Ranitidine for GERD User Reviews

• Bonzoe
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 31, 2013

Zantac (ranitidine) "I have extreme acid reflux for about 2 years now. I wake up in the early mornings feeling extremely nauseous, like I'm one second from throwing up every single day. I also go to bed every night with burning acid coming up into the back of my throat, making my throat sore like I swallowed glass every day. I get this feeling constantly - sour stomach and nauseous 24/7. It's horrible and made me miserable. I would eat 'Tums 1000' by the bulk bottles. They worked in the beginning but then stopped working. I was in Meijer one day looking for something else for my sour nauseous stomach, and they had 'Zantac 150' 65-count bottle on sale for $9.99. So I reluctantly bought them and to my amazement, they actually did work. They completely took it away!"

• W4phm
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 7, 2013

Zantac (ranitidine) "Tired of taking Tums all the time with its limited efficacy and horrible aftertaste even hours later. I tried Zantac 150 over the counter. It takes longer to work than Rolaids or Tums or similar, about 30-60 minutes, but when it kicks in, it is as if the GERD or Heartburn never existed, it is great."

• Cleve...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 20, 2012

Zantac (ranitidine) "I have tried all of the proton pump inhibitors and had some reaction to each of them. Nexium worked well, but it is WAY expensive. Generic Prilosec (Omeprazole) was hit or miss. It actually gave me heart palpitations, so no more of that. Doc recommended I try Zantac 150 and it seems to work pretty good. I notice that it doesn't last 24 hours, so he recommended that I take 1 twice a day as needed. Have not noticed any side effects as of yet, so working pretty good."

• petluv
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 25, 2020

Zantac (ranitidine) "I have severe GERD and have tried every medication I can think of. PPIs Tagamet, which made me VERY constipated. The only one that works for me is Zantac 150 mg twice a day. I know about the recall, but I really think it is much to do about nothing since the chemical NDMA they are talking about is found in our food and water. I am not sure what I am going to do since I am unable to take anything else that gives me relief. I have been taking Zantac for over 20 years with no side effects."

• Genna...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 3, 2017

Zantac (ranitidine) "22-year-old with horrible and frightening nocturnal panic attacks 2-3 hours after falling asleep every night. Waking up in a confused state with vivid images making no sense, yet feeling a need to act on them before realizing the situation wasn't real. Researched on my own and discovered a definite correlation between ranitidine and panic attacks. Stopped taking Zantac 3 weeks ago and have not experienced a panic attack since. Feel like I was reborn. Ridiculous drug with far too many untold or unknown side effects. Stay away from this. After asking different psychiatrists, only half knew Zantac can cause or worsen panic/anxiety."

• Homeb...
• October 19, 2009

Zantac (ranitidine) "Zantac 150 works very well for my GERD. I take one pill at bedtime with water. What I didn't realize was that my constant throat clearing was also related to GERD and not some pulmonary problem. Zantac cleared up my constant throat clearing, which was even more of an advantage than clearing up my GERD."

• AntiZ...
• May 2, 2017

Zantac (ranitidine) "***Zantac causes panic attacks***. I was prescribed Zantac regularly (1-2x daily) for acid reflux. I developed notably worsened anxiety and nocturnal panic attacks, where I would wake up almost every night 2-3 hours after falling asleep with episodes of vivid, nonsensical, dream-like episodes lasting 2-3 hours. I would have a hard time figuring out simple things like how to open my door or plug in my phone charger to call home. I would keep my parents on the phone for 2-3 hours asking them to come get me for no reason, even when I had work the next morning. I was constantly confused and dizzy even during the day, and it began significantly affecting my work performance. I did research on my own and found out Zantac can cause all of the above. I contacted my psychiatrist, who did not know I was on Zantac, and they told me Zantac can do this and has had several patients experience this. Since I stopped taking Zantac, I have slept full nights with no episodes and minimal to no anxiety. I have never had any experience like this prior to being on Zantac. I would never recommend anyone take Zantac."

• McRoc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 4, 2015

Zantac (ranitidine) "I had bad, wheezy coughing and doctors thought it might be COPD. Then, on a hunch, my great doctor thought the coughing might be due to my GERD so she suggested Zantac 150 twice a day. What a difference! I still need an inhaler, but my cough is otherwise gone... and it was REALLY bad for months (even with inhalers). Been on Zantac for about 2 weeks - no discernible side effects."

