ALERT - Do not use Ranitidine (Zantac)

[Carolina Reaper]

Ranitidine (Zantac) has been banned or recalled in many regions already. The active ingredient has been found to be molecularly unstable and transforms into N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a well-known, potent carcinogen that is commonly used to induce cancer in rats for experimentation purposes. It is carcinogenic to humans with extremely high probability. In the U.S., the FDA appears to be trying to cover up the truth on this by saying that the NDMA testing process involves a heating step which is causing the creation of NDMA in the ranitidine samples. It is true that heat accelerates the molecular breakdown, but the independent lab findings are still valid. And, before that, the FDA treated the findings as a case of contamination.

 

https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/us-fda-says-gastric-reflux-drug,-zantac-(ranitidine)-found-to-contain-carcinogen

 

Statements like "Patients should not go into panic mode, because the US FDA only detected low levels of carcinogenic impurities" have been floating around the news since September, 2019. However, the US FDA has been untruthful. Over time (and accelerated by warmer environments), the active ingredient in each dose is guaranteed to morph into toxic concentrations of NDMA. Zantac should never have been approved as a viable drug. The Thai FDA trusts the US FDA. And the US FDA should not be trusted.

Edited October 23, 2019 by Carolina Reaper

[eezergood]

thanks for the share

 

[Sheryl]

The contaminant involved is not part of the drug per se and has nothing to do with the safety of ranitidine itself.

 

It is an environmental contaminant that has found its way into some, but not all, preparations containing ranitidine. The same contaminant has been found in the past in completely different drugs. Not all brands of ranitidine have thsi proboem and nto all have been recalled.

 

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-ndma-zantac-ranitidine

 

I do nto know if the Thai-made  brands have yet been tested.

[Carolina Reaper]

22 hours ago, Sheryl said:

The contaminant involved is not part of the drug per se and has nothing to do with the safety of ranitidine itself.

 

It is an environmental contaminant that has found its way into some, but not all, preparations containing ranitidine. The same contaminant has been found in the past in completely different drugs. Not all brands of ranitidine have this proboem and nto all have been recalled.

 

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-updates-and-press-announcements-ndma-zantac-ranitidine

 

I do nto know if the Thai-made  brands have yet been tested.

Sheryl, with all due respect, you are merely quoting the misleading information from FDA. I, and my associates back in USA (who have better organic chemistry background than I have), can easily see that the ranitidine and NDMA compositions are similar and the potential for an instability causing generation of the latter from the former is obvious. Heating accelerates the process. It is not an environmental contaminant in this case and will affect absolutely all preparations containing ranitidine. Some companies voluntarily recalled/withdrew their respective ranitidine medications as a form of preemptive damage control. My son's law firm will be getting in on a huge class action shortly. Ranitidine should never have been approved as a viable medication. That is why FDA is being careful. Don't think for a second that the FDA is incorruptible. 

 

It is true that it has been detected as a contaminant in the past (recently with some Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker hypertension meds), but the situation is different in this case and the FDA is resisting the notion of an inherent molecular instability. 

 

Neither you nor other interested parties have to believe me or any of the independent lab reports and university research on this matter (some dating back some 6+ years). Since Thailand's FDA policies follow U.S. FDA policies and Thailand still freely distributes ranitidine medication, I thought I would spread the word. There are completely safe alternatives (in both H2 antagonist or PPI classes) with active ingredients comprised of entirely different organic compounds. 

 

In short, this is not a case of a few carcinogenic particles appearing randomly among a sampling of cheeseburgers, rather it is a case of the entire world's offering of cheeseburgers containing a time-release carcinogenic meat patty. The carcinogen here (NDMA) is so potent, it's used to intentionally induce cancer in rats for subsequent experimentation purposes (e.g., development of cancer treatment meds).

Edited October 24, 2019 by Carolina Reaper
Delete redundant redundancy

[Why Me]

OP,

Please stop nonsensical fear-mongering. The links below are from the first page of a google search. There is no immediate danger to patients using Ranitidine nor any data that long-term users have a higher incidence of cancer.

 

If you have scientific evidence link to it.

 

2 hours ago, Carolina Reaper said:

My son's law firm will be getting in on a huge class action shortly.

is a step above trolling.

 

So cut out the bs. For many their life or quality of life depends on meds. It is irresponsible to come on to a forum and randomly malign a drug.

 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/popular-heartburn-drug-ranitidine-recalled-what-you-need-to-know-and-do-2019092817911

 

https://theconversation.com/weekly-dose-ranitidine-the-heartburn-medicine-being-recalled-because-of-cancer-causing-contamination-124578

[Carolina Reaper]

1 hour ago, Why Me said:

OP,

Please stop nonsensical fear-mongering. The links below are from the first page of a google search. There is no immediate danger to patients using Ranitidine nor any data that long-term users have a higher incidence of cancer.

 

If you have scientific evidence link to it.

 

is a step above trolling.

 

So cut out the bs. For many their life or quality of life depends on meds. It is irresponsible to come on to a forum and randomly malign a drug.

 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/popular-heartburn-drug-ranitidine-recalled-what-you-need-to-know-and-do-2019092817911

 

https://theconversation.com/weekly-dose-ranitidine-the-heartburn-medicine-being-recalled-because-of-cancer-causing-contamination-124578

Humorous but predictable response. Search for class action ranitidine lawsuits in USA. I suppose the fact that my son's law firm is involved in one of them isn't really important here, but it's not that I was trying to advertise his services.

