If my brains aging then his is 500 yrs old. He should retire, he isn't helping anyone when he refrains from teaching a person about their body and health, how it works, and doesn't have a diagnosis and keeps the patient wondering what they have. I still have balance issues. Some months are better than others. I got nothing out of going to see him. I've always been a big believer in the hidden meanings of words within words. This doctor was an IMBUS-CILE. read more

Twenty-one years ago, my then 8 year old daughter had been diagnosed at Boston Children's with epilepsy. When we relocated to LA area we were referred to Dr Imbus' Pasadena office. He was generally uncommunicative but he was well regarded so we trusted him. Since her epilepsy had gone from absence to tonic clonic she needed changes to her medications. He put her on phenobarbital and she broke out in a rash. We were unable to contact him at his office so we went to her pediatrician who was only a few doors down the hall. She tried to call his office with no luck and ended up going to his office and banging on the door until someone answered. He changed her Rx to another drug but didn't give much info about it. By this time I was working at a medical school affiliated with LA County medical center where a colleague agreed to review her case. He was shocked that the 8 year old had been given a high dosage of Lamictal which hadn't been approved by the FDA for anyone below 18; Dr Imbus also failed to warn us about Stevens Johnson syndrome where the autoimmune system can misinterpret the drug as a virus and shed/slough any skin that may be affected (hence the rash with the phenobarbital aside from her being a zombie). My colleague told us that by skipping lower level medications and going to Lamictal he had gone to the top of the medication pyramid; if it didn't work there weren't any alternatives since you can go down levels. He agreed to take on her case and eventually at age 14 she was declared seizure free. Note that my colleague provided us with his office, phone, beeper and 24-hour emergency clinic phone numbers in case Stevens Johnson reoccurred; he also warned us to tell them about the Lamictal since misdiagnosis could result in deleterious results. Only later did we realize that Imbus was also the neurologist that had treated my mom when she had Guillain-Barre Syndrome. When she was hospitalized she was awakened one time in the middle of the night in her darkened room to find Dr Imbus unsuccessfully doing a spinal tap; he cursed and left the room. Later that morning a nurse found a hypodermic needle in my mom's sheets with blood stains. His previous reputation was great since my sister had first met him at Rancho Los Amigos doing research on Guillian-Barre patients using the old iron lung machines that had been stored in the basement. We were relieved that he was treating my mom but ... we were glad when he retired but am now alarmed to hear that he's reincarnated at LA Childrens Arcadia facility. read more

Dr. Charles Imbus may have closed his private practice, but he still works for the Arcadia Children's Hospital. My son was seeing the Doctor since he was 4 (he is 9 now). I had tried to schedule an appointment with his "Naomi" office at the beginning of this year. It is horrible that he does not have a voice mail to inform his patients that his practice has closed. I'd spent 3 months trying to reach him, when I finally found these yelp reviews that informed me that he had closed his office. Only when I took my son to get a new neurologist referral from his pediatrician that I was informed Dr. Charles Imbus was now working at Arcadia CHildren's hospital. It took me two more months to switch the IPA so that my son can see Dr. Imbus. What a freaking waste of time...1) my son's file from the "Naomi" office was in his garage which mean he had no clue my son had brain lesions when he was two-years-old. 2) I kept telling him at the visit that due to the lesions, my son's left side has been weak. It gotten so bad that his occupational therapist noticed both ankles were collapsing inward, and will start giving him knee or ankle problems. My son needed braces or inserts to correct his gait. Apparently, Dr. Imbus did not listen because the HMO rejected the approval of the brace saying it was "medically not necessary". I'd found out the stupid doctor diagnosed my son with just a simple "flat feet". WTF!! I called him and told him what happened. I even told him that I understood he no longer had my son's file, so he had no clue how severe my son's problem truly was... I scanned the biopsy report ans emailed it to him. He was supposed to fix the diagnosis, so the inserts would be approved. He did nothing. Luckily, my ex-husband filed an appeal of the rejection, and the HMO looked at my son's history and finally approved of the inserts. Now we just have to wait for the IPA to get the letter from the HMO. Literally, it took me an entire year to get this for my son, who at the moment have been saying his ankles hurt for the last 3 weeks. It pisses me off how incompetent Dr. Charles Imbus is! read more