• Anonymous
• May 29, 2009

Zantac (ranitidine) "I love this medicine. I have the worst acid reflux, indigestion, and nothing ever works. I've used so many other things but the only thing I have found that actually works is Zantac 150. I call it my miracle pill."

• katlo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 15, 2014

Zantac (ranitidine) "I am taking prescription Zantac 150 and not sure if there's a difference to the over-the-counter one, but I love this medication. I had missed a week of work from throwing up every little thing, even a sip of water, and would be stuck there for over 30 minutes. I had previously been sick almost every morning and occasionally during the day but always felt nausea and heartburn. I have taken Zantac 150 with prescription meclizine 25 mg and was feeling better the next day. I still get sick from time to time and feel like I lose a week's worth of food, but it isn't every day, and nausea and heartburn got less aggressive. Haven't had any side effects. Totally recommend to anyone having stomach issues."

• Connie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 15, 2018

"It's 2:05 a.m. I'm tired, but I do not want to go to sleep. I fell asleep, and 30 minutes later, getting up to go to the bathroom, I realized my body was pulsing a lot more. I have started having panic attacks, but it's been 2 months. And I have taken Zantac before, so the fact that as soon as they prescribed me Zantac again, I start having panic attacks out of my sleep, I wonder if when I was taking it before, if that was the reason I was having them a lot more often, because tonight was so uncomfortable. I fell asleep fine, but woke up dizzy, nauseous, shaky, heart racing, mouth, tongue, and throat feeling swollen. Everybody's body reacts differently, I see. But some have the same symptoms as me."

• Emmaann
• March 14, 2009

Zantac (ranitidine) "I was put on this a long time ago. It says it has an interaction with the absorption of Cymbalta, but I really haven't had that problem, that I know of. I have been told to take one in the morning and one in the evening because my GERD is horrible. My son had to start taking them before bed each night for the same reason. I think his could be worse. He was told to start taking them when he was 11, he is now 18. I give Zantac 150 a grade of 120%. It works."

• tim...
• February 11, 2015

"My experience with this medication has been great. Until today. This medication will make you test positive for amphetamines or methamphetamines. Today I went to take a blood test for a job. I FAILED for methamphetamines. I didn't get the job, obviously. I found out about this by Googling every medication I take, and ranitidine is known to cause false positives for methamphetamine. Users of this medication beware."

• Anonymous
• February 27, 2012

Zantac (ranitidine) "I swapped to Zantac after Nexium, which did not work well for me. Zantac has been great; I am not having any trouble sleeping, the symptoms of reflux have gone, and I have my energy and concentration back. It is so much better than Nexium, one third of the cost, and available without a prescription."

• Mvir
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 3, 2018

Zantac (ranitidine) "I don't even know where to start. I have never felt more miserable on a drug in my life. Before taking it, I had suddenly been losing a ton of weight and having issues sleeping at night due to waking up cold, shaky, and ill-feeling. An urgent care doctor mentioned that I probably have gastritis, and this was given to me. I am currently about three days in, and I can't do it anymore. This morning, after taking my morning dose, I found myself almost immediately hit with incredible weakness, nausea, headache, and what must be a panic attack. It's horrible. This drug makes me feel like I'm going to fall asleep, but the second I close my eyes, it feels like I'm on a roller coaster and I start having unpleasant sounds and visions go through my head. I have actually found myself practically unable to eat most of the time while taking this, even less than I was previously able to without it."

• maras...
• May 7, 2017

Zantac (ranitidine) "My acid reflux has been so bad that I thought it was bile reflux. My mouth was sour all the time; my stomach was bloated all the time; I just felt sick. I tried half a dozen different things, including GasX, Prilosec, Gaviscon, and others. None of them helped. I tried Zantac three days ago and have been taking two a day ever since, and my symptoms are gone. Alka-Seltzer gives me some immediate relief, and I've been taking Alka-Seltzer all my adult life, but Zantac just clears up the whole sour mess that has made my life miserable."

