Famotidine for GERD User Reviews

• Caitie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 20, 2020

"So this drug is the worst! I DO NOT recommend it. The second I take it I notice issues swallowing, excessive mucous, and difficulty breathing to the point that I’ve been to the ER twice! I’m just glad I noticed it was from this as doctors do not realise over the counter drug can cause severe side effects. Other fun side effects listed under “rare” that I had are: chills, anxiety, trouble sleeping, hallucinations, irritability, restlessness, dizziness, weakness. This SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE MARKET ESPECIALLY AS AN OVER THE COUNTER DRUG."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2020

"Just began taking Famotidine for the first time as omeprazole made me sick. So on this I notice I feel bloated after 12 hours of taking it even though at first it got rid of my acid reflux within like 15 mins. However I woke up almost in a panic feeling like I was gonna have a heart attack, I was burping excessively to the point my stomach feels in knots, I can't sleep a full 8 hours. I wake up like every 2 hours or can't even go back to sleep at all and I work night shift. I even feel like my muscles wanna just spasm out of control. And I feel like my heart beat is irregular right now too, it's crazy to think a drug can do this. Much like someone else said here I'd rather have the acid reflux as this is torture; who would ever make a drug like this. What ever happened to safety, this stuff is not safe, but DR. has determined this will do more good then cause you harm. THAT'S A LIE. Done with these trash pharmaceuticals companies drugs I'm gonna try natural remedies."

• Debbie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2020

"This famotidine is the worse medication I have ever taken. I feel so much worse taking this medication than not. Headaches, chest tightening and anxiety I have never experienced. I will never use this stuff ever again. The side effects are too much to bear. I felt so alone before I read the other reviews."

• AvaHe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2020

"I was prescribed 20mg Famotidine for GERDS symptoms *dry cough & acid reflux * two times a day. Initially it was very helpful with the cough but I still had the reflux & it seemed to make me have to burp often. In addition, I have tightness in my chest now. I just completed my 3rd week on it & I have random sadness with some suicidal thoughts occurring. I have never had suicidal thoughts ever in my life! I researched side effects & apparently that is a rare one. I'm discontinuing use of the drug & looking into natural remedies."

• Chris...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 11, 2021

"Took Pepcid max strength for two months due to really bad heartburn and inflammation of the stomach. I want to tell people this is the worst medication. I’ve been through 8 months of sheer hell after stopping and am still recovering. I’ve had to be put on mood stabilizers. Didn’t sleep for nearly a week straight, anxiety, derealization, intrusive thoughts and impending doom with panic. Please don’t ever take this medication it is pure awfulness in a pill."

• robbie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2020

"I had to take Famotidine as no Ranitidine is available. Famotidine is a horrible drug, pains in rib cage, back horrific. I have now stopped and am looking for alternatives, I would never take this again."

• Medsr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2020

"Took this medicine for GERD, After 1 week I started getting constipation, anxiety, heart palpitations, and muscle weakness, dizziness, and nausea. I felt bloated all the time and I couldn’t eat. I wouldn’t recommend to anyone."

• jewels
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2020

"I have been on omeprazole for about a year and prior to that, pantoprozale because of ibuprofen therapy which caused stomach problems. Doctor said a PPI is necessary. Well, recently the side effects increased on omeprazole and I encountered trapped gas throughout my ribs, intestine and bowels with excruciating pain. Omeprazole lists c diff as a side effect with sepsis and this had me scared. I got off it and am taking the famotidine before bed, 40mg. After one night, I slept with my ongoing meditation and woke up fantastic. The real test was eating, readjusted my food intake to smaller bites. Went all day with very little pain, slight bowel/stomach gurgling and passing the trapped gas. The famotidine allowed the muscles to relax enough for a proper movement. Took with food, saltine crackers and 6oz glass of water. It did make me sleepy but not overbearing. If pantoprozale and omeprazole aren't effective, I recommend famotidine because it works differently."

• THANK...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2021

"Thank you for all that have posted your experience with this drug. If there is any bad side effects to medications I will have them, so I read all of these before deciding to take this. I just threw my bottle in the garbage that was prescribed by my Gastro Dr, after reading these HORROR stories. It is so frustrating that these conventional medicine doctors just want to give you a band aid to try and cover up your symptoms (that rarely ever work) instead of getting to the root cause and healing your body. I suppose they are just not trained in this. I am now going the functional medicine route for my digestive issues and will never go back to them after 10 years of no resolve. Unfortunately most insurances do not cover this. Hope my posting helps others as well!"

