Culture, Daily Living, & Adjustment

Hello,

This is my first post on the site and I've found a lot of objective, interesting information. I love how you guys are unafraid to explore both the pros and cons of teaching ESL in China. It's clear I have a lot of reading and reflecting to do!

Aside from having mild hypertension, I'm a very healthy male in my mid 20s. As long as I take my daily medication, I experience no symptoms whatsoever and I'm in excellent health. I exercise regularly and eat a sodium-restricted, nutritious diet. With that being said, I wouldn't consider teaching ESL anywhere that I couldn't get my blood pressure meds refilled.

Does anyone have experience with getting medication regularly in China? Would it be feasible/possible? The only information that I was able to find suggested living in urban areas with international clinics (since I don't speak Mandarin, not yet anyway).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hypertension is no less common in mainland China than it is in our respective Western countries. Consequently, you won’t have any difficulty finding all the classifications of medications used back home in China for the treatment of hypertension.

In smaller cities (second and third tier), you may have trouble finding a specific medication within a particular classification but can (almost always) find a substitute within the same classification. For example, if your doctor has you taking Avapro (Irbesartan, a commonly prescribed ARB, Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker), you may have trouble finding that in a given second-tier city but will have no trouble finding Diovan (Valsartan, another commonly prescribed ARB)… or vice versa. Generally speaking, there are no negative consequences to switching to a different hypertensive medication within the same classification of drugs.

One way or the other, you will be able to successfully treat your hypertension in China. Concerns over the availability of anti-hypertensive medications should not dissuade you from teaching English in China.

Thank you very much for your reply Dr. Greg. I clearly have a lot more to consider before I make a decision and have plenty of time to do so (still in college at the moment). Your advice and Guide are much appreciated.