• ezcure
• August 7, 2016

"Zantac worked somewhat with my chronic reflux, but what really worked was the 30 lb weight loss and the omission of pop. Also, I decreased my coffee intake by half, and I have one tablespoon of baking soda in a glass of water every morning to raise the pH in my stomach. It's not good to rely on acid reducers and proton pump inhibitors, as over time you become deficient in many vitamins. They stop an enzyme in your stomach needed to absorb B12 from food, as an example, and over time you will become anemic. This happened to me after years of taking Protonix and not knowing why I was tired all the time. Finally, I had a naturopathic doctor have blood work done and found this out. Took 6 weeks of B12 injections to get back to normal and lost 30 lbs."

• Mama...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 12, 2018

Zantac (ranitidine) "I get heartburn and acid reflux so bad it feels like I can’t breathe. This is the only medicine that works for me. I get relief in about 30 minutes. I have been taking this medicine frequently for the last 15 years with none of the side effects others have described. I do not go anywhere without this medicine - no exaggeration - I have a bottle in my car, my purse, my desk at work, my bathroom, and kitchen. It is a lifesaver for me."

• Beatnik
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 26, 2015

Zantac (ranitidine) "Had pain in my stomach about 20 to 30 minutes after eating for the last 3 years. Was not taking any medications for my stomach, but my husband was taking Zantac, so one day I asked him if it would help me. He didn't know, so I looked it up and found it helped a lot of conditions similar to mine. I realize I need an endoscopy, but until I can make an appointment, Zantac is helping me a lot, and I'm not suffering the continuous 24-hour pain that it had gotten to be over the last 6 months. Wish I had not waited so long to inquire about this medicine."

• Pregn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 20, 2015

Zantac (ranitidine) "My pregnancy has brought on horrible acid reflux. I spend most of my days puking acid and being on fire. This occurs from not eating and eating. I've never experienced anything like this fire. I've tried Nexium, Tums, Maalox. None helped me. I bought Zantac just two days ago, and it's made a change. I still have to be very strict on timing and what brings on even harsher acid. Here are the Zantac steps that work for me. Eat and let the acid come on. I don't take it till my food has gone down a bit, maybe 30 mins after. It's hard to stand the sizzle, but if I take it too soon, I don't feel it. So I take it with a small amount of water at first. It's pretty intense but fast-working."

• BritTex
• March 3, 2009

Zantac (ranitidine) "This is just an amazing medicine. I started on this many years ago in the UK, and the relief it brought was just plain wonderful. After losing 120 lbs in weight, I found the medical condition pretty much went away, but with a lot of stress recently and putting 30 lbs back on, the reflux is back. So is the Zantac, thank goodness. Highly recommended medication which I have always kept handy (just in case)."

• Fireb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 21, 2017

Zantac (ranitidine) "Horrible side effects. My mouth and tongue swelled up. Difficulty swallowing, which is why the doctor prescribed it for me in the first place. He said it was a symptom of 'silent' acid reflux. Found a rash on my leg. Heart palpitations and massive stomach aches. Didn't do a thing for reflux or the belching and burping it was supposed to cure."

• SKET
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 19, 2013

Zantac (ranitidine) "Been using this now, doctor recommended last 3 months. I like the 150 mg cooling mint Zantac. I have exhausted all other options, I'm eating smaller, healthier meals every 2-3 hours and added even more exercise to my exercise plan, but still have the GERD. I take this usually right after my dinner and right before bed if needed. It works wonders. During the day, I take ONE 20 mg famotidine (Pepcid AC), usually in between my breakfast and lunch at work, and that gets me through until after dinner."

• MimiF...
• October 1, 2013

Zantac (ranitidine) "I was on Zantac for 6-8 months to treat my acid reflux. I was on it to train my stomach to produce less acid. It was great. No heartburn or flare-ups of the acid reflux. However, I did have reduced sex drive from it. When I was waiting for the prescription to be refilled, all the suppressed sex drive from months of medication would hit me all at one time. I also had horrendous withdrawal from it. That is until I got the prescription refilled. Now I have very few flare-ups. They went from making me vomit and lasting 3-5 days to maybe 1 day and making me a tad queasy. All in all, good medication if you can get past the side effects."

• JPB
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 12, 2012

Zantac (ranitidine) "Zantac worked wonders on me. I have taken this medicine for almost 4 years now. I used to not be able to eat. After I started this medicine, I was able to eat a lot more. This worked wonders on me. The other day, I took a Prevacid, and it didn't help at all. Also, this didn't work on me at first until my doctor put me on this 2X daily."