Zantac (ranitidine) belongs to a group of drugs called histamine-2 blockers. It works by reducing the amount of acid your stomach produces.
Zantac has been used to treat and prevent ulcers in the stomach and intestines. It also was used to treat conditions in which the stomach produces too much acid, such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome..
Zantac was also used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and other conditions in which acid backs up from the stomach into the esophagus, causing heartburn.
A cancer-causing impurity found in many ranitidine medications may increase to unacceptable levels over time and when ranitidine is stored at high temperatures. As a result, the FDA has asked all makers of ranitidine to withdraw this medicine from the market in the United States.