 

It indeed takes sustained exposure to increase risk, as with any toxin.

 

It is irresponsible to NOT warn about a bad drug. There are safe alternatives.

 

Here's just a couple of links:  https://www.medpagetoday.com/gastroenterology/gerd/82550

https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/SUMMARY-of-Ranitidine-investigation-v1.8.pdf

 

I have more info but my son had to subscribe and pay to receive the full 100+ page .pdf files and I'm not going to post those here.

 

When you do research, you need to look at content date. Issues with the Zantac formulation where known about years ago but facts were buried. As of very recently (the end of last month) the truth has started to emerge publicly. You also need to be able to understand technical information, which clearly you don't.

 

 

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, Carolina Reaper said:

Search for class action ranitidine lawsuits in USA.

That means the medicine is safe.

[from the home of CC]

 Health Canada is urging stopping the sale and there are two class action suit instigated so far. Here's a statement from one of the firms:

 

ccording to the firm’s complaint, when one 150 mg tablet of Zantac is ingested, it undergoes a chemical reaction in the stomach to create more than 3,100 times the FDA-approved limit of NDMA.

“There is no debate about the toxicity of NDMA. The EPA, World Health Organization, and the FDA itself have labeled it a carcinogen,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and attorney leading the case for consumers. “That the FDA is recommending that consumers continue to take over-the-counter Zantac, instead of consulting with their physician, or encouraging individuals to take one of the many alternative medications over which there are no safety concerns, is questionable at best.”

 

It appears to me that it would be simple prudence to switch to another drug (after speaking to their dr) till either this drug gets the all clear or the company is sued into bankruptcy...

 

additional info:

 

“Virtually every other regulator across the world investigating ranitidine has either recalled the drug, or at the very least, encouraged persons to speak with their physician before taking any further ranitidine. For example, Canada’s FDA-equivalent, Health Canada, is urging manufacturers to stop the sale of drugs containing ranitidine,” Berman added. “We too urge consumers consult with their doctors before taking any further ranitidine. We understand that the FDA has to conduct a proper investigation and encourage it to do so, but its meek recommendations merely create confusion and put consumers in danger before the FDA has determined whether these drugs are in fact safe. That’s just wrong."

Sandoz had agreed to recall its ranitidine products worldwide including in the U.S.

 

Sounds like Sandoz is preemptive, it may look better in court if indeed this is an health issue.. 

Edited October 24, 2019 by from the home of CC

[Carolina Reaper]

I probably should've mentioned that I had taken a whole blister pack of this (Thai Ranid brand, 150mg) right up until stumbling onto the ranitidine instability research results. And the package was at least 1 year old. And stored in an often-hot room. 

 

Have I consumed sufficiently high doses of NDMA over a long enough time interval to have bestowed upon myself a nice, juicy case of kidney or bladder cancer? Probably not. Maybe not. Hopefully not. 

 

For the skeptics, feel free to PM me your home address, and I can send you my one remaining blister pack to use for your next bout of acid indigestion or reflux.

[ThaiPauly]

I have been taking this drug for three years at least. Ranidine 150mg once a day before breakfast.

 

This has scared the living daylights out of me!

 

What should I take as a replacement?

 

Damage (if there was any)has probably been done now

 

Is there any way of knowing if it has affected my health in a negative way?

[Sheryl]

There is no indication of higher rates of cancer among people taking ranitidine. The drug has been on the market for a long time, too.

 

US FDA recall is precautionary and limited to certain brands.

 

If you want a different medication cimetidine would be logical choice. PPIs too but they can be very hard to come off of.

 

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

 

[ThaiPauly]

1 hour ago, ThaiPauly said:

I have been taking this drug for three years at least. Ranidine 150mg once a day before breakfast.

 

This has scared the living daylights out of me!

 

What should I take as a replacement?

 

Damage (if there was any)has probably been done now

 

Is there any way of knowing if it has affected my health in a negative way?

Nexium is a viable alternative according to one of the links I looked at, although a lot more expensive, luckily I have a spare box to last a couple of weeks

[Skallywag]

 

On 10/25/2019 at 5:18 PM, Sheryl said:

If you want a different medication cimetidine would be logical choice. PPIs too but they can be very hard to come off of.

Thanks for this info Sheryl.  Just took my first Xanidine which is ranitidine 150mg (as hydrochloride) it says.  Will switch to cimetidine tomorrow if needed for my acid reflux.  

Never had acid reflux this bad, happened after a "doctor" at clinic gave me an injection for "pain"?  

I have to go back there to pick up CBD oil, so will ask them what it was they gave me.

Want to know so never get it again! 

[GroveHillWanderer]

After doing some more reading on this, it does seem that there are some well-founded reasons for concern.

 

According to an in-depth report on this in the Washington Post:

 

Quote

Sanofi said on Oct. 18 that it would recall its over-the-counter Zantac in the United States and Canada, noting “inconsistencies” in its preliminary test results of the active ingredient of drugs sold in both countries, which were sourced from different suppliers. Several other major ranitidine manufacturers have also pulled their U.S. products, including Novartis’s Sandoz division, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and Apotex.

[...]

 

Meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline, the company that first brought Zantac to market in the 1980s, has recalled its products overseas and is investigating the possible source of the NDMA. (GSK no longer sells ranitidine products in the United States.)

 

Concerns over Zantac

Edited November 9, 2019 by GroveHillWanderer