Treating symptoms and not the disease...heart arrhythmias

Posted , 1 user is following.

I went to a cardiologist with complaints of a noticeable arrhythmia upon exercise like brisk walking. After the usual exam and a EKG the doctor prescribed a beta blocker which effectively slowed my heart rate and without going into too much detail my heart slowed to a very low rate so I was instructed to split the dosage in 1/2 and take it twice a day rather than the full dose once a day. My concern is that he is treating the symptoms rather than the disease. He also prescribed a blood thinner Eliquis. The treatment has caused a general improvement but I get a sense that he is treating the symptom instead of possibly the disease. There can be many causes for arrhythmias and I feel that he should be exploring these further. Suppose I have Ischemic heart disease. What has he done to discover this? How can I explain that the meds he has put me on may simply mask some pathology that I might have. I have seen his associate as well who simply reviewed my chart and agreed with the treatment. I am a 72 year old male and I want to know what is causing my irregular heart beat upon exercise. It's hard to approach a doctor and say, "give me the proper test to make sure my issues are not related to blockages. A friend was given a stress test and then told his doctor "why do people get stress tests and then wind up with a heart attack days or weeks later. His doctor then explained that the stress test will only discover blockages exceeding 65% so he offered my friend an angiogram which is the acid test for non-electrical heart disease. He passed his angiogram with flying colors so blockages were ruled out as a cause which gave my friend peace of mind and allowed him to cope with his arrhymias and thus reduced his anxiety to the point where he no longer needed meds. I suppose I am asking why the medical community does not in my opinion adequately investigate causes but instead treat symptoms. Any suggestions or comments greatly appreciated.

0 likes, 0 replies

0 Replies

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.