Ranitidine Hydrochloride (Generic Zantac) - Product information and Uses

Ranitidine is a histamine H2-receptor antagonist that inhibits stomach acid production. It is commonly used in treatment of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Ranitidine is also used alongside fexofenadine and other antihistamines for the treatment of skin conditions such as hives.
In the United States and some other countries 75 mg and 150 mg tablets of Zantac OTC are available OTC. Zantac OTC is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim.
Ranitidine's main role is in treating gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease. It is also used to treat pediatric reflux, where it is preferred over a PPI, because it does not induce histologically relevant hyperplastic changes in the parietal cells. Liquid formulations are available for administering to children.Ranitidine can also be co-administered with NSAIDs to reduce the risk of ulceration.

Ranitidine Hydrochloride (Generic Zantac) - Availability And Packaging

Ranitidine Hydrochloride is available as Generic Zantac Tablets which is packaged in tablets of 150 mg and 300 mg.

Side Effects of Ranitidine Hydrochloride (Generic Zantac)

Ranitidine's main side effects are confusion and depression, although these are very rare and are usually only seen in older people.

Ranitidine Hydrochloride (Generic Zantac) - Dosage

The usual dose of ranitidine is either 150 mg twice a day or 300 mg once every twenty four hours, usually at night. For ulcer treatment, a 300 mg nighttime dose is especially important - as the increase in gastric/duodenal pH promotes healing overnight when the stomach and duodenum are empty. Conversely, for treating reflux, smaller and more frequent doses are more effective.
Ranitidine used to be administered long term for reflux treatment, sometimes indefinitely. However, PPIs have taken over this role.In some patients with severe reflux, up to 600 mg of ranitidine can be administered daily, usually in 4 lots of 150 mg.

Additional Information

Additional Info: Prescribing Information

Considerable portions of the text here is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranitidine and is reproduced here under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License