Finally, a Neurologist who listens! If you are looking for a neurologist you can truly trust, look no further than Dr. Deborah Cantrell. I came to her after a very frustrating experience with a previous doctor where I simply didn't feel heard. From the moment I started seeing Dr. Cantrell, everything changed. She is incredibly patient, engaging, and understanding. What sets her apart is her tenacity--she will exhaust every bit of her medical experience to get to the bottom of what is wrong. I also deeply appreciate her directness; she tells you what you need to hear, which has made me feel safer and more "mentally healthy" than I've felt in a long time. It is so important to have a strong relationship with your specialist, and I've found that here. Don't hesitate--just book the appointment. You will not be disappointed! read more

Please do not become her patient, and do not let your loved ones become her patient. This was truly the worst--and actually traumatizing--physician experience of my life. At first, her bedside manner seems caring and attentive. She appears to listen, but if you ask a question that doesn't make sense to her or ask her to clarify something, she quickly becomes irritated and dismissive. During my visit, she rushed through my physical exam, then returned to the room and abruptly said, "We need to have a serious conversation--major problems. You definitely have neuropathy and cognitive issues." As I sat there stunned and in tears, she continued by telling me to start taking her brand of vitamins, do memory puzzles, and return in six weeks after completing additional tests. After my testing and MRI results came in, her assistant called to tell me that my disc issues were likely due to my weight and that I needed weight management. I am 5'9" and 140 pounds. It was clear she hadn't reviewed my file and simply gave a standard response she uses for anyone with disc degeneration, assuming they are overweight. The worst part was her response to my MRI results, which showed chronic ischemic small vessel disease. She said it "wasn't a big deal" and was "just due to your advanced age." I'm 40 years old--dementia and vascular changes are not normal at my age. She dismissed my concerns and implied that my symptoms were simply because I was "elderly." She also recommended a four-day hospital stay to monitor my brain waves. When I asked for more information, she became defensive and short-tempered. Please ignore any positive reviews. Get another referral from your doctor and run far, far away. read more

While I am not her patient, it is very concerning that Dr. Cantrell cannot seem to identify me correctly. During my niece's initial visit with her, I introduced myself as her aunt expressing that her mom passed away. However, in the medical records, Dr. Cantrell refers to me as her sister and deceased mom. This was called to her attention, and she offered an apology. Can someone please tell me why her notes from the same visit refer to me as my niece's "grandmother"? To say the least, this concerns me as to why this doctor keeps making simple, careless mistakes when someone's care is in her hands. Further, it is offensive to be called someone's "grandmother". The staff who care for my niece is amazing, but Dr. Cantrell needs to do better. read more

Im afraid of my own doctor. Shes been overdosing me for years. I finally started seeing other doctors for second opinions behind her back, 2 epileptologists and 1 neurologist. All 3 said I have been overdosed. Dr. Cantrell wont let me speak during the appointments, she shuts me up. She'll order tests, but if they prove I dont need her medications, she doesn't put them in her reports. Im going through disability right now and I ordered ALL of my medical reports from her, so many files are missing from other doctors she's sent me to for tests. She told me to get an IUD (for me, im against birth control) but I got it because she said it would help my seizures. But when I read her reports she put in there that she said not to get it because it would make seizures worse. Did she do this to push more meds? I already have 8 prescriptions, 23 pills a day, plus the 3 emergency meds she prescribed me. So 11 total. She gets paid to hand out medicine, not help people. Please be safe with her y'all. Don't take a single pill from her, as soon as you do, you're hooked for life. The pills she has been giving me the past few years cause severe brain issues. They stop my seizures but lead to Dementia and Alzheimer's.... those are other diseases she treats. She's creating future problems for her to treat. And then she doesn't even care about the other neurological issues I keep trying to bring up! Im not sure why. She shuts me up every single time I tell her my issues that aren't revolved around seizures. I have other neuro issues ma'am. read more

To me, Doctor Debra Cantrell, is extremely intelligent, very thorough, and genuinely cares about her patients. She ordered many tests do be done to find my problem.............which these days I think most doctors don't want to take the time to bother with. You are just a number to most.........but not to Doctor Debra Cantrell ! You are a person, a patient, a real care to her. I feel very grateful to be in her care and will remain seeing her for my follow-ups. I come from California too. She is willing to help make that journey and timing of appointments easier for you as well. I know that I am in the best hands and I trust very much trust her. read more

Dr. Cantrell USED to be a good doctor when I first started seeing her 20 years ago, about 5 years ago her service started to decline and now her and her staff are the WORST at customer service and patient care. Her staff is rude and condescending when you call to ask a medical question or call for a refill and Dr. Cantrell orders tests that are not necessary and prescribes the most current drugs that will give her the most kickbacks from the pharmaceutical companies. I DO NOT recommend her or her team read more

