@roba7 in what way is my situation uncommon? Frequency of afib or ability to know when it is happening? The original post asked about blood thinners for "occasional" (paroxysmal) afib, by someone who had gone a year without any afib.

A doctor using the CHADS score alone prescribed an anticoagulant for me 10 years ago and I declined. Another doctor told me to "just go home and forget it happened." I was happy to find an individualized approach and understand it does not apply to everyone.

Anticoagulants bring risks of bleeding. I believe my mother's vascular dementia was worsened by Coumadin. Afib brings risk of stroke. It is a matter of risk vs benefit and which brings the higher risk. The CHADS score simplifies what is actually a quite complicated decision.

Surely doctors face less liability when following the CHADS protocol than when they don't prescribe. For me, that is a problem. For many, it is not.