Zantac is low-cost, over-the-counter medication that consumers can buy without a prescription. It is used to treat persistent heartburn and stomach ulcers. Zantac works by decreasing the secretions of stomach acids. When too much stomach acid is produced, some can "leak" out in a retrograde fashion and move into the esophagus, where it can burn the lining of the esphagus and cause the sensation of heartburn. Zantac is also used to treat stomach and esophageal ulcers.
Zantac is as equally effective as Tagamet, another anti-acid medication in the same class as Zantac. Zantac is not as potent as Prilosec or Prevacid, both very srong stomach acid inhibitors. For those with occasional bothersome mild heartburn, Zantac is a good place to start in terms of treatment. It is relatively cheap, and it is effective in controlling mild cases of heartburn. However, in more persistant and serious cases, one may consider taking the more potent (and more costly) Prilosec or Prevacid. The latter two medications generally work in cases where Zantac and Tagamet will not.
Zantac is taken about 30 minutes to an hour before eating foods that commonly cause heartburn. The lead time is essential to decreasing stomach acid output before ingesting food. Zantac can be taken up to twice per day.
Zantac is a good place to start treatment of heartburn. If it does not do the job for you, consider moving on to Prilosec and/or Prevacid.
Zantac 75 Tablets relief of Heartburn - 60 Ea