Marisa Chang, MD

5+++ stars for Marisa Chang and her staff.
Dr. Marisa Chang: I first met Dr. Chang in 2013. She was one of the very few doctors in my area who could treat my condition. I immediately felt very comfortable and at ease while speaking with her about very personal issues. I swear I was dying, in pain, on pain meds. Well, she fixed all of that.
2015 – 2016: Here I am again. I’m a mess. Can barely walk, with degenerative discs causing me excruciating pain. Dr. Chang gives me a huge hug (what Doctor do you know that does that??) immediately putting me at ease, once again, remembering where I was. She recommends this crazy procedure and I’m all in. She explains everything in detail, so you’re not in the dark about anything. *They have a state of the art procedure/​surgery room right in the office. Huge plus.
I’ve never met the kindest nurse **Xavier** (take note) in my entire life. He’s my savior.
The procedure worked! Pain free after years! I was looking at fusion, at a very young age; now I don’t have to worry about that anymore :-)
Dr. Chang has turned out to be one of the most important people in my life. She’s the kind of Doctor you wish could be your doc for everything. I will miss our visits and will look forward (cringe) to any upcoming procedures (again, cringe), just so I can see these people that I absolutely adore.
Kristina (Dr. Chang’s Office Manager): I don’t even know where to begin with this woman… First of all, she has 10 arms, 8 ears, and may just come from a different planet. To say she is competent at what she does, would be an understatement. The woman is brilliant. She always goes above and beyond for me, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.
Secondly, she is also part of the kindness and warmth that presents itself all around this office.
I know I’ve written a ton about how wonderful and genuine everybody is, but please do not let that take away from the professionalism that exists here, and is obviously a necessary factor when choosing a Doctor and dealing with your body.
I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Chang for all of the reasons I’ve mentioned above, and so many more.
I really don’t know where I’d be right now without her.

Dr. Chang destroyed my life and face. I wish I was exaggerating. I went to her for sinus & occasional occipital pain I was having and she performed pushed radio frequency on me, stabbing & jabbing needles deep into my face and back of head. I cried hysterically during the painful procedure and screamed for her to stop but she didn’t. That was a year and four months ago. Since then, there has not been a single day since that I have not been in horrific, crushing, debilitating pain. She destroyed not only my life and wellbeing, but the girl I was prior to her procedure. I cannot talk, chew, smell, or smile without pain. She created trigeminal neuralgia I never had prior to seeing her and displaced my jaw. I am in agony EVERY single day, and she left permanent injury, swelling, and disfiguration to the left side of my face, nose, undereye, jaw. This is coupled with the stabbing occipital area to which my pain is scrambled. Everyday is a nightmare since she single handedly ruined my life. I had to move back in with family to take care of me.
I have become severely depressed and completely unable to function, drive, etc. Life is a daily hell and I have suicidal thoughts because of the amount of horrendous pain her careless procedure caused me. She said the pulsed radio frequency would last 6 – 8 months. It has been 16 months and the pain has not changed. I am in agony and have had many visits to the ER for the pain.
Not only did I lose my quality of life, ability to smile without pain, ability to just EXIST without pain, ability to drive because the pain is debilitating, but my mom has lost her daughter. From the moment I got out of the procedure in which I cried hysterically to now, I will never be the same person I was. I spend my life in isolation and do not socialize because I cannot even be with people due to the severity of the pain. I recall she did not even clean the needle between the spots she so deeply shoved into my face and pulsed horrific pain 45 seconds each area. I wish Dr. Chang could feel a fraction of the pain I have suffered ²⁴⁄₇. She probably couldn’t fathom the pain, agony, loss, etc. I am terrified her damage is permanent, and if that is the case, I will be absolutely heartbroken, as will my family and friends, as I am not the person I used to be and most likely never will be from that trauma.
Doctors, surgeons, and neurologists I have seen since are horrified when they hear what she did to me. I have never written a negative review but must speak my truth to warn others of the damage she is capable of. I went from a smiling happy girl who had some sporadic sinus pain to now an incapacitated shell of a person with physical changes, long lasting swelling and permanent marks on my face from her carelessness. Post procedure my days are spent on the couch or in bed crying from pain, icing my face, and at doctors appts/​MRIs, trying all types of treatments to reduce the pain with no success, surgeon appts to discuss potential surgeries, every test imaginable to see if we can figure out how to reverse some of the damage she created.
I have noticed some of her bad reviews mysteriously «vanished». Similar to the way she vanished when I contacted her after the procedure to say what horrendous stabbing pain I was in, no one from her office got back to me.
I am devastated the horrible effect she has had on me, my life (loss of life), and feel strongly she should not be practicing medicine. My story serves as a cautionary tale to others, and I worry for their sake knowing what she is capable of doing. Please be careful.
And to Dr. Chang — I truly hope you pray deeply for me, for a miracle to happen to eliminate my pain. I do believe in karma and feel perhaps you should use your time researching ways to counteract the damaging effects you’ve had on myself and others before you touch another patient and ruin them. You truly have destroyed a life, and I am forever changed.

