Ranitidine is in a group of drugs called histamine-2 blockers. Ranitidine works by reducing the amount of acid your stomach produces.
Ranitidine is used to treat and prevent ulcers in the stomach and intestines. It also treats conditions in which the stomach produces too much acid , such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Ranitidine also treats gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other conditions in which acid backs up from the stomach into the esophagus, causing heartburn.
Ranitidine may also be used for conditions other than those listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my doctor before using ranitidine?
Before using this medication, tell your doctor if you have:
kidney disease;
liver disease; or
porphyria.
If you have any of the conditions listed above, you may not be able to use ranitidine or you may need a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment.
The effervescent tablet forms of ranitidine contain phenylalanine. If you have phenylketonuria, you should be aware of possible effects this may have on you.
Ranitidine is in the FDA pregnancy category B. This means that it is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
Ranitidine passes into breast milk. Do not take ranitidine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
This medication can cause you to have unusual results with certain medical tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using ranitidine.
Using this medication may make you more susceptible to pneumonia if you have diabetes, lung disease, a weak immune system, or if you are elderly. Talk with your doctor about your individual risk.
How should I take ranitidine?
Take ranitidine exactly as your doctor has prescribed it for you. Do not use more of the medication than recommended. Do not take ranitidine for longer than your doctor has prescribed.
Take each ranitidine tablet with a full glass of water.
The ranitidine effervescent tablet or granules must be dissolved in water before taking each dose. Tablets or granules should not be chewed, swallowed whole, or dissolved on the tongue.
Place the Zantac 150 mg dose tablet in a full glass (6 to 8 ounces) of water. Allow the tablet to completely dissolve, then drink the entire mixture.
Place the Zantac 25 mg dose tablet in at least 1 teaspoon of water. Allow the tablet to completely dissolve, then drink the entire mixture. If you are giving this medicine to a child, you can place this mixture in a medicine dropper or syringe before giving it to the child.
Ranitidine granules should be mixed with 6 to 8 ounces of water before drinking.
To be sure you get the correct dose, measure the liquid form of ranitidine with a marked measuring spoon or medicine cup, not with a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one. Ranitidine syrup may be given to an infant or child by medicine dropper or oral syringe.
Do not stop taking ranitidine without asking your doctor. It may take up to 8 weeks for an ulcer to heal.
Store ranitidine at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.
What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.
Symptoms of a ranitidine overdose may include weakness, lack of coordination, severe nausea or vomiting, and a fast heartbeat.
What should I avoid while taking ranitidine?
There are no restrictions on food, beverages, or activity while taking ranitidine, unless otherwise directed by your doctor.
What are the possible side effects of ranitidine?
Stop using ranitidine and get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness;
fast or uneven heartbeats; or
jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take ranitidine and talk to your doctor if you experience
headache (may be severe);
decreased sex drive, impotence;
swollen or tender breasts (in men);
nausea, vomiting, stomach pain; or
diarrhea or constipation.
Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.
What drug(s) may interact with ranitidine?
alcohol containing beverages
alendronate
antacids
cefditoren
cefpodoxime
cefuroxime
delavirdine
enoxacin
glipizide
glyburide
iron supplements
itraconazole
ketoconazole
metformin
nifedipine
propantheline
theophylline
triazolam
warfarin
What is the shelf life of the pills?
The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.
Just wanted to write and say that I'm VERY satisfied with my purchase. I was
skeptical at first, the price seemed too good and the shipping process too
convoluted. But I sucked it up and took the plunge, ordered 90 of the lil blue guys
and sat back to wait for packages that might never come. Happily I was SO wrong! 9
days after my order was placed I received my first batch of 30+4, and just today
(another week later) I received the remaining 60. The quality of the product is
outstanding. If you\'re sitting there, wondering whether or not you should go ahead
and make a purchase here, quit wondering! The best prices, excellent service, and a
top-notch product are all present here. Go for it!
Why do doctors in the USA get away with being so unethical and denying women informed consent?
By tying birth control to pap smears? There is no medical reason for a pap smear to be required before getting birth control. All that's needed to safely prescribe birth control pills is a check of the circulatory system (blood pressure and heart) and a medical history.
That's not saying pap smears aren't helpful for some women, but why don't women have the right to choose their own healthcare plans like men do? We are just told and coerced into doing "what's best for us." If a woman wants to have pap smears every three or five years instead of annually that shouldn't mean a doctor can hold her birth control prescription hostage. If a woman wants to get a birth control prescription from her family doctor and go to a gyno a few months later for a pap smear, that should be her prerogative. Women should have the right to make an informed choice and accept the risks and benefits of that choice. Men aren't coerced into getting prostate exams (a MUCH more common cancer than cervical btw) in order to get viagra or condoms.
Not to mention in most other countries these "well woman" exams are not even recommended at all. Finland has the lowest rates of cervical cancer in the world and they don't start paps until age 30 and every 5 years.
megan, it doesn't matter if it's in the woman's best interest. The point is that it's for HER to decide when, where and IF she has one. A prostate exam is in the man's best interest but he is always given the option and not witheld services or treated like a naughty child for not having one.
