Dealing with side effects from blood pressure medication your medical clinic prescribed you after a screening

So after your most recent blood pressure screening your doctor diagnosed you with hypertension, or, high blood pressure.  Because hypertension is for the most part an asymptomatic disease, you probably have never experienced any discomfort or side effects from it. But to treat this symptomless disease that you never noticed you now need to start a medication treatment that will most likely bear noticeable side effects.

Try not to let this knowledge frustrate you. Many people who have high blood pressure take medication for it and do not experience life changing side effects. Your doctor at the medical clinic you visited hopefully went over the type of medication you will be on, and from there went over the possible side effects and ways to cope with them.  However, if you’re looking for more advice here are some important things you should know about side effects from medications and ways to deal with them.

Many Side Effects Lesson Over Time
Our bodies are capable of getting used to foreign substances over time. After the initial shock, our body will tend to calm down and handle the added stress this medication causes. If your prescription causes stomach problems or headache, for example, this will typically subside within two weeks.

Diet or Other Medicines Can Counter Side Effects
There are many ways to help your body deal with side effects. Increasing the amount of fiber in your diet, for example, will help your body deal with constipation caused by certain blood pressure medications. Also, many antihypertensives can cause issues with your sexual performance, but there are plenty of safe medications that will not only counter this side effect, but improve your sex life in general!

You Can Manage Your Side Effects On Your Own
Not everyone needs to change their diet or pile on more medications to deal with side effects; there are daily tricks that may help you cope with symptoms. For example, what time of day or how you take your medication can influence how it affects your daily life. If the drug causes sleepiness, take it right before you go to bed. If it causes a stomach ache, be sure to take it with plenty of food and water.

Taking Your Medication Correctly Will Lesson Your Risk of Side Effects
You can bring on side effects by not taking your medication at the same time every day, by missing doses, or by taking the wrong amount. If you maintain a predictable routine your body will have an easier time managing the drug.

Don’t Keep Your Side Effects to Yourself
Always let your internist NYC know about what side effects you are experiencing from the medication. Not only will he or she offer advice on how to cope with them, but these symptoms may be clues about something else going wrong inside of you. Many people must experiment with different medications until they find the right dosage and the right kind of therapy. 

If you’re struggling with your prescription and want a trusted doctor in NYC to speak with about it, visit Dr. Slava Fuzayloff’s urgent care clinic. He has a great reputation as a caring and concerned physician. After a quick blood pressure check he patiently goes over symptoms and complications due to medications with his patients.  Log onto to his website urgent care NYC to make an appointment or call 212-696-5900 today.  No question is ever too obvious or unimportant; if you are uncomfortable with side effects and don’t know what to do, ask Dr. Fuzayloff. 

Driver’s Physical Exam—What, When, Where?

It’s been over a century since the first cars hit the streets across the Europe and the United States, and technology has undeniably come a long way from those first automobiles.  Now cars, trucks and buses are an integral part of our transportation system and economy, delivering people and goods across continents with greater comfort and speed than ever before. Still, with such great volume comes danger; in 2010, 32,885 people died in traffic crashes in the United States. It is obvious then, that the Department of Transportation would want to prevent as many accidents as possible, and one of the best ways to do it is to make sure that drivers, particularly of large vehicles, are in tip-top shape before hitting the road.  Enter the DOT physical exam, a prerequisite for certification of commercial drivers. Here’s what’s required:

A Department of Transportation (DOT) physical examination is required to obtain certain types of commercial driver’s licenses.  People who operate a commercial vehicle with a combination weight rating over 10,000 pounds, drivers operating a vehicle transporting sixteen or more passengers, and drivers operating vehicles for the transportation of hazardous materials all need to have a physical as a component of their DOT certification.

The Department of Transportation uses standardized forms to be filled out by a physician as proof of a physical exam, so it’s important that you print out the paperwork and bring it with you to your exam appointment. Additionally, the DOT form has a medical history section to be filled out by the patient prior to examination.  The medical history questionnaire addresses health issues like past injuries and diseases, psychological disorders, hearing or vision problems, and other undiagnosed symptoms like dizziness or lower back pain, that could affect your ability to operate a vehicle safely. Be prepared to discuss the information with your walk in clinic doctor in NYC during the exam.

After you discuss your medical history with the doctor, he or she will perform vision and hearing tests. If you wear glasses or hearing aids you should use them during the tests. You must still be able to fulfill the requirements of the examination with your aids, though, so don’t forget to bring your glasses to your appointment! For the vision exam, a driver must have vision in both eyes, must be able to read traffic signs, and must not be colorblind.  For the hearing test, a driver must be able to hear a forced whisper at a distance of five feet or greater. If you pass the vision and hearing tests, the doctor will continue the examination with a routine physical, listening to the heart and lungs, and checking your blood pressure.  The results of your blood pressure test can directly affect the length of your certification, as blood pressure is an important indicator of heart and vascular health.  Patients with a blood pressure level over 140 mmHg can only be certified for one year; those with a pressure level greater than 160 can only be issued a three or six-month certification.  A urine test to check for illicit substances and kidney health is also a routine part of the DOT physical examination.

Assuming everything goes well, a DOT physical examination certification lasts for two years before it must be renewed. But the doctor can also issue a shorter certification with reservations.  The doctor can determine how long the certification is good for (usually three months, six months, or a year) before the driver must return to be evaluated due to a medical condition that must be monitored; the doctor must specify the specific condition on the certification form.

If you’re in New York City and need to get DOT physical exam in NYC, you can get same-day certification at the Physical Exam Center of New York.  At Physical Exam Center NYC, you can get your driver’s physical exam at an appointment time convenient for you, right in midtown Manhattan, with affordable rates, even if you don’t have insurance. Get cleared for safety, log onto Urgent Care New York and get in the driver’s seat by calling (212) 686-5900 today!