I started seeing Dr. Chang about 5+ years ago for sudden onset migraines. They interfered with my work and came along with body pain and depression. It was a confusing and painful time because I did not understand what was happening to me or why it was happening. Dr Chang not only helped me get each one of my problems in order but she was kind and compassionate throughout the process. I cannot imagine her being any other way, I am now on MediCal and I still go out of Network a couple times a year to check in with Dr Chang. I trust her with my Heath and I can talk to her about everything. I really believe she saved my life.

I recently came to Dr Chang after years of frequent migraines. I have been to many doctors over the years for migraines and unfortunately, I have become a very seasoned patient. Dr Chang has been truly exceptional. Not only is she wise and very knowledgeable, she also listens and has a great bed-​side manner.
She came up with a treatment plan and approach which was thoughtful and took into consideration my particular case. Believe me, it would be lovely if all doctors do that, but they don’t. She took the time that was needed, asked many questions, and took time to develop a plan of action.
After years of roughly 3 migraines a week, both the frequency of attacks and severity of each headache has dramatically decreased. I can hardly believe it.
I have recommended her already to those I know with migraines and though I don’t often post here on Unilocal,I want to share my find with as many migraine sufferers as possible. Simply put, migraines suck and when you find someone who cares and is capable of truly making a difference, it’s huge!

i have known marisa chang, md, for several years (perhaps four or five) and have seen her for chronic, intractable migraine. she is the only, let me repeat, THE ONLY, doctor that i trust in town. to give some background, i myself am a doctor and consultant, the kind that pairs others who are suffering with the proper physicians situationally– so i am aware of nearly every decent (and not so decent) doc in town. it is MY JOB to know who does his/​her job in an ethical manner and who does not. this is what i do for a living.
before i address all the reasons why i see marisa chang and why she is the right doctor for me, let me first say that yes, i agree that there is something fishy going on here on Unilocal,the kind of fishy that involves one (possibly two) users «posing» as multiple users and framing this doctor as something she is not. It is hurtful, lacking in integrity, and uses Unilocal for a purpose for which it was not created or intended.
For my part, I met Dr. Chang several years ago after having been a patient of migraine doctors who are considered «the very best» Los Angeles has to offer. In those clinics, my phone calls and emails went unanswered, I could not get an appointment for months, and I was told my doctor «did not know what else to do with me» after trying only a bare minimum of the medications available on the market for migraine today.
I found Dr Chang and have experienced only the opposite. She never gives up. She is always positive. If she has a smile on her face, it is because she is trying to encourage me to keep going and moving through pain that haunts me and has haunted me for nearly a lifetime. If she seems «excited» by a diagnosis or a particular treatment (as another Unilocal writer referenced), it is because she potentially sees the end of my suffering and has figured out a way to help me. If she is «sticking needles in my face,» as yet another Unilocal writer referenced,” it is because she has come up with a new, novel, never-​done-​before treatment and we have TOGETHER decided that it is something we are going to try. Marisa Chang is on the forefront of every new treatment there is, experimental or otherwise. She knows what is going on out there in the big bad world of migraine treatment, and she knows my suffering, because she has witnessed it first hand. She wants nothing more than to make it stop. She has no ulterior motives. She is a kind, warm, loving person. If she has elected to propose one of these new treatments on me, she has talked to me about all of the RISKS associated with the procedure. That is called informed consent, and she has never once, not one time, performed a procedure on me without discussing risks (and benefits) with me– AND I AM A DOCTOR, people– I KNOW there are plenty of risks. But there are plenty of potential benefits, too. That «needles in my face» procedure, the one that was earlier referenced here– it gave me several months of my life back. A person just never knows what he/​she is going to get when signing up to have a procedure, and it bothers me to see Dr. Chang’s head on the chopping block.
So do I come to her defense? You bet I do.
I know she is a dedicated, educated, warm, receptive, doctor. And so much more. But she is not– she is NOT– all of those things some of the writers on this site would have you believe. I would not go to her defense if that were the case. I would go see one of those other neurologists in the handful of my waiting arsenal. I CHOOSE to see Marisa Chang because I know that she is simply the best Los Angeles has to offer.

