The Solution

You've been invited for dinner, only to have your host serve a spicy tomato sauce over the pasta entrée. Your stomach is already burning, you're hungry and you haven't taken a single bite yet. What do you do?

This is where it pays to have ZANTAC^® 75 with you. One tablet before dinner and ZANTAC^® 75 starts reducing stomach acid before it starts, so you can relax and enjoy dinner.

Heartburn Terms

H2-Blocker: Histamine2 blockers like ZANTAC^® 75 inhibit the production of acid in the stomach, reducing the amount of acid that can potentially flow back up the esophagus.

When should I take an H2-blocker vs. antacid - and why?

For occasional heartburn, there are two excellent categories of medication available to you over the counter - antacids such as Rolaids* and H2-blockers like ZANTAC^® 75

Antacids are useful for the rapid relief of heartburn symptoms because they neutralize excess stomach acid in seconds, reducing the cause of the discomfort right away. The downfall is that relief is temporary and not as long lasting as H2's.

On the other hand, while over-the-counter 'H2s' do not start to relieve symptoms as fast as antacids, they are much longer acting, because they actually reduce the production of acid in the stomach. In fact, a single tablet of ZANTAC^® 75 can reduce and control stomach acid for up to 12 hours.

Another advantage of H2s is that they can be taken prior to meals or activities that may cause heartburn, acid indigestion and sour stomach symptoms to occur, preventing the heartburn from beginning at all.

As with any medication, caution must be used. If you find yourself having to take antacids or H2s often, they may be masking a more severe condition. That's why, if you have heartburn more than twice a week, you should see your doctor.
Source: American College of Gastroenterology; American Journal of Digestive Diseases, 1976