Sick ? Take a Z-pack

I have been a student at UCF since my freshman year. So for well over 4 years, I have called UCF my home. Although I try to lead a healthy lifestyle, living on a college campus means that everyone is exposed to various germs/illnesses throughout the year. As a result, I have found myself at the UCF health clinic on a number of occassions with various illnesses. However, I seem to always be prescribed a Z-pack, regardless of my illness.

Just recently, my friend Brittany had been sick for a few days. She was hesitant to go to the health clinic because she knew what medication would be prescribed for her. All of her friends, including myself, all had a little bet going to see if the physician would prescribe a z-pack to her. This was not her first time taking a z-pack and we all knew it would not be her last either ! Sure enough, after her appointment she called me to say that I was right, the UCF health clinic had yet again prescribed a z-pack to her.

Speaking from personal experience, there has only been one occassion that I went to the health clinic and was not prescribed a z-pack... and that was because I had pink eye. I have been to the health clinic at least 7 times over the years and every single time I have either walked out with a z-pack or nothing at all. Regardless of my symptoms, the z-pack seems to be the miracle/cure-all drug to the UCF physicians and I'm not the only one who feels the same way. Its almost a running joke among students on campus that the second you step into the health clinic, you are walking out with a z-pack. The main problem that I personally have with the z-pack is that it is ineffective ! Every time I go to the health clinic, I say that it is going to be my last time because I am always given a z-pack (like clock work), and when I finish the pack, I still have symptoms ! Every time ! Normally I end up browsing the walls at CVS, purchasing any medication that has my symptoms listed on the box and after a few days I begin to feel better. I'm beginning to believe that rest and time, not medication, is what ultimately cures my illness. The health clinic has turned me into a skeptic for all prescriptions.


I do not know the reasons behind the frequency of prescribing the z-pack to everyone at the health clinic. Perhaps the makers of z-pack have a deal with the UCF health clinic. Or the populairty of the z-pack has consumers requesting it more often. However, I believe that physicians have become lazy and prescribe the z-pack since it is the most adaptive medication for various symptoms. Instead of taking the time and getting to the root of the problem with the patient, these physicians are just writing the prescription and moving on to their next patient. If this is the case, with physicians being over-worked and lazy, should the physicians or the health clinic be held at fault ? Would it really take that much effort and time to move away from this practice and to actually listent to a patient's symptoms and prescribe them medication that is tailored to their illness ? I believe that the health clinic is falling short of their potential. Since it is hopefully their goal to keep the campus healthy, I would hope that they wouldn't want to have students hesitant to go to the health clinic because they know that they will be prescribed the z-pack. The health clinic needs to change the way in which they deal with student's health issues, rather than having students see it as a joke to go to the health clinic.