Some drugs that contain ranitidine (best known as Zantac) have been found by the FDA to have unacceptable amounts of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a possible cancer-causing chemical (which also triggered recalls of certain lots of the blood pressure drugs called angiotensin-receptor blockers).
While the FDA investigates ranitidine, you’re advised to talk to your doctor about whether to keep taking it.
One alternative: switching to a similar drug, such as over-the-counter famotidine (Pepcid) or cimetidine (Tagamet).
They’re all in a class of medications known as H2 blockers, which block a chemical that signals the stomach to produce acid.
“They’re fairly interchangeable, working equally well for most people,” says Dr. Kyle S
taller, a gastroenterologist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
Stronger heartburn medications include a class of drugs called proton-pump inhibitors, or PPIs, such as over-the-counter lansoprazole (Prevacid) or omeprazole (Prilosec).
Long-term use of PPIs has been linked to reduced levels of vitamin B12, magnesium, and calcium, as well as an increased risk for hip fractures, pneumonia, and other life-threatening conditions.
But Dr. Staller says the data supporting those risks aren’t conclusive, and there’s no evidence of risks from long-term use of H2 blockers.