I have seen other neurologists for treatment of migraines. I saw her once as a new patient; referred by my PCP after recently moving to Texas. She left the room several times. She was adamant about me stopping HRT therapy or I would have a stroke. She ordered multiple tests (MRI, MRA, sleep study, memory test, multiple duplicate lab tests). She wanted to change many of my meds and a very restrictive diet, including intermittent fasting. She doesn't do her own Botox I would have to see another doctor. Her motives seemed more monetary than good care. read more

Has been nearly an hour late each time I have seen her. Doesn't listen to my concerns or give more information when asked for it. I had many tests done that were ordered by her and she didn't even look at some of the results before I went back to have her report them to me. Gave no explanation on the implications of my test results, just stated the diagnoses and gave me meds or ordered other specialists. Got an attitude any time I tried to inquire about what the diagnoses meant. I clearly asked for some more information on side effects associated with meds she prescribed me and she quickly got short with me and acted as if I was bothering her and wasting her time. She took not even the smallest amount of time to check my other meds on my record and see if they were safe to take with what she was prescribing me; when asked if they were safe she just said "well I don't know what else you are on, just talk to the pharmacist." Very unprofessional and irresponsible, but the front office and receptionists are incredible and do a timely job with everything. read more

Dr Cantrell's office is wonderful. The staff is so nice. Dr Cantrell appears to care a lot which is rare these days.

I would give 0 if I could. Misdiagnosed me. She diagnosed me with epilepsy. 4 other neurologist that looked at my eeg studies said I was defiantly not having epileptic seizures. Refused to take me off medication that was causing severe side effects including hallucinations and falling, just kept upping the dose and adding other meds. She told me I needed to go to a mental hospital for the hallucinations. Didn't even look at my chart to see that she had given me that one before and it cause problems. Next neurologist told me all those meds (prescribed by Cantrell) were poisoning me. I had to slowly stop meds Cantrell prescribed and I stopped hallucinating and falling. Never get timely call backs if you report and problems to the office. I blame Dr Cantrell not the office staff. read more

She is extremely thorough and takes the time to answer all questions I have. My migraines have improved significantly and my seizures have reduced which has improved my quality of life. They usually get me right in, which is very important to me. The office staff is great as well. read more

Worse Neurologist Ever. I don't even think she is an actual one, all she does is hand out all different types of medication and hope for the best. She should NOT be in the medical field what so ever. STAY AWAY. read more

I expect a lot from a physician. and Dr. Cantrell is one of the _very_ few I can give a perfect score. She is excellent - and this comes from a highly critical patient! She is super smart, absolutely knows her stuff, and can explain it to you clearly. She will give you as much time as you need to ask questions and understand the answers. Cognition and brain-related symptoms can be caused by a myriad of things, so I appreciate how thorough she is in her testing. When it comes to your ability to think, you want to cover all the bases. These days, the office staff can sink an otherwise great physician, but this staff is actually good. It can take a day to receive an answer, but it will be a good answer you can move forward with. They are professional, and that is quite rare these days. Her appointments run on time, very little to no waiting. read more

I saw this doctor many years ago for severe migraines. She treated me like an addict because I requested nausea medication for when I had migraines. My migraines caused uncontrollable vomiting. read more

This doctor treated my daughter for epilepsy for about 10 years, prescribing only name-brand medications for her. My daughter was taking 3 different meds paying around $500 per month in insurance co-pays. Fortunately my daughter moved away and found an epileptologist at the University of Oklahoma. The new doctor said it was not necessary to take name-brand meds and now her co-pays are around $15 per month for generic. In addition, Dr. Cantrell was not able to keep seizures under control with the 3 meds and essentially gave up. When my daughter got to OU Medical the doctor said she didn't like her on so many meds. Her seizures are now back under complete control. Also, at the time Cantrell prescribed 3 meds my daughter became pregnant. She asked Cantrell if these meds were ok and Cantrell said "no, but it's too late now." My daughter already had one child and Cantrell should have known she was of child-bearing age. Fortunately baby was fine but no thanks to Cantrell. Terrible doctor. read more