And you're clearly deceived if you think a pap smear has one thing to do with safety of birth control. A pap smear is a cancer test, period. It has nothing to do with birth control safely. This question is not about me anyway, this is about the sorry way women are treated.
megan you just aren't getting the point. It's great if a woman goes in for regular paps and they can be useful, but there is no reason for it to be tied to birth control! That "policy" is just a paternalistic attitude on part of the doctors. A woman can get birth control on one visit and come back later for a pap smear, there's no reason it should have to go hand in hand.
When they withhold your birth control, yes they are pretty much forcing you, and for no medical necessary reason. Because it's either have the pap right then, or not get pills and probably get pregnant. And once again you just really don't understand that it's about the difference between how men and women are treated, not about whether the exam is important or not because I agree with you pap smears are helpful. But it's not right to take away informed consent just by virtue of someone being female.
about longer hair growth?
I am 33 years old male. I am suffering from androgenic alopecia, i am using minoxidil and finasteride even my hair not growing properly. It is very short and i would like to my hair to grow long. Any body please suggest me how to grow hair healthy and long. please please please..........
How long do I wait after drinking vodka before I can take tramadol ?
I want to drink vodka but I take tramadol if I'm going to stop taking tramadol tommorow morning and not have them untill after I drink in aprox 45 hours time how long do I wait before I can take my 50 my tablet
JUST TRYING TO FINISH MY OTHER.?
Well my question got put in Earth Day and I don't know how to move it. My previous question was in Diabetic? MY CONCLUSION IS: MY DOG TOOK DEREMAXX AT 0630 and then became disoriented and ate the poo which in effect had NOTHING TO DO WITH THESE LIFE THREATENING SEIZURES. SHE WOULD BE LETHARGIC, DISORIENTED, LISTLESS, CATATONIC, NO EATING,I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIND OUT IF DIABETIC INSULIN CAT POO COULD BE TOXIC SO I WOULD KNOW HOW TO TREAT HER FOR WHAT I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT WAS SEVERE HYPOGLYCEMIA OR ADESONIAN CRISIS. Please be careful with DEREMAXX. It helped my dog for months but then something went WRO G OR TOXIC OR SOMETHING AND I KEPT DIGGING TO FIGURE IT OUT. I think I came just shy of killing my dog because it didn't seem there was any answer for these episodes until I read a blog about DEREMAXX. So I stopped the DEREMAXX 8 Days ago and there has been NO SEIZURE/HYPOGLYCEMIC/ADESONIAN EPISODES AND I WASN'T TROLLING (whatever that is) and LASTLY MY DOG HASN'T MESSES WITH THE CATBOX EITHER BECAUSE WE HAVE BLOCKED HER FROM GETTING TO IT ESPECIALLY IN THE NIGHT. Conclusion DEREMAXX: CAUTION. Now I just give my dog Tramadol and DASEQUIN and she is happier than she has been in months. Thank you!
Problems with tramadol hcl 50mg?
I got prescribed this for middle ear infections in both my ears a few days ago and now I'm feeling really weird. Like...I'm laying in my bed about to fall asleep and it feels like everything is jumping. And my heart feels like it's racing really fast. I don't know if this is supposed to happen or what. But it's really freaking me out and I don't want to go to sleep. Anyone ever experienced this before with this medicine? What do I do to make it stop? I'm not gonna take these pills anymore. I'll just deal with the pain. But idk what to do. Please help me.
medication jumble.... too many combinations?
I'm usually on Prozac for depression, birth control (irrelevant), Buspar for anxiety, weening off xanax (4mg) (doc said to take a little buspar and ease it in as im easing off xanax), cyclobenzaprine for tmj pain and tramadol (100mg) for tmj pain. This is a lot and I don't know if they are a doctor or not but is this a lot?
What are the side affects of ( ETODOLAC ) 500mg blue tablet?
What are the side affects of ( ETODOLAC ) 500mg blue tablet?
And what are the side affects of one ( 500mg ETODOLAC & five 50mg TRAMADOL )
I took 5 tramadol and 1 etodolac only because i have a very high tollerance to pain pills and it made me feel really loopy for almost 12 hours now, is that normal?
If anyone has any thoughts or more information about these two pill being taken together or seperate please feel free to add on,
Thanks
Prescribed Ultram and Tramadol at the same time?
Today my doctor gave me 2 prescriptions for pain medications 1 was Ultram, and the other was Tramadol. He said I could take these together. I looked up both and they seem to be the same thing. I also read that they can cause seizures if you take too much. Im not sure whether or not to trust my doctor on this one. Does anyone know anything about these medications or have any advice on what I should do?
has anyone tried pink viagra for women?
If anyone has or you know someone who did, did it work? Im considering ordering it online since the FDA has not approved it but I want to make sure Im not buying some useless pill.
Voting Question: What medications should I avoid touching in the pharmacy if I'm pregnant?
I'm a pharmacy tech, and I'm 15 weeks pregnant. I was just told by the pharmacist yesterday that there are a few medications I should avoid touching. She only named Methotrexate, Avodart, and Finasteride. She couldn't remember what else. I can't find a list anywhere online, can someone please help?