# Ranitidine...



## madge (Oct 1, 2006)

Well, after being off Prilosec for a week and feeling very good (IBS side effects have vanished, no bloating or cramping, no constipation or hemorrhoids). HOWEVER, today I do feel a little acidy phlegm in my throat, so apparently the reflux is coming back, despite my eating carefully. I thought about trying the ranitidine I have on hand, but since it's the first day in two weeks that I haven't had a headache and watery eyes (viral thing is finally going away), I decided to wait. I tried ranitidine last week, just once, and my viral headache got worse. Also got a stomach ache. Not sure whether it was from the ranitidine or just a fluke. I asked my doctor what I should do and he said just experiment. Big help. He recommended 150 mg of ranitidine AM and PM. But in case I'm sensitive to it, I think I'll split the 150 mg ranitidine tablets in half and try 75 mg in the morning and again in the evening, if I don't get any side effects from the morning dose. I could always go back on the Prilosec, but am not sure I want to deal with the abdominal discomfort again. My whole digestive system has felt so good since I stopped taking it. (Since I had the same problem with Protonix, the doctor said it doesn't pay to try nexium at this point.)There is one potential problem. I can't take the rantidine after supper, because it might cause the clonazepam I take at bedtime to have a stronger effect on me. So how do I take ranitidine twice a day? And what if I get reflux bad after supper sometime? I can't just skip a dose of clonazepam. It's in the valium/Xanax family, and I'd have problems if I did. Wish my doctor were more help. Any ideas?Do any of you take ranitidine just once a day, in the morning? Is that even possible? Or isn't it strong enough to do much?


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## twonK (Oct 30, 2006)

Hi Madge,I've been wondering similar questions. I take 300mg Ranitidine b/d and I'm wondering how that's supposed to fit into the meal-structure of the day? What if I have 3 meals? One of those meals won't have a pill to accompany it.What if I do what is recommended for GERD i.e. many small amounts of food during the day? At the moment I just wing it and take it when it seems appropriate - hardly scientific!Pete


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## madge (Oct 1, 2006)

Pete...My pharmacist told me you can take ranitidine twice daily, about 12 hours apart, and that it will work fine for 24 hours. You don't necessarily need to take it before a meal, just every 12 hours.(150 mg each dose). So I wouldn't worry too much about not taking it before one of the meals.I find that eating small meals and small snacks between meals (but not after supper) really helps me. I don't seem to get hungry and I don't get as much reflux discomfort like I do when I eat a large meal.


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## twonK (Oct 30, 2006)

Madge,that's interesting since if I eat a large meal (sometimes I can't resist, even though I know it wrecks my innards) and don't have a pill, I'm screwed. But if I have a pill, it seems to help significantly. This could be placebo, of course but I don't think so. Odd!pete


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