• NBano
• November 8, 2020

"I have silent acid reflux meaning hardly ever heartburn but occasionally I do vomit into my throat. Nasty feeling!! My throat and tongue burn most of the time. DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE THIS??? It's ruining my life. I've been using Famotidine about a month at night only with very insignificant help from it. Help! I've tried Protonix-- horrible side effects. I take an anxiety now due to the anxious feelings of pain and something stuck in my throat. Had endoscopy, got treated for gastritis etc."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 21, 2021

"Had to call 111. Had terrible anxiety, panic attacks etc. Felt worse than I have ever felt in my life. Felt like I was dying. My head was all over the place, had no energy, couldn't concentrate. My doctor gave me Diazepam to help with panic attacks. I came off the Famatidine and after 3 days of torture I am starting to feel a little better. This medication should be withdrawn as soon as possible to stop anyone else going through the same drama!"

• Joe
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 26, 2020

"famotidine is awesome! I would highly recommend it. I have been using it for more than a year and recently I stopped it for 2 weeks and felt awful but not any worse than when I wasn't taking it several years ago. After restarting it I immediately felt better. It helps my GERD, heartburn, and I can breathe better (probably due to it being an H2 antihistamine) and it helps my anxiety. Overall, I would highly recommend it."

• Val
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 8, 2022

"I have been having reflux problems for 2 years. After gallbladder removal my GP started me on Famitodine!! My problem was getting worse but never thought it could be this drug, then I came across this site and all the patients that had been taking it , and I absolutely agree with you all this drug is awful!! Side effects of headaches, fatigue, constipation, depression and muscle spasm cramps. So to all of you that have suffered with this poisoning drug NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN. It is my first day stopping them so probably in for a rough ride not that I care as long as these get out my system they WANT BANNING!!!!!!"

• no...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 2, 2020

"I have possible GERD, definite excessive acid in stomach and I am furious that my GI dr prescribed this famotidine, considering most of the side effects are what I'm taking protonix for. I took two tablets within three days of each other. The first one made me almost instantly nauseous and constipated, along with excessive fatigue, feeling like I have the flu, and acid reflux. I tried it one more time two days ago and I have abdominal pain so bad I spend most of the day in bed crying. It can also elevate liver enzymes, I have MCAS and mine are already elevated. I feel like it is really damaging me and I'm going to the ER tomorrow because I don't know what else to do. This is the worst drug I have ever experienced."

• Deb
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 19, 2020

"Finally realized this med famotidine was causing me to wake up immediately after falling asleep, with my heart racing, caused extreme insomnia which I have never had at all. It did help reflux but I will never take it again."

• Jcano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 24, 2020

"I rather just have the heartburn than take famotidine. Half the side effects this med can cause that you see on this site, I got them! This medication made me weak, caused me muscle pain, gave me headaches and worsened my anxiety. My doctor is very good, but I'm disappointed he gave me this. I'll stick to Tums or something. Famo is a mess. Does more harm than good."

• Jay
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 17, 2021

"I have laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) symptoms and this drug truly helps all the symptoms every time I take it which is why I’m a bit disappointed that I don’t plan to take it anymore. The side effects it does to me are horrible, it’s honestly worse than the reflux itself! I get extreme anxiety, rapid heart-rate, and the cherry on top, muscle spasms. I have night time reflux so I used to take these at night, and one night I took one and I couldn’t sleep all night. I got anxiety from it + I would have these muscle spasms that felt like earthquakes. 10/10 for relieving acid-reflux symptoms, 0/10 for its side effects. It could be different for everyone so if you got no side effects, bravo. But look out for those extreme side effects because I felt like I was going to die due to the anxiety + muscle spasms it gave me."

• MarcusH
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 24, 2021

"Pepcid has made my GERD symptoms way way worse after taking it I feel under my left rib this pain that gets worse as you breathe in!! I’ve taken it at 11:30pm and it is now 3am and I’m still up!!! And still feeling a little bit of the pain. Will never ever ever ever take this stuff again this is the worse drug you can take and I suggest going the natural route. I only took it because I was having a little heartburn from something I ate for dinner but I wish I didn’t take it and just dealt with the heartburn because it would’ve been 100x easier than this."

