In a previous post, I have spoken about verapamil side effects
The medicine is usually taken as prescription drug by patients to ward of problems of ulcers and related diseases although there can be ranitidine side effects if continued for long periods. The main types of ulcers which are treated by this medicine are the gastric and duodenal ulcers.
It is also very effective for treating gastro esophageal reflux disease which is actually a condition where there is a backward flow of liquids from the stomach causing heart burn. This if not corrected can lead to injury of the esophagus or more popularly known as the food pipe and the effect may be more severe than the ranitidine side effects.
Ranitidine as a useful medication
As stated earlier ranitidine is indeed a very important drug for the treatment of ulcers and in net effect decreases the amount of acid made by the stomach. In fact, it is a fast selling drug as most people or majorities of the people are in the habit of taking a variety of food from different places. They thus suffer from all sorts of stomach problem leading to the tendency for ulcer.
The fact that ulcer reports among the people have soared is mainly due to the lifestyle of the people and the untimely food intake in the body. Therefore, the only way out of the problem is to consult a doctor and take a course of ranitidine. There are chances of ranitidine side effects for some patients and the doctor usually prescribes a dose of other medicine to simmer down the effects. Acidity has been effectively treated by other medicines yet for some particular ulcer problems ranitidine is the only solution.
Advantages of ranitidine as protector of stomach
The most important merit of ranitidine is its potential to stop or inhibit the production of too much of acid in the stomach a disease known as Zollinger-Elison syndrome. Apart from this the medicine is very effective in treating duodenal ulcers and most amazingly ranitidine is also taken alongside antihistamines for the treatment of skin conditions known popularly as hives.
Ranitidine belongs to a special class of medications which are known to medical science as H2 blockers. Its main job is to block the build up of acidity in the stomach and effectively checks the reverse flow of the same through the esophagus that causes heart burn.
The medicine comes in a tablet form which gives of effervescence and this is what gives it the edge in removing the acidic condition of the stomach. There is a syrup too that is available and this too is as good as the tablet although some doctors may prefer one over the other.
It is usually consumed once a day during bed time or can be consumed twice to four times as the doctor may prescribe. In patients who have extreme difficulty such as the tendency of increasing heart burn ranitidine is taken half an hour or one hour after the meal is taken. People who have developed a tendency to self medicate should read the writing on the package before taking it as there can be ranitidine side effects.
There are different types of capsules available in the market with varying strengths written on the package. These vary from 25mg, 75mg, 150mg and 300 mg. As far as the syrup is concerned it is available in 300mg bottle with dosage of 15mg per ml.
Ranitidine injection are also available at medical stores and these are usually used by the doctors during some important surgery or while the patient is undergoing treatment for a different illness. These injections range from 1mg to 25 mg.
Ranitidine Side Effects
There is a full post dedicated to side effects of ranitidine. There are quite a few mild and moderate effects while taking ranitidine continuously. Those who are regularly under medication for other illness can develop serious effects and they have to consult the doctor at once. It is better to have a good rapport with ones doctor and explain the history of allergies and side effects to him or her in order to lessen the sufferings.
The patient by explaining his or her earlier side effects and allergies to the doctor stands to gain as the doctor would know when to avoid giving ranitidine and when to reduce the dosage. The usual side effects are headaches, constipation, diarrhea, and nausea and stomach pain.
The medicine should be stored in at room temperature ranging from 15 to 30C. This again ought to be kept in a tightly closed container. In the case of injections they should be stored at room temperatures ranging from 4 to 25C. In many instances this isn’t done so and can lead to side effects. In case patients think of going for self medication then they should not stretch the course for more than two weeks.
Pregnant woman should consult her doctor before taking it while breast feeding woman should abstain from it as the medicine goes into the breast milk and lead to ranitidine side effects for the baby.
In the next post, I will talk about lithium side effects
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