Ranitidine

[colourmetwice]

One of the docs at the military hospital put me on ranitidine (Zantac) because he says it works like an antihistamine...I'm not really seeing anyone taking it though...any thoughts? Personally, I haven't seen any change (one in the morning, one at night) and I think its kind of fishy...

[Angeles]

My GP also put me on Ranitidine, he said it'll help the IC and my heartburn.
Ranitidine is/like an antihistamine.
I take it occasionaly b/c I also take zyrtec (for IC and allergies) and Nexium for heartburn so I don't want to overload myself.

[Janie Miranda]

I take Zantac and Tagamet on occasion because I researched the drugs and found out that they were histamine 2 blockers. Those are different than other antihistimines but a few small studies have found histamine 2 blockers to sometimes be helpful for ICers. I am taking hydroxyzine which is a histamine 1 blocker also. I wouldn't want to just use the zantac without using another type of antihistime too though. Do they have you on anything else?

[sweetangel2080]

I read this from the IC UK website:

"How do anti-histamine drugs help Interstitial Cystitis?

At present we little understand how anti-histamine drugs work. Most specifically the anti-histamine drugs which seem to help in the condition of Interstitial Cystitis is that group of agents known as H2 receptor antagonists. These are anti-histamines which specifically inhibit the histamine stimulus brought out by stimulating a type of receptor called the H2 receptor. This is well established in gastric and duodenal ulcer disease where stimulation of the H2 receptors produces large amounts of gastric acid to be secreted into the stomach, which is one of the many reasons why people have ulcers in the stomach and the duodenum. Blocking gastric acid secretion is carried out by the use of anti-histamine drugs, most specifically H2 receptor antagonists of which Cimetidine is the best known example although another agent is Ranitidine.

It is thought that H2 receptor antagonists work by blocking stimulation of the H2 receptors; in the stomach this prevents secretion of gastric acid. However, we also think that the H2 receptors stimulate changes in blood flow, changes in the activity of the bladder muscle and may also control the sensitivity of the bladder to filling and emptying. However, this is only speculation about the mechanism by which anti-histamines may work.

Mr Henry Lewi FRCS
"


hope it helps

janie - here is the link

http://www.cobfoundation.org/IC_IB_FAQ.html

[Janie Miranda]

Very interesting SweetAngel. That is the first time I have seen such a good explanation as to why they think it works. Could you tell us the website URL where you found that? I would like to find out what else they have to say.

[colourmetwice]

I am on:
Fentanyl pain patch
Dilaudid for breakthrough pain
Amitriptyline at night
zantac 2x/day
IBUProfen as needed (3x/day)
Ducoset (2x/day for constipation)
and they just put me on atarax (4x/day)

none of the others are really antihistamines, right?
so what's the line of thinking here?

[hreese]

I have been on ranitidine for years, but for acid reflux issues. I take it twice a day, but have noticed since about the same time that I started having bladder issues that the ranitidine did not seem to be helping the reflux as much anymore. I have been suplementing with peptobysmal lately. I haven't tried stopping the ranitidine, so don't know if it would make any of my bladder symptoms worse. I am also on ZyrtecD year round for allergies.