Heartburn relief medications

[Tink3815]

My husband is currently using over the counter Prilosec to treat heartburn. He usually only takes it every other day and has good results for about .35 a day.Wegmans Pharmacy offers 180 pills of generic Zantac (Ranitidine 150 mg) for 10.00 (.05 a day) on their generic program and could use our HSA pretax dollars to purchase.
Looking for input from those that may use the generic for heartburn prevention.
Thanks

 

[bgirl29]

I am currently taking ranitidine 150 for my heartburn. The prescribed dosage is one tablet twice daily so I am not sure your price calculations are correct. Also I was recently at the Dr and asked about the difference between Zantac and Prilosec because I am experiencing occasional heartburn anyways. The Dr said the next pill to try would be Prilosec because it is somewhat stronger than the ranitidine. Hope this helps.

 

[laurafergie]

I have used/tried everything under the sun. I have a hiatal hernia, used to have an ulcer amoung other things. I am much better now than I used to be with a diet and lifestyle change.

Right now I control things with generic pepsid (famotidine 20 mg) once in the morning and once before supper. If I am having trouble and need immediate relief, I chew a tums. I buy it at BJs, it is half the price of walmart.

Make sure your DH is examining what he is eating and drinking. Alcohol, dairy, fat, fried foods, excess carbs, smoking are all triggers.

 

[gymstx]

I take Omeprazole (Generic for Prilosec) prescribed by my Dr..... A 3 month supply is $10.00

 

[Ephany]

Medications like Prilosec (omeprazole) are in a class called proton pump inhibitors and tend to be something people turn to when ranitidine, famotidine, or cimetidine no longer work for them. Zantac (ranitidine, Pecid (famotidine) and Tagamet (cimetidine) are H2 antangonists and are generally not as long acting as Prilosec, Prevacid, or Nexium. Personally I started with ranitidine once daily, then twice daily, then stepped it up to Pepcid (famotidine), and now I'm on over the counter Prilosec (omeprazole).

Honestly, it's a personal thing. Some people do just fine on ranitidine and can stay on it for years, others need that to be on a PPI and just have to suck it up and pay the cost. Currently, I get 42 tablets at Costco of their brand omeprazole for between $15-16 unless there's a coupon that month. It's a bit more than than I was paying for the ranitidine, but I feel so much better that it's worth it. If the raniditine works for your DH, then it's all good but he may find that ranitidine (even at twice daily dosing) isn't working for him. It really is something you have to try to see how it works for each individual.