Can I ask if anyone has been prescribed this? I had a very good telephone consultation with my Rheumatologist on Thursday. We spoke about an overhaul of my medication as I suffer such a dry mouth at night , it’s waking me at least twice a night. I thought it was the Methotrexate bit she seemed to think it was more likely to be the high dose of Omeprozole I take (40mg!) I take that because I also take a high dose ante inflammatory Etodolac (600mg!) I thought Ranitidine had been banned in the USA bust my consultant suggested I try it ! Also, what do other people take to protect their stomach? She’s also going to prescribe a spray for me to help my dry mouth. Have to say it was a very good consultation, until I recognised the name Ranitidine.
Ranitidine?: Can I ask if anyone has been prescribed... - NRAS
Ranitidine?
Unfortunately, you won't be able to get Ranitidine as I understand that it has been withdrawn. I have been prescribed Sodium Alginate instead despite telling the surgery that the foul stuff makes me heave. It's the texture I find revolting and difficult to take four times a day in view of having to take other medications. I hope you can find something that suits you
My consultant is writing to my GP surgery to prescribe it for me so I’m very confused if it’s not available. She said it works better and has less side effects than Omeprozole.
Ranitidine is available on prescription...., just not over the counter at the moment.
Mine was prescribed but was told that it was unavailable
Maybe it depends on who is prescribing it? Like a lot of RA drugs GPs won’t prescribe....they let the Consultant prescribe it...then they issue the prescription under a Shared Care Agreement?
I don't know. I've been taking it for years prescribed by the GP, before RD, and the last prescription was not filled at the pharmacy, just a note to contact the GP. On ringing the surgery I was told that it was not available. I shall be following this up
Looks like it’s off fir the foreseeable futures
supply situation or regulatory position on oral ranitidine products. At present in Europe all suppliers of ranitidine’s active ingredient have had their Certificate of Suitability (CEP) suspended. Therefore, until regulatory investigations are complete, no further supplies of ranitidine products can be manufactured.
• The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have instructed suppliers of oral ranitidine in the UK to quarantine ALL affected, unreleased stock at manufacturer level whilst their investigations are ongoing. The MHRA are continually reviewing whether batches of ranitidine in quarantine can be released.
• Ranitidine 50mg/2ml injection is anticipated to be unavailable from the end of May 2020 until further notice.
• Ranitidine tablets, effervescent tablets and oral solution will continue to be unavailable with no date for resupply until further notice.
• There are current short-term supply issues affecting
Have you had it recently AC? As here it has been completely withdrawn from the market.
See my reply hh.....it’s ‘Orf ‘. Til,further notice.Thank goodness I got a scrip filled in April...I will use it sparingly.
I wonder if......Like a lot of drugs that have their license suspended it will come back, have another name & be 10 times the price?
SORRY H H,,,,,THIS WAS MEANT FOR MAGGSIE
copied the above from thé MHRA website...you would kinda think they would be up to date?
Although it does say from the end of May 2020 .....so maybe your pharmacist is just using up the stock he has?
I was actually in my pharmacist this morning which is in My GP practice & I did ask if I could buy it over-the-counter and he said “you can’t get it at all Right now”.
Last time it was taken off the shelves I found some in a little chemist’s corner shop, in out of the way village near Shipston on Stour.if I’m passing I might pop in & see if he has a hoard!
Hi my husband takes ranitidine for tummy problems as he couldn’t tolerate omeprozole he takes 150mg twice a day he has no problems we are in UK - he doesn’t have RA though that’s me!
I’m not sure why my consultant said she would prescribe Ranitidine if it’s not available in the UK?
Sorry my husband has just told me that last week he was not able to get ranitidine and chemist had advised him to speak to GP to prescribe another drug. So not sure if some doctors not aware of issues ?
Which one are you taking now and does it work well?
I can't comment on ranitidine but bioteine mouthwash and gel helps my horrendous dry mouth. Sucking on Cucumber slices, avoiding sugar and caffeine also help.
Biotene is available on prescription or over the counter. I didn't find the pastilles helpful but the mouthwash was very good.
I use Biotene toothpaste because it’s helped my Oral Lichen Planus. Have tried the mouthwash and the gel but I’m afraid neither helped.
All forms/brands of ranitidine have been recalled now Barb, no date set to manufacture again, just not available until further notice. GP's are still prescribing it even though the directive was sent not to & all pharmacies were instructed to return stocks, not all did.
It's an H2 blocker, the H stands for histamine, so it works in a different way to the newer ppi's, the 'prazoles (omeprazole, lansoprazole, es omeprazole etc). Options are out there (famotidine, nizatidine & cimetidine) & work similarly well to ranitidine but are considerably more expensive so I would think will only be prescribed unless there's no other option, if prescribed one of the ppi's, or an increase doesn't help or just don't work or side effects are intolerable.
My h has an appointment with his Gastroenterologist next month & is going to discuss the options for him.
Thank you. Although I wrote down Ranitidine, I’m wondering if i misheard what my consultant said now. I know it had tidine on the end . I’ve emailed her secretary to double check , it won’t be read till Monday but will see what she says. Thank you for the information about the alternatives.
Cimetidine not available her either! Haven’t asked about other H2 blockers.
Yep no longer available. My son can’t get a repeat prescription. Even my dog can’t get it anymore from the vets
I wake up with a dry mouth a lot, I take salivax, they are little gum like sweets. I stick them to top of my mouth, I’ve been able to get back to sleep like that, not choked yet. They are my little life savers, I get them on prescription but I think you can get them in the chemist.
