Side effects
As with most drugs, there are side effects that can occur when taking Ranitidine. Many of the organs present in humans have histamine H2 receptors, the site of action of ranitidine, but adverse effects on organs, apart from the effects in the stomach, are little known. Nevertheless, in rare cases side effects may occur such as confusion, depression, cardiac arrhythmia, skin rash and loss of libido. Occasionally nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and changes in liver and kidney values in the blood count occur when taking Ranitidine. Since the ability to concentrate and react may be impaired by taking Ranitidine, the ability to operate heavy equipment and roadworthiness may be limited.
Alternatives
Other active ingredients that fall into the group of histamine H2-receptor blockers are cimetidine, famotidine, and roxatidine. For the treatment of diseases such as duodenal and gastric ulcer, reflux disease and heartburn, there are other drugs that are often prescribed for the respective diseases. The common alternative to the active substance ranitidine are proton pump inhibitors, which, similar to ranitidine, inhibit the production of stomach acid.
Contrary to Ranitidine however an inhibition of the stomach acid production takes place up to 90 per cent, whereas by Ranitidin only a 50 per cent reduction of the production can be reached. New guidelines for the treatment of reflux esophagitis as well as for the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers prefer the medication of proton pump inhibitors to treatment with ranitidine and other histmain-H2-receptor blockers.
