The Proton Pump Inhibitors (such as Prilosec) are like gold compared to copper when comparing to ranitidine, famotidine, and cimetidine when used for chronic heartburn. Even more so when comparing to antacids. Antacids will work for me — for about 45 seconds lol. Prilosec works for 24 -30 hours. Famatodine will work for 6 hours but causes me other problems. You’re right...you don’t want to end up with Barrett’s Esophagus. You can get the ingredient in Prilosec generically as omeprazole. However, the time-release mechanism doesn’t work as well for me.
College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-1065.
The pharmacodynamic, therapeutic, and toxicologic properties of famotidine are evaluated and compared with those of cimetidine and ranitidine. Famotidine, an H2-receptor antagonist with a thiazole nucleus, is approximately 7.5 times more potent than ranitidine and 20 times more potent than cimetidine on an equimolar basis. Therapeutic trials indicate that famotidine 20 mg b.i.d. or 40 mg at bedtime is as effective as standard doses of cimetidine and ranitidine for healing duodenal ulcers. A dose of 40 mg at bedtime appears to heal benign gastric ulcers. A single nocturnal dose of 20 mg is effective in preventing duodenal ulcer relapse.
But the PPIs are far superior to any of these.