Famotidine for GERD User Reviews (Page 2)

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

"Picked up a bottle of OTC famotidine 20 mg 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 of 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, bloodwork, or MRI showed anything. I really thought I was going crazy. Finally, I 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."

• Anonymous
• September 20, 2022

"Pepcid is literally the spawn of Satan. I was prescribed Pepcid twice a day every day for acid reflux/sour mouth. I never felt WORSE in the following categories: one-sided headache/migraines, dizzy, weak, fatigued, depressed, anxious, panicked, crying episodes, joint pain, constipation, swallowing difficulties, chest pain, heart palpitations. I want to emphasize that I NEVER experienced such bad headaches, dizziness, weakness, and joint pain prior to taking Pepcid. I SOMETIMES experience crying episodes, constipation, and depression before/during my menstrual cycles. I took Pepcid even when I wasn't on my period, and I've ruled out those symptoms. The side effects were so bad to the point that I called out at my NEW job, and I really don't want to call out sick. It also does NOT help that I took Pepcid while on Lexapro. As for my acid reflux, there are no improvements in my sour mouth, but I'm not sure if I've been taking it for long enough. DO NOT TAKE THIS PILL!!!!!"

• Cor...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 22, 2021

"Stay away from this drug and let me tell you about my experience. I’ve suffered from acid reflux for a number of years. I went to a doctor and was prescribed this medication once daily. I was on it for roughly two years and never felt worse. Although it did help with my GERD, it ruined me in other ways. I had insomnia, anxiety, weight loss, etc. I could not put my finger on why I felt so lousy until I started to narrow down what could be going on. I then realized that the only medication that I was on was famotidine, so I decided to do my homework. After reading other horror story reviews about this drug, I decided to stop taking it and see if this was the cause of why I felt so crappy. Sure enough, it was the root cause. Shortly after going off of the famotidine, my anxiety was gone, I was sleeping soundly again, and I have put on 10 lbs in just two months. I have now been off of the famotidine for six months, and I’ve never felt better."

• Bri...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 8, 2023

"Was prescribed 40 mg daily, only took it as needed over the course of several years without much issue. Started to develop horrible anxiety in February 2023, which progressed into a whole suite of other symptoms as well, and none of these were ever things I struggled with before. I never really understood intense anxiety until this: significant loss of appetite (I dropped 20 pounds), heart palpitations, chest pain, sleep disruptions and stress dreams, tremors, difficulty thermoregulating, feeling cold, cold hands/feet, headaches, fatigue, depression, and others. I continued to take it for several weeks without pinpointing it as the cause of these issues. I stopped taking it in March, and I'm still experiencing some of these, although not as frequently or as intensely. I hope that I can make a full recovery like many others have written they did. In May 2023 I am still experiencing some anxiety and depression, cold hands/feet, and some lesser chest pain/palpitations. This drug is awful."

• don...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 20, 2022

"Shortly after starting this drug for GERD, I developed fascia pain superficial to my muscles. I did not make the correlation to the drug. For the span of a year, the pain progressed to severe muscle cramping, joint and bone pain, stomach cramping, anxiety (related to symptoms), insomnia. After 2 emergency visits, 2 urgent care visits, 3 MRIs, EMG testing, neuro, GI, extensive physical therapy, and several visits to my doctor, a different practitioner said it was the famotidine causing malabsorption. I went off the drug and asked for a bone density scan. The result was osteoporosis, and a dentist appointment showed bone loss to my teeth not there 6 months prior. Additionally, I run a fitness business and should not have developed osteoporosis. Doctors denied that it was the drug that caused bone loss and said one year is not long-term use, despite the warning to not take the drug for longer than 2 weeks. Systemic pain dissipated upon ceasing the medication, bone damage permanent."

• Duk...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 26, 2019

Famotidine "I had been taking Ranitidine (300 mg twice a day), but after that was recalled, I tried Pepcid Complete. It seemed to work for a month or so, taking one in the morning and one in the evening. But then the acid reflux continued to be a problem, so I am here looking at other drug reviews. On the Pepcid website, it states: PEPCID® products are not indicated for the treatment of GERD. I am going to try my luck with Prilosec OTC, based on the reviews that I found on this site."

• Ree...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 12, 2022

"Best used very short term, I'm talking about a week MAX. This stuff loses efficacy very quickly, and after that point, the side effects will take over. In one month of on-and-off use, this drug has given me anxiety and irregular heartbeat and stopped working for treating acid reflux/esophagitis. Get off of it while you still can because this will make you very ill in the long run."

• Den...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 28, 2018

"Awful! Took this med for 5-6 weeks, explosive diarrhea and unable to control urinating. My throat often closed up when I tried to eat. Had to sleep sitting up; otherwise, I was awakened by insistent coughing, unable to get my breath several times each night. Dr didn’t believe this was the reason for all my symptoms till I took in information from Rx side effects."