I have been to many dr’s in the past and Dr Chang by far has been the best experience. I feel better and actually enjoy going to my appointments. She has the best bedside manners and genuinely cares about her patients. I highly recommend anyone who is need of an amazing neurologist.

After extensive research I chose Dr. Chang to help me with my migraines. I liked her from my very first appointment and after nearly 3 years in her care I can’t recommend her highly enough! She is on top of the latest medical news & research. She helped me find a rescue medication that worked and never gave up on finding a daily medication to help me live without everyday headaches. My family & I will always be grateful.

Dr. Chang is by far the best doctor I have been to and feel so lucky to have met her. She not only has helped me with my migraines and fainting but she is the most personable loving doctor. She really cares about her patients and won’t stop until she fixes what is wrong and makes sure you’re comfortable. I would recommend her to anyone!

I love this doctor. My first visit was an hour long, and though I was 15 minutes late (excruciating chronic pain sometimes slows a person down), Dr. Chang still spent the full hour listening carefully and empathetically, asking all the right questions, performing the appropriate evaluations, and doing the thing no other doctor has ever done– she actually read the 3-​page list of symptoms I had typed up. She was a breath of fresh air, as I had just been to a pompous male doc who wouldn’t even give it a glance, treated me like an unreliable witness, then started testing the wrong side of my face. You bet I’m gonna Unilocal him.
Dr. Change arrived at the diagnosis of trigeminal neuropathy. Then she said those all-​important words: «You’re not crazy. I see two or three patients each week who have what you have.» She then listed the various approaches we could take for my problem and we moved forward from there. I’m a work-​in-​progress, but she never judges me for the treatment choices I make. She hears me out, then makes suggestions and we move forward. Her assistant Christina is fantastic as well.

I’m sorry to say I did not have a good experience with dr chang. I saw her years ago for a chronic face pain issue I’m still dealing with today. She put fourth a potential diagnosis for parry rhomberg disorder (spelling?) which was wrong, but, she had me believing it for a few appointments until my blood work came back negative for that condition. I was struck however that she seemed very EXCITED by this possible diagnosis… While I was googling the disorder on my phone in the office and seeing the horrible effects of this untreatable life ruining condition, and starting to feel closer and closer to the edge of tears– she was excitedly rounding up her fellow associates to come in and break the exciting news to them. «Exciting» because this condition is very rare in my age group and of my sex. Anyways even though that diagnosis was wrong, I was struck by how disconnected she was from an obviously upset patient. She seemed purely cerebral and lacking in warmth and empathy. I felt very alone. Just my experience. Others may appreciate her emotional disconnect but I did not.

Dr. Chang receives my highest recommendation! She is knowledgeable, honest, caring, professional, attentive, and the list can go on and on. My father had an auto immune ailment that affected his mobility. The doctors that were on his case could not figure out what was wrong and could not diagnose the problem. With no diagnosis, there was no affective treatment. Finally, I sought the advice of Dr. Chang. One look at his file and she was able to provide a diagnosis as well as possible treatments. She fully explained the possible causes of his condition and collaborated with the other attending physicians to determine the appropriate and best treatment for him. A couple of months later, he started to regain the ability to walk. I have no doubt that she significantly contributed to my father gaining back his mobility and will forever be thankful to her.

Dr. Chang is an amazing doctor! My father in law was having back pain and his doctors couldn’t figure out what the problem was. His doctors recommended more exercise and when things got worse, they recommended surgery. That is when we sought the expertise of Dr. Chang. She was highly recommended so we thought we would give her a try. We are so glad that we found Dr. Chang! She is friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and caring. She saw my father in law and knew exactly how to treat his back pain. She prescribed some medication that helped greatly. She also gave him an epidural and he quickly felt better. My father in law now walks with no pain and always says how wonderful Dr. Chang is. He was so impressed with her. He calls her his guardian angel!

