I sought treatment from Dr. Sara Van Anrooy many years ago for a phobia. I felt compelled after reading the reviews posted here by other patients to follow through with my own review. On my first visit with Dr. Van Anrooy I explained that I am extremely sensitive to medications. She promptly started me on high doses relative to my weight of Pamelor and Klonopin. I was to increase the dosages several times over the next few weeks as prescribed. After the first few doses, I could barely communicate or think. I was also feeling quite ill and having multiple side effects. I contacted Dr. Van Anrooy's office and was told to "stay the course." As the dosages increased, so did the side effects. I called numerous times and always received the same response about staying the course, despite the fact that the side effects were quite alarming. Finally, my husband was forced to take me to the emergency room. I was diagnosed with clinical shock from the effects of the medications. My heartbeat was irregular and my pulse was fast and thready. My body temperature was extremely low and I was dehydrated. I was told that patients nnormally need to taper off of these medications, however, I risked possible death if I did not discontinue taking the medications immediately. I was also told the dosages of medication prescribed were way in excess of what is normally prescribed for a person of my body weight. Dr. Van Anrooy did not return my calls after I relayed my ER visit and diagnosis to her office staff. Most ironically, the phobia I had sought treatment for was a fear of doctors. This experience increased my fear exponentially, and I have never recovered from it. There are many excellent psychiatrists out there. Please do your research and choose carefully. read more

Not Worth It! We were recommended to go to Dr. VanAnrooy because we were having a very hard time getting in to see another doctor in a timely manner. She was near by and didn't have a crazy wait time to see her. We ended up spending AT LEAST $5000 on visits and genetic testing that proved to be not helpful. I have since been told by other psychiatrists and medical professionals that these genetic tests are only useful and recommended for a specific type of patient, not EVERYONE! She prescribed Adderall for my son based on a 5 question, yes/no, check mark questionnaire. The drug made him feel anxious and HIGH! Just you want for your 17 yr old. For my daughter and I, she prescribed Gabapentin/Horizant (Neurontin) for anxiety, which we later found out is typically used for "chronic debilitating pain syndromes". Gabapentin may be helpful for anxiety in small doses, but Dr. VanAnrooy told us the drug is very safe and can be taken liberally. I was taking 6 throughout the day and after a couple of months, I was unable to concentrate and was having memory problems and difficulty communicating effectively. I literally couldn't remember my social security number or my husband's cell phone number! I thought I had dementia. She told my daughter that it would be perfectly fine if she were to take TWELVE gabapentin and drink alcohol if she was having social anxiety on a date. My daughter was also taking Horizant, a very expensive drug that actually changes over to gabapentin in your body, making these doses high even for people with severe pain. My daughter then developed severe fatigue and dizziness making it impossible to drive or work! After a very lengthy and thorough evaluation by an ENT, it was determined that it wasn't normal vertigo related to any inner ear vestibular disorder, but likely medication related. At this point we went to another psychiatrist who weaned my daughter off of these meds and prescribed a low dose of basic Zoloft, which is working wonderfully. She changed my medication to regular Prozac and I'm doing great. I was so convinced by what she told us. After all, she's a doctor and very articulate. I should have gotten another opinion before diving into her suggested testing and prescribed medications. This all could have been so much easier and not such a financial burden if we just would have gone to someone else. read more

Because of Dr Sara Van Anrooy my 17 year old daughter ended up have 2 grand mal seizures and was in ICU for 3 days. Dr Van Anrooy prescribed 174 mg of Aplenzin, a Wellbutrin drug for depression. My daughter almost immediately felt better. A few months later she increased the dose to 348 mg. After this increase one day my other daughter found her in her bed confused and almost paralyzed. Her eyes were dilated. It almost seemed as though she had had a seizure. I called Dr Van Anrooy and asked if the medication could cause seizures she said no it could not and that if that happened again to seek medical help. A few months later right before my daughter left for college she increased the dose again to 522 mg. My daughter called from college she was having lots of dizziness. Again, I called Dr Van Anrooy and the answer I got was no it doesn't cause dizziness. A few weeks later we went to San Diego where my daughter goes to school for parents weekend. When we landed we found out she had had what seemed like a seizure and was in an ambulance on her way to the hospital. At the hospital they asked what medications she was in but not the doses. They did an MRI but didn't find anything. When I got home I called Dr Van Anrooy and asked again about seizures the answer again was no the medication can't cause seizures but maybe I should make an appointment with a neurologist. I set up the appointment with a neurologist a couple weeks away. The next week at 3 am I get a call that my daughter is in the hospital and had had 2 grand mal (clonic tonic) seizures that were so violent she had dislocated her shoulder. She was transferred from Alvarado medical center to Scripps hospital by ambulance and was in ICU. We flew to San Diego and saw when we walked in that she didn't know who we were, she could not walk and she could not talk or stay awake. It was terrifying. The neurologist, psychiatrist, and hospitalist all agreed that it was the Aplenzin and that it is KNOWN to cause seizures. They were astounded at the high dose she was on! They immediately knew that was causing the seizures. They also couldn't believe that Dr Van Anrooy knew these symptoms were occurring but did nothing. I called Dr Van Anrooy's office and they offered me a "phone appointment" if I wanted to talk to her. I would have to pay! I was furious! 3 times I had asked if it could be the medication and she had every opportunity to lower her dose or at least look into it. She did nothing. The most disappointing part was that she knew what happened and that we were in ICU and she has to this day NEVER called to check on my daughter. I emailed her office when I got home and told them everything the doctors had said. She has still never contacted me. Do not go to this doctor. read more

Our 19 yr old son was having trouble sleeping; showed signs of anxiety so we took him to our PCP who recommended he see a psychiatrist. Sara VanAnRooy spent an hour with him and prescribed meds for ADHD. When I told our PCP this, he was adamant that our son did not have ADHD and to see a therapist. After several sessions our son's anxiety was gone. "Dr" VanAnRooy prescribed meds to our son without knowing anything about him! As far as we are concerned she's only interested in prescribing meds, not truly understanding what's going on with the patient!! Do NOT send your child to this woman! read more

She doens't take the time with her patients to make sure the drugs she is giving them don't have serious or fatal interactions. Also does not take the time to make sure her patents are coming off their drugs safely. She obviously does not care about her patients. read more