Our Comment:
H2-receptor antagonists are very well tolerated. Ranitidine is even slightly better tolerated than cimetidine, which can cause more side-effects and various interactions. However, ranitidine is noticeably more expensive than cimetidine generics. The eradication of Helicobacter pylori now offers the possibility of actually healing ulcer diseases. On the other hand, there are many discussions on whether or not H2-receptor antagonists should be available without prescriptions. One has to remember that upper abdominal pain can be caused not only by ulcers but also e.g. by gastric cancer.