• Matt
• April 30, 2020

"I had gotten over a cold and my lungs felt clogged. I had described the problem to my doctor on a virtual visit because it had been going on for 3 weeks. I had started taking allergy medicine a few days before, and my condition started clearing up, but wanted to check with my doctor either way. He said it was reflux and prescribed Famotidine to me. I had never had stomach problems before this. 1 took it for 10 days, and within a week, my stomach was twisted in knots and I got heartburn. The medicine seemed to create the problem that it was meant to stop. My lungs eventually cleared up, but I am left with reflux. Don’t take it."

• TD Si...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 28, 2023

"Started taking this medication about a month ago on and off to help with acid reflux. I started having insomnia, headaches, and numbness in my extremities. About two weeks in I had horrible anxiety, panic attacks, upset stomach, and ringing in my ears. Then about a week ago I took two in one day due to horrible stomach cramping. My life went to complete hell. That night the burning in my face and arms and legs started along with the worst anxiety and panic attacks I have ever had. I have not been able to get a full night's sleep in over a week. I had every symptom imaginable. I have been to the ER 3 times. Heart racing, blood pressure extremely high. I truly think that I am going to die. This poison should never be on the market. I am waiting for the symptoms to dissipate. If anyone can offer any advice on how long it takes for this to get out of my system I would greatly appreciate it."

• Flare...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 26, 2021

"When I initially was told to start on this by my doctor, I got really bad stomach aches and it didn't help my reflux. I developed horrible burping and my doctor told me to just take it twice a day instead of once. That didn't help so I stopped taking it. Burping never went away. Started taking it again recently because my reflux was acting up and I was desperate for relief. Sharp chest pains radiating to my back, severe shortness of breath (I get some with GERD but this is next level). I'm never taking this again"

• ItsMa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 19, 2022

"Picked up a bottle of OTC famotidine 20mg from the grocery store as I was experiencing intermittent heartburn. Took probably 5-6 times over the course of maybe 2-3 weeks. Then one day out of the blue I started feeling extremely fatigued and weak. A couple days after that my knees and feet got SORE, like some kind of crazy arthritis. I'm active and have never had these problems. This progressed to random nerve/joint/muscle pains all over. Around the same time the panic attacks hit hard. Over the next month I wound up with visits to urgent care, multiple visits to my GP, a rheumatologist, a neurologist, and an orthopedist. None of the physical exams, tests, bloodworks, MRI showed ANYTHING. I really thought I was going crazy. Finally stumbled across the reviews here and realized I had taken the famotidine within a day or so of all this starting. This stuff is poison, and none of my doctors had any clue. If not for this site, I'd still be going crazy thinking I was dying."

• Lrd
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 29, 2023

"I was taking 40 mg of this poison for about a year at bedtime as prescribed by my gastroenterologist. A few months ago, I decided to take 20 mg during the day and 40 mg at night as a preventative measure for GERD symptoms. Worst idea ever! I took the 40 mg pill, ate at a restaurant, felt like I was having a panic attack on the drive home, and vomited as soon as I got home. Then, the next weekend, I did the same thing and took 40 mg with food and 2 glasses of wine. I woke up in the middle of the night with a racing heart, shaking, nausea, and eventually projectile and continuous vomiting. It’s been a month now since I’ve stopped taking it and I still have residual anxiety. I have also been on Zoloft for years and my GI doctor knew this and still prescribed Famotidine to me even though serious heart issues can be a side affect of combining these 2 medications. I know I should’ve done my research on drug interactions but shouldn’t the doctor know this stuff too?? Never again!!"

• kaji
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2020

"First off let me just say this amotidine works for GERD, anyone who has GERD symptoms I took this for 5 days and it simmered down so much I barely have symptoms now. But I have anxiety and muscle twitching and I think muscle twitching is a reported side effect of this as well as waking you up as you fall asleep is another serious symptom this causes. To me it works but isn't worth the trouble ."

• Craig
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 18, 2021

"Took famotidine 20 mg/day for a few weeks back in September 2020. Had the worst side effects: Shooting pains in head, racing heart, chest pains, head pressure, burning skin on my arms, muscle spasms on my stomach and collar bone, stiff neck, stiff lower back, stomach issues, GI issues, fatigue. I had the worst feeling of anxiety coming from my stomach. I never knew what anxiety was until I had this experience. I never had problems sleeping before this. It felt like I was poisoned. Took me a week to realize it was the famotidine. I stopped it immediately. Some of the side effects gradually went away. I took magnesium and started b12 supplementation. Took zantac for years and never had any issues. Many people I spoke with said their side effects went away after 3-4 months. However, I am still dealing with many side effects a year later. If there is anyone who has any insight into this/recommend a doctor who has helped them through this I would greatly appreciate any help."