This is a delayed review, but I think important to input. I am concerned about Dr. Imbus' level of knowledge. My son couldn't walk at 16 months my pediatrician referred me to Dr. Imbus. Dr. Imbus diagnosed him with low muscle tone. We got physical therapy for almost 6 months with no sign of improvement. I was concerned about this and researched this. I suspected that maybe it was muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy. I mentioned this to Andrew who mentioned it to Dr. Imbus during one of our follow ups, and Dr. Imbus said my son didn't have either of these. Because I wasn't satisfied with not knowing why my son wasn't walking, I got an appointment with the head of neurology at CHLA on Sunset for a second opinion. Within 20 min of seeing him and asking about his symptoms, she mentioned it may be something called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (aka SMA - a type of muscular dystrophy). She had him take a blood test for it and it came out positive. After 6 months of not knowing what was going on with my son, I now know how I can best help him and am getting the care he needs. My son is now 4 and CHLA has been amazing with his treatments. I'm surprised that Dr. Imbus couldn't figure out in 6 months what another doctor figured out in 20 min. I'm even more puzzled that Dr. Imbus retired from private practice, but went on to work for CHLA in Arcadia. They are supposed to hire the best for their staff. If he can't figure out the signs of muscular dystrophy, how qualified of a neurologist is he? read more

I suspect that the majority of positive experiences with Dr. Imbus's office have ALSO involved Dr. Imbus's SON Andrew, his Physician's Assistant at the Pasadena Office or Dr. Imbus's WIFE, an RN at the Arcadia office. Both are wonderful. However, the actual neurologist, Dr. Imbus, is an unfathomably bad communicator, his willingness to change his recommended course of treatment based on his unwillingness to answer questions is unforgivable. And his office is woefully disorganized. We have been to Dr Imbus's office seven times, and at both locations. DISORGANIZED STAFF/LOST REFERRALS - His staff has needed to make procedure recommendations for us three times, and all three times, they dropped the ball because they because forgot to make the referral, or lost the referral. Each time the referral took at least two weeks longer than it needed to because we had to lobby for them to do the work. BAD COMMUNICATOR/UNETHICAL - Unless his wife or son are present, it is very difficult to tell when an examination is over. He often gets up and leaves mid conversation and doesn't come back. Or he leaves while talking to you and you end up following him in to room with him and his next patient. That's awkward. He is not forthcoming with a diagnosis when he has it. You have to guess at the diagnosis and ask - is that right? For example, "So this is a medication for...wait, does he have epilepsy?" "Yes." Then he doesn't like to take questions. For example, I asked, "The only person I've known with epilepsy was slow, does the medication make you dopey; can epilepsy itself have that effect; or was it likely a secondary problem?" "Well... If you think medication is going to make your son slow, I don't even want to go down that road." He actually CHANGED his recommended course of treatment because I asked him a question. If only his son were the MD, (Andrew and his mom get 5 stars) I would feed confident. Unfortunately, the one coming up with the treatments is not willing to communicate with us. Our speech pathologist insists that its really important that the person prescribing anti-seizure medication be a real partner with the parents, because it takes great communication to get it right. And we won't get that from this doctor. He seems pathologically incapable of it. We are going to have to change our insurance just to avoid having to see him. read more

Oh no no no, i just called to reschedule my daughter's appt. With the Imbus' only to find out after years of service Charles is closing down the business the end of December. Also, Andrew has left to Childrens Hospital. I live in O.C. what am i going to do? So rare to find excellent doctors. read more