I have Trigeminal Nerve Disorder (in the buccal). Dr. Chang and Dr. Sheldon Jordan performed an operation several years ago that was meant to cauterize the nerve and «solve» the problem but instead made it worse. My left jaw is numb now in the wrong places and my nerve pain is worse, almost intolerable. Afterwards, they both refused to acknowledge that the operation was unsuccessful. Dr. Chang was my primary doctor; Dr. Jordan actually performed the operation, but they didn’t do any useful follow through — they would have charged me more money because my insurance at the time wouldn’t allow any follow-​up operations.
Dr. Jordan did quietly and privately admit what went wrong: to cauterize the nerve, if you miss by a billionth, it doesn’t work. He would have to go in there again — do another operation –iffy at best — which insurance wouldn’t cover. Dr. Chang wouldn’t even admit that much. I recently found a letter in which she calls the surgery ‘successful.‘I was even charged for the follow-​up visit to the surgery! At least I respect Dr. Jordan for explaining what went wrong, although he would never put this in writing.
A couple of years ago, several other unhappy patients of Dr. Chang contacted me through Unilocal.At one point we were thinking of banding together. We didn’t because it is too difficult to «prove anything. But we have all had similar problems with Dr. Chang. All I can say is proceed with caution. Dr. Chang is very optimistic but please get a second opinion before proceeding. Please write to me if you wish.

Dr. Chang, her assistant Kristina, and the entire office staff provided the most positive, responsive and caring medical care for my daughter that I have ever witnessed. My college-​aged daughter had been hospitalized over the weekend and Dr. Chang was able to see her on the Wednesday following a Sunday night hospital discharge. She really listened to my daughter who explained her symptoms, asked relevant questions and gave her a thorough exam during the intake. She arranged to expedite a sleep study for the next night and following day (Thursday night/​Friday) and the sleep lab expedited a report over the weekend. Dr. Chang saw my daughter again on Monday, diagnosed her, and prescribed medication. Kristina helped tremendously in getting a prior authorization for medication. I feel like my daughter is receiving the best possible care and has a really great chance to jump back into her life as seamlessly as possible.

Dr. Chang is great! She is current and up to date on the lastest migraine research and treatments. Other doctors don’t have a clue about how to treat migraines. I love that she listens to me and my concerns. If one medication/​treatment is not effective, she has plenty of other suggestions. FYI, she does not take insurance.

dr. chang is unbelievably good. i went in suffering from severe clusters and she was relentless in trying different things until she came up with a solution that has allowed me to go from 4 – 5 clusters a day to 1 for this past week. i can’t thank her enough and her professionalism is of the highest caliber

I was referred to Dr Chang by my friend who is an orthopedic surgeon, after suffering from a series of excruciating and debilitating headaches. As a dentist, I wanted to go to someone who really understood pain and headaches. After being misdiagnosed by a few doctors, Dr Chang was the only one who able to diagnose my tension headaches. She put me on a medication regimen that worked wonders and alleviated the pain. I found her to be so personable, intelligent and thorough. I almost wish I had more friends that suffered from chronic pain because then i could introduce them to the woman who rescued me from my misery. As someone who has seen MANY doctors in the Los Angeles area, I can honestly say Dr Chang is the best doctor i have ever seen. I highly recommend her to anyone with a neurological or chronic pain disorder.

It would be hard to describe the respect and appreciation I have for Dr. Chang. Pain is a difficult thing to diagnose and deal with so the other reviewer here may have had a singularly bad experience but mine was the polar opposite.
Dr. Chang was recommended to me by an endodontist (Dr. Thomas Rauth, also terrific) to help diagnose a pain in my upper jaw that was excruciating and persistent. She figured it out immediately and had an MRI take to validate her diagnosis, which turned out to be spot-​on. She then prescribed a medication that had an immediate, profound effect — essentially eliminating the pain that I had been experiencing for months in less than a day — and I have been virtually pain-​free since my first visit.
Other people may have personal assistants or personal chefs. Who cares — I now feel like I’ve got my own personal miracle worker. She’s terrific and has a wonderful staff and lovely office as an added benefit. I’d recommend her to anyone without any hesitation whatsoever. Absolutely top-​notch care.