Categories: HEALTH & WELLNESS

Pepcid AC Versus Zantac 75

According to information on the Pepcid AC website, over 95 million Americans experience acid indigestion and heartburn annually.

It would appear I have plenty of company when it comes to putting up with this annoying symptom of stress, over eating and sometimes just plain excess acid!

Of course for years the standard short of a prescription for Pepcid or Zantac was to carry an antacid tablet in your pocket and hope for the best. When Pepcid AC and Zantac 75 came to the shelves without a prescription millions more began seeking them out as an answer to ongoing problems with acid indigestion and heartburn. I for one was first in line!

I first tried the Pepcid AC as directed on the package;

To relieve symptoms: swallow tablet with a glass of water (do not chew)

To prevent symptoms: swallow 1 gelcap or tablet with a glass of water at any time from 15 to 60 minutes before eating food or drinking beverages that causes heartburn

Do not use more than 2 tablets in 24 hours.

I took my first Pepcid AC tablet before my noonday meal as I already had a slight touch of acid indigestion going on from too much coffee. I didn’t experience any immediate relief and sat down to a lunch of Chinese stir-fry chicken and veggies, egg roll and egg drop soup. After lunch my acid indigestion intensified and I popped a few of the old ‘standby antacid tablets’ as backup and got a slight bit of relief.

Later that evening, I again took one Pepcid AC tablet 30 minutes before eating. I sat down with family to hamburger steak with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and green beans washed down with a glass of ice tea. Again, I had an increase in acid indigestion with no noticeable relief from the Pepcid AC. Several of my family members were using Pepcid AC with good results, I just seemed not to be one of them. Thinking I may simply have to use them on a regular basis to see them ‘kick in’, I continued to use them twice a day until completing the first bottle. I even tried taking them one in the morning and one at night to relieve the symptoms when not stirred up by a recent meal. no noticeable difference.

I next decided to try Zantac 75. The price was a bit more, but I thought if it works, it would be worth it. Since they both work pretty much the same way to my understanding I decided to first try a Zantac 75 mid-morning to deal with the acid indigestion my coffee routine always stirred up and hopefully find a bit of a difference after lunch as well. I took my first Zantac 75 at around 10 A.M. of course it didn’t produce an immediate relief, however by the time I went out to lunch with my daughter, I was actually free of acid indigestion as we sat at our favorite restaurant and ordered a steak entry to split. After a lunch of steak and salad, we also split a gooey chocolate dessert. It wasn’t until the ride home that I noted a slight bit of acid indigestion, however it was less than even the simply ‘coffee acid’ I had earlier.

Encouraged by this unexpected early noticeable difference, I made sure to take my second Zantac 75 about 7 P.M. while I prepared a meal of grilled pork chops and baked potatoes long with mixed sautéed veggies. Butter and sour cream on the baked potato ( of course). While doing dishes later that evening, I experienced a slight bit of acid indigestion which was quickly extinguished by the ‘standby antacid tablet’.

By the time I had taken two Zantac 75 tablets a day and finished the fist package, I knew I wouldn’t replace them with anything else. Pepcid AC has since come out with an ‘Extra Strength Pepcid AC’ which may do the trick. Several of my brothers swear by it. As for me, I’ll stick with the Zantac 75 as that seems to be doing just fine while I take it twice a day ( as needed).