• Ren...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 2, 2022

"I came off this drug because my stomach was getting worse and all the side effects that come with it: constipation, bloated stomach, aching throughout my body, fatigue was so bad I can hardly walk. My doctor told me I needed to take them to protect my stomach (she was wrong). I’m no doctor but I know my body!! This drug has made me feel so ill it wants banning. They might as well tell you to keep giving yourself a dose of poison every day. Never, ever, ever, ever again. Do not take this, it is absolutely horrendous."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2022

"I always have famotidine in the house and have taken one now and then for stomach acid. However, after experiencing a reflux attack one night, I decided to take one a day to see if that helped. I don't know if it helped, could only stay on it 3 days. I was suffering so badly with my stomach and anxiety. I became very anxious and started to have what I thought were heart palpitations and almost constant heavy burping. The palpitations I believe weren't the heart though, it seemed to be generating from the esophagus where it joins the stomach, and it felt like spasms that would not stop. Three days of this misery, and the only thing different that I was doing was taking this medicine. Once I saw the side effects, I immediately stopped, and the symptoms became less and less, but it took a few days to get back to normal. I will never take this stuff again. Please be aware of all these symptoms if you try it so you can recognize these side effects. Do not recommend."

• Fel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2021

"I waited until the evening to take this the first time. I already take Rabeprazole, which hadn’t been effective lately, so my GP told me to take 20 mg alongside my regular medication. After taking this, I began to feel sick within the first hour, which progressively got worse during the night - I didn’t actually vomit, but it felt close. I got pains in my chest, a strange sensation in my throat, a headache, and terrible anxiety. It also didn’t stop the heartburn discomfort. Didn’t sleep much. The following day, my anxiety was still bad, heartburn was awful to the point I only managed to eat two slices of toast the entire day, and the throat feeling wouldn’t go away (like something was stuck in my throat). I also got strange chest pains like my heart was skipping or something. I had had a few okay days prior to taking this medication and feel like I have ruined any progress I was making. The anxiety that this is causing is ridiculous. I would tell anyone never to touch this stuff."

• Won...
• September 4, 2020

"My doctor switched me to famotidine 6 weeks ago. Since that time, I have had a cough, shortness of breath, and uncontrollable itching. I made an appointment with my PC because of the symptoms I was experiencing. Afterward, I started to think back to changes made within the last 6 weeks and remembered starting a new reflux medication. While researching famotidine side effects, all of the current symptoms were listed. Worst of all, hives was a symptom. I will stop taking it immediately."

• Bea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 9, 2021

"Took this medicine for GERD. After 1 week, I started getting anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, muscle weakness, dizziness, and nausea. I felt bloated all the time, and I couldn’t eat. When the insomnia symptoms escalated, like I’d drank a pot of coffee, it was intensely scary. Even 24 hours after my last dose, I still don’t feel well. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone."

• Con...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 21, 2021

"Doctor prescribed this medication to me for my acid reflux burning sensation in my stomach. Two days into this medication, I started to feel bloated, no appetite, burping for no reason, can't even use the restroom, urine is dark, dry mouth, headaches, and back pain. I am more worried about all the side effects than I was with my stomach burning. Now I am trying to call a doctor to check how long this pill leaves your system. Never taking this medication. Home remedies are the best."

• Lad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 11, 2022

"After about a week on famotidine, I didn't really notice where it was helping me with the heartburn that I had. I had to supplement the famotidine with over-the-counter antacids like Pepto-Bismol or a bicarbonate tablet. But I would say about five or six days into taking famotidine, I started to have palpitations and feelings of discomfort in my chest, and then with that came feelings of anxiety and other symptoms like my muscles hurting, sides, and my back hurting, feeling like my kidneys are hurting, just all. I started to have slight headaches for no reason, and I drink a lot of water per day. I do not recommend H2 blockers and PPIs because just tweaking your diet can actually help your digestive tract a lot better than swallowing this garbage that actually damages your stomach and your intestines in the long run. I would not recommend famotidine to take longer than a week, and I have noticed in some of these reviews people have been on this medicine for a year-wow, I can't do it!"

• Anonymous
• January 4, 2009

"I was a huge Tums eater with little success. At night, while lying down, I'd have the acid come up all the way to my nose - quite a burning, nasty sensation. It would appear that this little 20 mg pill makes ALL the difference. I take it about an hour before my evening meal. So far, it has performed incredibly well - I've not had any GERD (acid reflux) even after a 4-taco dinner with heavy onions and salsa, plus 3 beers."