Dr. Deborah Cantrell... Neurologist with The North Texas Neuroscience P.A. in Irving. This "doctor" ... that I lovingly refer to as the "Drug Dealer" prescribed 19 prescriptions to me at one time. 2 prescriptions for each "condition" she diagnosed me with because she refused to accept the diagnosis of Chiari I Malformation from a Neurosurgeon I had seen prior to being refered to her... plus 7 more prescriptions to combat the side effects of the first 12. On the first appointment, she looked me in the eye and told me I was too fat. I was at the time only 20 pounds over weight and at 5'8.5" I was able to carry most of that weight without looking horrible. After six months under her care, 19 prescriptions (7 of which proven to make you gain weight)... I was 85 pounds over weight. When I finally FIRED her, and went to another neurologist... the new doc asked me when I was "due"... apparently she had written on my records that I was pregnant.. explanation of the 65 pound weight gain in 6 months... AND that was the only reason she didn't prescribe drugs # 20, 21 & 22. She has got to be getting some sort of kickback from pharmaceutical companies! My mom and I, looking back on that fateful day in September 2005, on my first appointment with the "Drug Dealer".. we realized we should have known better! She showed up to work that day with the same dress that my mother wore to her 20th High School Reunion in.... NINETEEN EIGHTY NINE! The first set of 8 drugs she gave me made me completely unable to function or stay awake. I fell asleep at red lights, at work, at home, at dinner. Too many drugs and too many muscle relaxers. Why oh Why didn't I fire her after the first 8? On top of 19 prescriptions, I was prescribed e-stem treatments 2 times a week for an hour, a Nerve Conduction Study and two Sleep Studies. The e-stem treatments helped, but not like you would think, actually treating my condition... no, it did noting for my condition... BUT, what it did do, was offer me a one hour nap, in the middle of the day 2 days a week... at a time when I was going to culinary school full time and working (in an extremely hostile work environment) full time. The second sleep study was she tried her hardest to diagnose me with narcolepsy, but my body proved her wrong. She had her assistant call one day telling me to get to my PCP immediately because my white blood cell count was too high - um, yeah that's because one of the drugs you put me on causes high white blood cell count. 4 of the 6 diagnoses she gave me were called ludacris by my current physician. Needless to Say... STAY AWAY FROM THIS DRUG DEALER. read more

I've never reviewed a doctor's office before but I feel I need to warn people about Dr. Cantrell. My teen daughter began having migraine type headaches and after discussing them with her OB/GYN and PCP and only being told how to control the pain, we decided to see a neurologist to attempt to discover the source of the headaches as they were making her everyday life very difficult. We had the same experience as many of the other patients who wrote reviews. After one appointment, Dr Cantrell diagnosed my daughter with a rare form of epilepsy, scheduled several expensive tests, gave her a list of supplements and prescribed several name brand prescriptions. After researching the supplements we found that one of them prevented the absorption of one of the anti seizure prescriptions. (My daughter has never suffered a seizure but was prescribed 2 anti seizure medications.) I've never questioned a doctor's diagnosis and was VERY THANKFUL to find these reviews. After seeing that other patients had been diagnosed with epilepsy and found the diagnosis to be incorrect we cancelled the tests, stopped taking the prescriptions and went to another doctor. Less than a month later my daughter's headaches are gone. If you choose to see Dr Cantrell know she likes to diagnosis epilepsy and seems to be owned by the pharmaceutical companies... beware! read more

Dr Cantrell is absolutely wonderful. She has seen both my husband and me for a number of years. Extremely professional and addresses the issue in a direct no nonsense manner. After a spinal fusion surgery my husband has been having a lot of pain in the low back and leg. The surgeon wasn't able to address it. Dr. Cantrell worked him, quickly identified the problem and is helping us get it fixed. So very thankful we found this gem of a doctor, they are few and far between. read more

Worst Dr i have ever been to ordered 20 test and 19 of them were not even required for what i was there for... went and got a second opinion and She was way way off, she should be stripped of her license and given a pass to the mickey mouse club. then again, they would not accept her. read more

I saw Dr Cantrell when I rolled out of bed unable to walk. She did in house eegs, in hospital eegs and I was told I was epileptic, yet I had never in my life had a seizure. When I asked how that was even possible she said I had horses in a carral that COULD someday break free. When I told her the medications drastically altered my personality and I felt suicidal, she simply put me on another ,all the while standing on her roll in pulpit, and telling me all the things I'd never be able to do again. She was wrong, turns out I have MdDS and if I could I would sue her rear end off for making me think I was crazy. Luckily after being airlifted to a hospital where she was not on the board I was seen by a real epitiologist and immediately taken off medication. He saved my life. DO NOT see this doctor unless you are willing to gamble with your life. read more

NEVER AGAIN !!! Appointment was in May 2020, Dr. Cantrell examined me in close proximity WITHOUT a mask, while she requires every patient to wear one in order to enter the premises. She was very condescending and used unprofessional language (quote: follow me to the "candy cabinet") before handing me some pills. She prescribed 4 different medication, that I had no idea what all this was for, besides the side effects are counter productive with the symptoms I have (!!), then she wanted me to go on a Keto diet along with 12-14 hours of intermittent fasting which makes sense if you need to lose weight or have seizures - BUT I never had a seizure in my life and I am far from being overweight. She billed a stunning $ 460 for this EPIC FAILURE diagnosis. I have cancelled my follow up appointment and will not go back there. A one star rating is already too much! read more

