Famotidine User Reviews & Ratings (Page 2)

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

For GERD "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

For GERD "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."

• Eddie...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 16, 2021

For GERD "ppi gave me panic attacks all of them so I took this pathetic medicine famotidine for almost 2 months Daily. Initially I felt bloated, burping 24×7 ; burning in lower abdomen & very foul smelling flatus. I never had constipation but after starting famotidine I was badly constipated then it affected my mind gradually anxiety kicked in ; insomnia with twitching of thigh muscles ;I was anxious 24×7 with depressive & suicidal thoughts as if life is all sad & dark panic attacks as if I am having a heart attack & its all over. One day I skipped this med & that day I felt better and realised it was Famotidine ! So I stopped it & realised that my insomnia got better & my twitching of muscles stopped anxiety gradually lowered...my personal experience both ppi & famotidine sucks"

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

For GERD "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

For GERD "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."

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

For GERD "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!!"

• MIkae...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 1, 2015

For Allergic Urticaria "I took Zyrtec everyday for a month and saw zero improvement with my sudden outbreak of hives. Then I was advised to take double doses of Zyrtec AND Allegra. Only thing I got was sleepy. I've been taking Famotidine for three days. I saw almost immediate results. Today is day 3, and all my hives are gone. The itching is virtually gone. Even the dark spots the hives were leaving behind before seem to be fading. I haven't noticed any side effects except my extreme joy that something finally worked!"

• steph
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 13, 2023

For Peptic Ulcer "I have been through hell with this drug!! After many years of taking this off and on, I FINALLY realized that I was not crazy and was having side effects from this drug. I had gone to a psychiatrist and prescribed anti anxiety meds, anti depressants and eventually anti psychotics. I finally realized that it was ONLY when I took this "benign" drug. I had horrible anxiety and woke up constantly panicked. My resting heart rate increased by 30 beats per minute. If I got stressed or something startled me, my heart would pound with such force, I thought I would have a heart attack. I constantly felt like something was horribly wrong. I guess they call it the "feeling of impending doom." I would become so depressed that I just didn't see any reason to exist. And don't get me started on how terrible it was to be on the psych med roller coaster. I also had a difficult time digesting anything and a constant pit in my stomach and chest. It is a terrible DRUG! I take NO meds now!"

• Cheryl
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2021

For Laryngopharyngeal Reflux "If the manufacturer of your generic drug is Aurobindo Pharm beware! I know of more than one case of developing urgent diarrhea which turned into diarrhea with bright red blood. Now I have to get a colonoscopy to assess the damage this drug has caused after only taking 3.5 weeks. The adverse bowel movement symptoms developed after week 2, but the drug never helped my acid reflux symptoms. In other cases, patient had different drug manufacturer and the drug worked with no complications. I would like drugs.com to add name of manufacturer to the criteria for reviews as it definitely makes a difference!"

• Yahere
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 27, 2020

For Hiatal Hernia "Very bad experience with this drug famotidine. Almost instantly, I started having side effects very severe headaches, dizziness, and nausea. I also had very bad cramps that lead to diarrhea. Only minimally helps with GERD and acid reflux related diseases"

• Denise
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 28, 2018

For GERD "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; other wise I was awaken 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 it information from Rx side effects."

• roni
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 8, 2023

Pepcid (famotidine) for Hiatal Hernia "Famotidine /pepcid, made matters much worse concerning my hiatal hernia. The first couple of weeks it seemed to help, after that it was all downhill. Saw an immediate improvement once I went off it. I am now doing apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons with 3 drops of stevia in a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon. Feel so much better off pepsin and Omeprazole. I also take 2 teaspoons of aloe vera juice for quick relief when needed. Neither can cause side effects if not overdone."

• Duke
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 26, 2019

Pepcid (famotidine) for GERD "I had been taking Ranitidine (300mg 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 others 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 gets on this site."

• Concern
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 21, 2021

For GERD "Doctor prescribed this medication to me for my acid reflux burning sensation in my stomach, 2 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 then I was with my stomach burning. Now I am trying to call a doctor to check how long does this pill leave your system. Never taking this medication. Home remedies is the best."

• Wonder...
• September 4, 2020

For GERD "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 experiencing. Afterward I started to think back to changes made within the last 6 weeks and remembered starting a new reflux meds. While researching famotidine side effects, all of the current systems were listed. Worst of all hives was a symptom. Will stop taking immediately."

• Anonymous
• September 20, 2022

For GERD "Pepcid is literally the spawn of Satan. I was prescribed Pepcid twice a day everyday 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 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!!!!!"

• Corey
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 22, 2021

For GERD "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 10lbs in just two months. I have now been off of the Famotidine for six months and I’ve never felt better."

• Bright
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 8, 2023

For GERD "Was prescribed 40mg 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."

• Flore...
• April 15, 2020

Pepcid (famotidine) for GERD "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 been 1 hour and all is still in there thank goodness."

• Alfie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 6, 2020

For Stomach Ulcer "Having stomach pains resulting from oral antibiotic treatment for diverticulitis. Famotidine worked great - pain went away overnight. Had huge anxiety attack on second day (never had one before). Was on Famotidine 20 mg twice/day. Decided to stop it."

• Reese
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 12, 2022

For GERD "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."

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

For GERD "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 start to have palpitations and feelings of discomfort in my chest and then with that came on 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 PPI's 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!"

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

For GERD "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 20mg 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, 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 ok 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."

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

For GERD "Took this medicine for GERD, after 1 week I started getting anxiety attacks, heart palpitations, and 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 to anyone."

• Anonymous
• January 4, 2009

For GERD "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 with heavy onion and salsa dinner plus 3 beers."