• Bil...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 5, 2024

"I've been taking Famotidine for several years for GERD. It started with 40mg 2x daily, and after several months, I went to 2x 20mg. When taking 2x 20mg, I was splitting the 40mg pills, which are white with Z41 printed on them. They work well at reducing acid and got rid of my throat burning issues without any notable side effects, except maybe my anxiety was sometimes a little worse. Recently, the pharmacist didn't have the Z41 40mg pill and instead gave me a 20mg yellow coated pill with C 119 printed on them. These are terrible, it's like they're not even working at all, and my anxiety went through the roof (probably from all the acid reflux). I'm just curious how many negative reviews are based on this 20mg version. It's also curious that the C 119 20mg is now listed as Discontinued in the NDC directory. Steer clear from this one, get the Z41 40mg version if you can and split it for 20mg if that's the dose you're prescribed, or at least make sure it's another 20mg pill (Not C 119)."

• Ala...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 29, 2025

"As someone who has always had issues with sleep, I noticed in the past month or so that taking this medication my sleep condition got really bad, even though the drug had helped stomach issues. Constipation, bad flatulence, and terrible insomnia. The drug is working, but struggling to deal with the lack of sleep. As one user said, it’s like being on speed or something, then trying to sleep. Not great."

• Mom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 2, 2021

"I haven’t slept in 2 days due to my 7-week-old hitting the 1-week mark with this medication in her system. I truly felt like she was going to die. I couldn’t figure it out. I would have never thought in a million years it was this until all of the symptoms matched with hers, and I give her CLEAN breast milk. I stopped the medicine immediately, and the next day I had a whole new baby. She couldn’t sleep longer than 20 minutes at a time. Intense rubbing of her mouth, so I thought she was getting a tooth or something! Crying like I’ve never heard before. Absolutely terrifying. She stopped smiling the last couple of days she was on it. Today she’s back to her smiley self. Oh, and she’s insanely constipated. Now you know! Stay away."

• cou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 15, 2022

"I took 10 mg of famotidine twice a day for severe GERD. I had stomach and chest pressure, shortness of breath, anxiety, burning, belching, nausea, and throbbing. It was enough for me to end up in the ER. The famotidine helped my symptoms after the first dose, but by the second day, I felt like I was losing my mind. I felt like my brain wasn't mine, I felt weird and detached. I was having panic attacks, I felt agitated, shortness of breath, and like I couldn't really speak. I felt really scared of my own mind. Turns out it's some of the 'rare' side effects. Super helpful for my symptoms, but not worth these horrendous side effects."

• Flo...
• April 15, 2020

Famotidine "I got so stressed with this Covid stuff, and when very stressed, I succumb to overeating, eating and spitting. It went on for a week, and oh my gosh, after a week, the heartburn was crippling. One Pepcid pill quieted things down. It's been 1 hour, and all is still in there, thank goodness."

• SKE...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 19, 2013

"So far, famotidine is working great for my chronic GERD, acid reflux. I also made life-changing eating habits and added even more exercise to my routine, but I still have this condition. Also, need to eat more frequently, every 2-3 hours, small snacks and meals really help. I usually take one of these when I feel it coming on, usually in between meals, and it quickly calms it. I only take one a day, and then if I feel it at night after dinner or right before bed, I take 150 mg Zantac (ranitidine). I try to limit to only ONE 20 mg famotidine and ONE 150 mg Zantac a day. Seems to work quite well. Too much of any PPI or H2 blockers, and you can reverse the process of what you're trying to achieve. I only take a couple of Tums when in desperate need."

• Abb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 30, 2022

"I had the worst experience of my life this morning. I was given this horrendous drug yesterday and took one last night. I woke this morning and literally couldn't breathe. Couldn't even talk. Had to rush to A&E. Oxygen levels were low, had to have an ECG and was put on a nebulizer. OMG, this drug is going to kill someone. Please be careful. Scared me to death and still wheezy."

• Car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 6, 2021

"Took it for four days for acid reflux, which it fixed. Suddenly felt high anxiety, palpitations, and insomnia on the fourth day. I stopped taking it, and my normal sleep schedule returned at first. Now I'm experiencing insomnia and palpitations the day after I exercise. It's been almost two weeks since I stopped. I'm hoping this goes away soon. It's misery, and I'll never take this drug again."

• bot...
• March 2, 2021

"I was on 40 mg twice a day for 2 weeks. Side effects, day 5 my skin was hot and felt like I got hives, this lasted for a few days and I reduced the amount to 20 mg in the morning and 40 mg in the evening. Which helped the issue and went away from day 10. Sometimes I get a headache and slight pain around the eyes. Apart from that, no side effects. I read it lasts around 12 hours in my body. I found 20 mg lasts around 10 hours and 40 mg lasts around 14 hours in my body. I made sure to space the dosage out between 12-hour periods. Also drank lots of water, the medicine comes out of your body through your kidneys. I read people with kidney issues might have problems with this medicine. For me, this medicine worked okay. I had problems with 40 mg on omeprazole and lansoprazole, it gave me pins and needles in my fingers and pain in my wrists that went on for 6 months after stopping that medicine, whereas famotidine gave me no problem in my hands."