Dr. Cantrell is a wonderful doctor! I've been going to her office since about 2010 for seizures and, more recently, headaches. She's always been very helpful and adjusted my medications to find which ones will work the best for me. Even though there is sometimes a wait, she is definitely worth waiting for!!!! I highly recommend her! read more

The most unprofessional doctor I have ever had an experience with. Minimal time spent understanding patients' needs, absolutely rigid and cold and is unwilling to spend any time answering questions as "she has a busy schedule". Same as the other reviews orders a battery of expensive test and prescribed the most expensive anti-seizure medicine. When questioned on a less expensive alternative she suggested we go to Parkland.... read more

I have been seeing Dr. Cantrell for over 8 years for my migraine headaches. I found her after I was fired by my last Neurologist, because disagreed with his PA. I have read some of these horrible reviews and I can't believe we are talking about the same Doctor. Dr. Cantrell has always taken the time to listen to my concerns, answer any questions that I have and has been willing to change my medication if I found someting isn't working. She advises me of new medications and other option for treating my migraines, but has NEVER pushed me to doing or trying anything I wasn't comfortable with.I read more

Dr.Cantrell is always prompt, efficient and has a wonderful bedside manner. She got my seizures under control when no one else seemed able to and has helped me maintain my seizure free status for years. She is a great neurologist! I highly recommend her services. read more

I live in Dallas and find it worth the drive to Lewisville to see Dr Cantrell. Always a pleasure visiting with her.

On my first visit Dr. Cantrell ordered numerous tests and I had hopes she would be a thorough. competent physician. After extensive testing she put me on Keppra XR, an anti seizure medication. Already I felt uncomfortable with her ability to explain why I needed anti seizure meds when I had never had a seizure. Doubts about my care continued to mount. Finally, after being on anti-seizure medications for a year, I got a second opinion. The new neurologist, (with a stellar, nationally recognized reputation), redid my testing and found no indications of a seizure disorder. To be thorough, he evaluated the test results she had interpreted as indicating a seizure, and read them as benign. Additionally, the olfactory issues that had initially caused my internist to refer me to a neurologist went untreated for a year and resulted in a permanent loss of smell. read more

I am here to warn you that Dr. Deborah Cantrell, MD was not honest with me. After haveing a severe headache I was referred to her by my family Dr.. Dr. Cantrrell ordered MRI"S and MRA's. In my consultation conversation I ask to view the xray's with her. She seemed to not be able to show them to me or answer some of my question. She did recommened more testing and wanted to know what medication she had prescriibed for me. I ask " And what would the medication be for? I ask " Have you held the xrays in your hand and looked at them?" She looked me straight in the eyes and said "yes". My gut feeling was this was all wrong. I went to the Image Place to pick up my xrays, I had to sign out for them. I ask the clerk, who else has signed these out, she said "No one" Dr Cantrell only requested a faxed result finding letter from the Image Place, the xrays were not requested for viewing. So beware, if she lied about seeing my xrays, what else has she lied about. read more

Horrible horrible horrible horrible. I would give no stars if I could. I have complicated migraine and began exhibiting signs of a stroke. The emergency room paged Dr. Cantrell and she never called back! Then I tried to get my records released so I could go see a different neurologist and she would not sign off on letting my records go. TWO WEEKS to get my records and the other doctor actually drove to Dr. Cantrell's office to get them. THat doctor couldn't even get them. Unbelievable. DON'T GO TO THIS DOCTOR IF YOU ACTUALLY NEED MEDICAL CARE. read more

This was the most HORRIBLE experience I have ever had at any doctor's office. I have never done a review of any Dr, or place for that matter, but this is unacceptable. The office staff was very unprofessional. Dr. Cantrell took another patient ahead of me and the front desk lady tried explaining the situation, but was obviously covering for the doctor and not telling the whole truth. To top it all off, the lady at the front desk came back and said "sorry, the procedure ran longer than expected and the doctor has to leave early for her scheduled hospital shift." One of the other girls behind the desk chimed in and said "yeah, the Dr. literally just left so she can't see you. She was literally running out the back door"! I drove several hours to see the Dr because she was recommended by my Dr, but never again. Why wouldn't they have told me that they crammed my appointment in before the Dr planned to leave? Especially knowing i travelling nearly four hours for the appointment. The worst part is they said they wouldn't even get me back in until a month from now. They didn't offer any accommodation for the inconvenience and didn't even try to find an alternative solution like working me in the next day or anything. This whole experience is the worst experience I HAVE EVER HAD with any medical office, doctors office or hospital. I would not recommend anyone to this office. read more