People who want to take medicine to normalize the acidity of the stomach can buy Zantac. In Australia, the drug is used to treat many gastrointestinal diseases.

Zantac is an antiulcer drug. The active ingredient Ranitidine selectively blocks the H-2 histamine receptors of the parietal cells of the gastric mucosa. After Zantac administration, the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach decreases. The medicine contributes to:

• decreased activity of pepsin;
• increase of the pH of the stomach contents;
• decrease in the volume of gastric juice.

After the ingestion, Zantac is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Meals do not have a significant effect on the absorption degree and the therapeutic efficacy of the antisecretory drug.

Maximum plasma concentrations are achieved 2-3 hours after oral administration, and 15 minutes after the intravenous administration. Zantac is completely eliminated from the body 8-9 hours after the last dose.

Before you buy Zantac in Australia, you should choose one of three dosage forms:

• syrup of 150 mg/10 ml;
• tablets/effervescent tablets of 75 mg, 150 mg and 300 mg;
• injection solution for intravenous administration 50 mg/2 ml.

In regular pharmacies, Zantac is sold only with a prescription from the attending physician. To avoid medical examination and not pay too much for the medicine, patients can buy Zantac online without a prescription and at a reduced price.

You should take conventional tablets with a small amount of water, without chewing. Dissolve effervescent tablets in a glass of water and drink the resulting solution. Zantac may be given as an intravenous infusion or a slow intravenous injection.

To treat exacerbations of stomach ulcer (PUD) and duodenal ulcer, children aged 12 and more and adults can take 2 Zantac 150 mg tablets daily. Severity reduction of the gastric ulcer symptoms occurs in a 1 month of regular Zantac use.

• The antisecretory therapy of peptic ulcer with Zantac can last 2 months for some patients. To prevent relapses and exacerbations, one Zantac 150 mg tablet should be taken before bedtime.

In Australia, Zantac is the drug of choice for the treatment of dyspepsia, caused by the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). To eliminate the negative consequences of NSAID administration, it is enough to take 150 mg of Zantac twice a day (or 300 mg at bedtime) for 2-3 months.

Smoking is one of the factors that provoke a relapse of PUD. To achieve a maximum therapeutic effect of antiulcer drug, patients are recommended to completely stop smoking and take 150 mg Zantac per day.

If the patient is unable to refrain from smoking, he should take 300 mg of Zantac before bed. Since the components of tobacco smoke reduce the therapeutic effectiveness of Zantac, the smoker needs to take a double dose of the drug.

Intravenous Zantac injections are used when the administration of the oral antisecretory medication is not possible. An intravenous injection of 2 ml injection solution (50 mg Zantac) every 6-8 hours is recommended to prevent recurrent bleeding in patients with PUD.

This anti-ulcer drug actively penetrates the placental barrier and is able to affect the future child’s organism. It is not possible to name the exact consequences of Zantac administration on the condition and fetal development of the fetus, since no studies were carried on drug safety for pregnant women.

Therefore, Zantac is contraindicated during pregnancy by the recommendation of the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA).

Zantac is well tolerated. Side effects manifest less frequently than with other antiulcer drugs. Such undesirable reactions, as blurred vision, tinnitus, irritability, skin rash, dry mouth or headache are very rare.

• Zantac was not the first brand name of Ranitidine. The antisecretory drug, which was originally called AH19065, was developed in 1977 by Dr. John Bradshaw from the Allen & Hanburys Ltd. research laboratory.

Since 1981, the anti-ulcer drug called Zantac was available for sale in many countries around the world. Between 1979 and 1992, a total of 189 clinical trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PUD treatment with Zantac. According to statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), Zantac became the world’s best-selling drug in 1987.

At present, the manufacturer and owner of Zantac trademark is GlaxoSmithKline Company. Aspen Pharmacare obtained marketing authorization for Zantac in Australia on August 13, 1991.

Zantac is not the only drug that you can use to treat and prevent the recurrences of stomach and duodenal ulcers. In Australia, the antiulcer drug is sold under such brands, as Ranex, Ausran, Chemplus, Mylanta, Xanidine, Ranital, Amcal, Ranoxyl and Ulcaid.

The antisecretory drug is sold not only under trademarks, but also under the generic name Ranitidine. The Australian suppliers of Zantac generics are such pharmaceutical companies, as Arrow Pharma, Orion Laboratories, Sandoz, Pharmacor, Apotex, Johnson & Johnson, Aspen, Symbion, Medis Pharma, Pharmacare, Alphapharm, Cipla, Nova Pharmaceuticals, Generic Health, Amneal and many others.