Gastritis Support Group

Gastritis is a medical term for inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It means that white blood cells move into the wall of the stomach as a response to some type of injury. Gastritis has many underlying causes, from infection with the bacterium H. pylori, bile reflux, or excessive consumption of alcohol or certain foods or drugs like aspirin.

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Gastrointestinal System
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Drug dependency

littlemart
littlemart
Is it possible for our bodies to become dependent on things like Zantac? It just seems like I have this burning and pain every day just before it's time to take the next dose.

I don't think this is the gastritis anymore. I think it's the acid reflux hitting me each and every day.

Am I thinking right or am I mixed up as usual?
Sara59
Sara59
If the Zantac relieves your reflux, I'd say consider yourself under treatment. If you become like me and none of the meds work anymore, and you keep taking them anyway, then you may consider yourself dependent. I have been off all those meds for a couple of months now. I do OK just watching my diet. Doubt I will ever use them again unless they come up with another magic class of drug. Just my opinion. Reflux is misery to endure too.
Andy1986
Andy1986
You can develop a tolerance to Zantac which is why PPIs are the go to drug for reflux. The location of the pain differs for reflux and gastritis so if it's all in your chest then yes its reflux and not gastritis.

I read that the body starts to increase production of pepsin while acid is suppressed also, which is what digest protein and one of the causes of the burning pain. This is why you get painful rebound when stopping the drugs as the pepsin returns to normal levels slowly so you have extra pepsin plus full stomach acid which activates it all.
shihonage
shihonage
Both H2 blockers and PPIs develop acid rebound after prolonged use, which is why they're very difficult to quit.

PPIs are dangerous. On a proper regimen one's stomach can heal faster than their tolerance for Zantac develops, thus removing the tolerance problem.

If you have burning and pain before its time to take the next dose, then your dosing may be insufficient, or your food regimen is provoking too much acid, either through infrequency or just the irritant nature of foods you intake.