Ranitidine works by reducing the amount of acid produced by your stomach. This helps to relieve symptoms and assist the healing process where damage has already occurred. Ranitidine is available on prescription. You can also buy short courses of ranitidine at retail outlets for symptoms such as heartburn, indigestion and hyperacidity in adults and in children over 16 years of age.
To make sure that this is the right treatment for you, before you start taking ranitidine it is important that you speak with a doctor or pharmacist:. Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them.
The table below contains some of the ones associated with ranitidine, although these are generally mild and do not last long. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome. If you experience any other symptoms which you think may be due to ranitidine, speak with your doctor or pharmacist for further advice.
Never take more than the prescribed dose. If you suspect that you or someone else might have taken an overdose of this medicine, go to the accident and emergency department of your local hospital.
Take the container with you, even if it is empty. This medicine is for you. Never give it to other people even if their condition appears to be the same as yours. If you buy any medicines, always check with a pharmacist that they are safe to take with your other medicines. If you are having an operation or any dental treatment, tell the person carrying out the treatment which medicines you are taking. If you have bought the medicine yourself from a pharmacy or supermarket, tell your doctor if you feel no better after taking esomeprazole for 2 weeks.
They may want to do tests to find out what's causing your symptoms or change you to a different medicine. If you take it on prescription, you may only take it for a few weeks or months, depending on your illness.
Sometimes your doctor may advise you to take it for longer, even many years. Your doctor may suggest taking esomeprazole only when you have symptoms. This means you won't have to take it every day. Once you feel better, you can stop taking it - often after a few days or weeks. Taking esomeprazole this way isn't suitable for everyone. Speak to your doctor about what's best for you. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you.
You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember your medicine. It is very unlikely that taking one or two extra doses by accident will cause any problems. However, check with your doctor if you have taken too much and have any of these symptoms:.
Most people who take esomeprazole do not have any side effects. If you do get a side effect, it is usually mild and will go away when you stop taking esomeprazole. Common side effects may happen in more than 1 in people. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if these side effects bother you or don't go away:. Serious side effects happen in less than 1 in 1, people.
Call a doctor straight away if you have:. In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to esomeprazole. These are not all the side effects of esomeprazole. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet. Esomeprazole isn't usually recommended during pregnancy as there's no firm evidence it's safe. A medicine called omeprazole , which is similar to esomeprazole, is safe in pregnancy. However, if you're pregnant, it's always better to try to treat your symptoms without taking a medicine.
Your doctor or midwife may suggest eating smaller meals more often and avoiding fatty and spicy food. They may also suggest raising the head of your bed 10 to 20cm by putting something under your bed or mattress, so that your chest and head are above your waist. This helps stop stomach acid travelling up towards your throat. If these lifestyle changes don't work, you may be recommended omeprazole to help ease your symptoms. Esomeprazole may get into breast milk, but it's not known whether it harms the baby.
A medicine called omeprazole , which is similar to esomeprazole, is safe to take while breastfeeding. Speak to your doctor to discuss what is best for you and your baby.
Some medicines can interfere with esomeprazole and make you more likely to have side effects. Tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start taking esomeprazole :. These are not all the medicines that may not mix well with esomeprazole. Do not take St John's wort, the herbal remedy for depression, while you're taking esomeprazole. St John's wort may stop esomeprazole working as well as it should.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. Proton pumps are tiny substances in the lining of the stomach which help it make acid to digest food. Esomeprazole prevents proton pumps from working properly. This reduces the amount of acid the stomach makes. You should start to feel better within 2 to 3 days. It may take up to 4 weeks for esomeprazole to work properly so you may still have some acid symptoms during this time.
If you bought esomeprazole without a prescription, and feel no better after 2 weeks, tell your doctor. They may want to do tests or change you to a different medicine. If you take esomeprazole for more than 3 months, the levels of magnesium in your blood may fall. This can make you feel tired, confused, dizzy and cause muscle twitches, shakiness and an irregular heartbeat. If you get any of these symptoms, tell your doctor. Taking esomeprazole for more than a year may increase your chances of certain side effects, including:.
If you take esomeprazole for longer than 1 year, your doctor will regularly check your health to see if you should carry on taking it. It's not known if esomeprazole works less well the longer you take it. If you feel like it isn't working any more, talk to your doctor.
A Hong Kong study published in suggested that people taking proton pump inhibitors PPIs like esomeprazole for at least 3 years have a very small increased chance of developing stomach cancer. For every 10, people taking a PPI long term, it was thought an extra 4 people get stomach cancer. However, the study didn't prove that PPIs were causing stomach cancer and the results may not apply in the UK. People who take PPIs regularly shouldn't be particularly concerned by this study.
However, like most medicines, PPIs have side effects, so it's best to take them for the shortest time possible. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist if you are concerned. Usually, you can stop taking esomeprazole without reducing the dose first.
If you've taken esomeprazole for a long time speak to your doctor before you stop taking it. Stopping suddenly could make your stomach produce a lot more acid, and make your symptoms come back. Reducing the dose gradually before stopping completely will prevent this happening. Take our survey.
Page last reviewed: 16 July Next review due: 16 July Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? Related conditions Heartburn and acid reflux Indigestion Stomach ulcer.
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