Dr. Gabriel Theodore Tatarian, DO

Dr. Tartarian treated me on what may have been the worst day of my life when I couldn’t swallow or hold my head up. He figured out that I had myasthenia gravis and successfully treated me. I think he has is a great doctor!!!

My husband had a very serious TBI 13 years ago and we have been going to Dr. Tatarian's office for 10+ years. He is direct and thorough, which I appreciate as my husband's caregiver. They explain what is going on and have based tratments based on his symptoms which do not always require medication. There is never a long wait and the staff is always nice. If you have ever dealt with Neurologists long term, most are straightforward and rush you. I like that Dr. Tatarian does not sugarcoat diagnoses and doesn't rush you out of the office. As with ANY doctor, make sure you come prepared with all symptoms to get the best course of treatment.

Dr. Tatarian was recommended to me by my primary. I had been showing neurological symptoms for a couple of years. I retired from teaching because the symptoms got worse and made it difficult. He asked me if I live alone. I said yes and commented that when teachers retire, the friendships often end. However, I am very selective about how I live and with whom I am friends. Today I received a call from his office. He determined that my symptoms were to get attention. Seriously? I would call this a 19th ageist attitude. Maybe if I was 30ish, he would take this seriously.

The man has a knack for hiring talented and compassionate staff members (his nurse and desk staff have always been a pleasure to work with) however Dr. Tatarian himself can come off as rather abrupt and a little aggressive at times. I also did not appreciate some of the evaluation methods- they left me feeling uncomfortable months later. I like the office location I see, but I am considering seeking care elsewhere. I do appreciate that he seems to respect patients being informed and having a choice in their care and treatment, and I am hoping I just caught him on an off day. I’m pessimistic based on some of these reviews though.

Dr. Tatarian took great care of me. I left feeling that I’d made a friend

Spend time with you, explains things and orders all tests in order to give proper treatment. His style is to the point which I like. It is refreshing compared to everyone else. He breaks down technical information very well.

Dr. Tatarian diagnosed me with Multiple Sclerosis after seeing white matter lesions on my brain MRI (and was very rude about it, as many have described here...he literally said "see that? THAT'S not normal. See that? NOT normal.") Thankfully, I had the good sense to go to an MS Specialist at Johns Hopkins who took one look at my scans and said my brain lesions were very clearly related to my years of migraines and not consistent with MS. Dr. Tatarian had recommended that I start MS drugs immediately, thank goodness I did not. This was 12 years ago, and after at least 5 more brain MRIs as precautionary checks, every single reading (at various facilities) has said that the lesions are consistent with migraines and are not consistent with MS. It frightens me to think how many other patients this doctor has misdiagnosed; as a Neurologist, he should absolutely know what is apparently a very distinct difference between brain lesions caused by migraines vs. Multiple Sclerosis.

Just want some answers

I find Dr. Tatarian impossible to reach personally and am always referred to his PA Amy or his nurse Barbara. He does not answer my questions directly and after a year of seeing him, was unable to give me any kind of diagnoses. His receptionist, Dorothy, is also very unfriendly almost to the point of being rude.

After a few months of seeing his PA, I finally saw Dr. Tatarian at my most recent appointment. While I understand some of the reviews about his bedside manner below, I think that it's really the patient's personality that determines how much you'll like Dr. Tatarian. He's definitely brisk and somewhat cold-seeming, but I think that's his style. I found him to be a little amusing and frankly, he seems like a brilliant guy who really knows what he's talking about. He reviewed my case with me briefly, gave me his clinical suspicion for a diagnosis after asking a few questions, told me the test that I needed to confirm his suspicion, and discussed the plan moving forward if he was wrong (what else it could be, what tests I need, etc). He let me ask questions and didn't seem super rushed even though I wasn't technically supposed to see him in this appointment. So while his personality isn't for everyone, it certainly works for me. Direct and dry is fine by me as long as I'm moving… forward with my care. Two other things worth mentioning: -It's nearly impossible to get a timely appointment with this guy. He's a sub-specialist, and a hot commodity apparently. -His PA Amy is absolutely wonderful, and you shouldn't be concerned if your first appointment is with her. She is great.