I have seen Dr. Imbus for years, and he is caring, knowledgeable, and always willing to try new treatments and medications. I would highly recommend him. His PA and staff are great too, and always motivated to help. read more

We went to Dr. Imbus because he was on our insurance and we thought that he would be amazing because he was working at CHLA in the Arcadia location. We were wrong. I did not feel like he really did a thorough assessment of our 7 year old daughter. He said she had anxiety and depression and then said he'd prescribe a medicine. When I seemed hesitant and spoke of maybe looking into something natural to help her, he scoffed at me and rather sarcastically said, "Well, you see how that works and then call me and I'll get my prescription pad out." I was really put off. Very disappointing. We are now looking for a new neurologist. read more

This is my first time seeing Doctor A. Imbus for a consultation and I do want to let you know that it was not a hard decision after calling his offices, and letting him know what the issue was(Bell's palsy) something I have never experienced in my life. I believe that Doctor A. Imbus could sense my distress and he quickly put his assistant Trisha Fair on the line and she quickly booked an appointment for me the next day. As I walked into Doctor A. Imbus office I KNEW right away that he was the perfect choice for me, he and his wonderful assistant Trish. Trish has a warm mannered, very caring, and took the time to help me with my paper work and was able to put me at ease . Once Doctor A. Imbus was able to see me he took his time in doing some tests and he quickly diagnosed the issue he then proceeded to explain to me and show me what the issue was. Also at the same time he was calming me down and putting me at ease at how and showing how everything (my face) was going to be back to normal. Doctor A. Imbus took his time and he answered all of my questions and listened to my concerns. He was very honest with the outcome and the expectations of my recovery and the best thing was that he was not seeing me as a $$$ sign, but as a PERSON. He proceeded to give me a prescription and let his assistant know about booking a follow appointment and LO AND BEHOLD everything came out as he told me...My face is back to normal and I owed it all to Doctor A. Imbus. If you want a caring, attentive and truthful Doctor who will give you the time and personal care that you are looking for then I recommend DOCTOR A. IMBUS and his beautiful and caring assistant TRISHA FAIR.......GIVE THEM A CALL YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.....I PROMISE........OR SHALL I SAY MY FACE PROMISES!! read more

I called Dr. Imbus's office today and the call was forwarded to his cell phone - at which time he told me he had retired. How difficult would it have been for his staff to send each patient a letter re: the retirement - not just as a courtesy so we could say goodbye, but more importantly, for the continuity of care? I'm really disappointed in Dr. Imbus and his staff. read more

Both me and my daughter are old term patients here. I'm sorry to hear that he "retired". He and his son, Andrew the PA, really took their time to get it right. I hear they're at CHLA-Arcadia. We'll definitely be following. read more

Dr. Charles Imbus and his son Andrew Imbus are by far my favorite doctors. They are both attentive and compassionate. One could really tell that they enjoy what they do. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and pushed from doctor to doctor with out any real results. I don't feel like I'm being rushed with my appointments. They take the time to listen and go over any new symptoms that I come across. For the first time since I have been sick I feel like I'm not going through this alone. If something isn't working they are quick to adjust my treatment. When requesting prescription refills they promptly getting an answer to my pharmacy. The staff is very professional and friendly, and treat me like I'm family. I have had so many bad experiences in my search for good health that when I come across doctors as great as Dr. Charles Imbus and his son Andrew Imbus, its like a breath of fresh air. Thank you all who work at Dr. Imbus's office for your compassion... I am greatly appreciate their genuine concern and dedication....Anyone looking for a good Neurologist look no further this is the place you want to be, I promise you will be in great hands... read more

dr. imbus and his son have treated my son for adhd for years. he has been the optimal professional, showing great knowledge and compassion for my sons condition. he has given my son hope that he can survive in society and that the challenges of each day can be dealt with. i am grateful for his help with my son. he is truly a great doctor. read more