I was on Ranitidine (Omeprazole caused problems) but can't get it now.
GP substituted it with Cimetidine but then almost instantly a different GP deleted it and replaced it with Omeprazole on my repeat list! It took a while to explain to them I was taken off Omeprazole for good reasons and I would not be taking it, it would be going back to the pharmacy for disposal and could I please have Cimetidine. Lots of deliberation but eventually got a second pack of Cimetidine.
Just ordered another supply .... fingers crossed this time!
Can I ask if the Cimetidine works and what dose are you taking?
400mg twice a day. It seems to work just as well as Ranitidine.
Hi - I have just switched from Ranitidine to Cimitidine as no pharmacy had Ranitidine. I have been told 5 ml of Cimitidine but this seems tiny (200mg). What dose of Ranitidine were you on before you switched?
It was suggested as an alternative to Omeprozole but as it’s not available I’ve not taken it. My surgery have just rung to say one of the others in the same family is still available but not at my dispensing surgery. I’ve decided after a telephone consultation this afternoon to try a lower dose of Omeprozole and a lower dose of Etodolac (anti inflammatory) to see if I can manage on those.
I took 150mg Ranitidine twice a day. Now taking 400mg Cimetidine twice a day.
I have taken 40mg Esomeprazole to protect my stomach for years and years....no side effects luckily 🤗
Is the lack of availability of Ranitidine in the UK very recent? I ask because I got some on prescription just over a month ago. This is the first I've heard of this whole thing, looking into it it looks like only certain batches have been recalled.
I'm on ranitidine as omeprazole was interacting weirdly with my methotrexate (giving me big, painful, pus-filled spots all over my legs, mmm!)
I usually have it as a stand by in my cupboard It really helps me The box I’ve got at the moment I bought over the counter but that was a few months ago Will need to find out if it has been taken off x
Yes, definitely no longer available. Pharmacist at my GP surgery rang 2 weeks ago to say no longer available and has now put me on PPI Lansoprazol as a replacement.
I heard that Ranitidine had been stopped too but I don't know and that was a w bile ago. Maybe it has been reinstated.
I was on Omeprazole for many years and did develope chronic kidney disease. There are many lawsuits in America over it causing CKD. Be careful and get bloodwork on your kidneys and get a copy for yourself. My primary care didn’t even tell me I had it. I read it myself on my bloodwork.
This is one of the reasons I wasn’t happy on such a high dose as I had read about possible problems. I do have copies of all my blood test results for this reason but I’m also very realistic about all the possible side effects to any of the medications we have to take. I’m quite sure whatever stomach pill I end up taking will have worrying side effects. My friend and a neighbour both have Kidney disease from medications they have had to take for health problems. I’m sorry you weren’t told about your kidney problems. That’s not good.
God be with us all with the meds we have to try.
Its not avaiable on prescription anymore as Itsbeen withdrawn due to have carcinogens in it. I was on it on prescrition for over a year but now it can't be prescribe both here in UK and in the US and other countries I think.
I usually take over the counter ranitidine as & when I need it but didn’t know it has been taken off as not been shopping since lockdown. If I havnt got any I take half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in warm water twice a day, once in the morning before breakfast & once before bedtime & that really does the trick for me, xx
I have prescribed for a while . Picked the latest one up last Friday . I have had no trouble getting it and I believe it was one batch which was recalled. I take it because I am on Naproxen
I'm afraid it wasn’t one batch that was recalled bart, it was across the whole brands/generics. The chemists you use shouldn’t have any stock to fulfil scripts, they should have returned any stocks they held. This link is one of the alerts sent to pharmacies psnc.org.uk/our-news/class-..., this gives the latest update (supply notification) psnc.org.uk/our-news/supply...
Please speak advice from your original prescriber. The should offer you an alternative.
I have looked at the government website. It is certain batches recalled you check the number on the packet to see if this is one of the recalled batches. My consultant who I saw last week told me to take them the chemist also told me that it is certain batches .
gov.uk/government/news/rani...
Ranitidine film-coated tablets, effervescent tablets and oral solution continue to remain unavailable with no date for resupply.
All formulations of Ranitidine are affected due to on-going regulatory investigations into the presence of the contaminant, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), in samples of Ranitidine active substance PSNC (Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee,
June 17, 2020
What was the date on the Gov.uk website Bart? I ask as not all Pharmaceutical companies brands were recalled at once so dates can vary from Sept 2019 through to April 2020. Was the Gov notice link you posted prior to April? Unfortunately neither my links or yours are being accepted for some reason.
Thank you.
The MHRA has issued an alert to healthcare professionals, as Teva UK Ltd is recalling all unexpired stock of certain batches of 2 types of Ranitidine medicines used to treat conditions such as heartburn and stomach ulcers.
The 2 products affected are Ranitidine Effervescent Tablets 150 micrograms and 300 mg. The list of batches affected can be checked on the MHRA’s drug alert.
That's from UK government
Teva's was the first recalled in the UK as in the Gov alert dated 17th Oct 2019. All have been recalled in the time since, no stocks should of ranitidine supplied to the UK should be available to fill scripts, as in the text above.
It is a local chemist not national called Pondas
The
Same with your link I think they get blocked from here. Anyway Google rantadine and go to NHS then click the link to medicine . It's2 types of effervescent tablets that have been recalled. I only have normal tablets. There is a list of batch numbers to check if yours are the ones recalled.
Hello I took it for a while but was taken off it because it was discontinued so not sure you’ll get it!
New member awaiting confirmed diagnoses of RA
Jaw pain
Blister at roof of mouth 
What DMARD after Methotrexate?
