Local doc talks Zantac alternatives for those seeking heartburn relief

(KMOX) — Looking for options now that the maker of the popular over-the-counter heartburn drug Zantac has officially recalled the product?

Drug-maker Sanofi voluntarily recalled Zantac in the U.S. and Canada on Friday because of possible contamination with a cancer-causing chemical called NDMA.

The nature of the contamination is still unclear.

"We've been in close contact with the FDA and they're saying we are going as quickly as we possibly can but we have a lot of work to do," said CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook. "They are getting samples from the various manufacturers and distributors and they are looking at using a new technique that's supposedly more accurate for determining the amount of NDMA in the Ranitidine."

Ranitidine is the generic form of Zantac.

"Zantac is a class of what we call histamine blockers," said SLU Care general internist Dr. Fred Buckhold at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. "These are slightly different from the histamines we use to take care of the sniffles. These block histamines in the stomach and therefore blocks the generation of acid."

Walmart and drugstores like CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid have already pulled the product from store shelves.

"There are lots of other products to use in the absence of Zantac," Dr. Buckhold tells KMOX. "Pepcid is probably the most common one that's similar to Zantac. There's also a large other class of medicines called proton pump inhibitors — some of these are available over the counter.  One is called Omeprazole. Prilosec is the name brand — but there are lots of manufacturers for that. Those also treat heartburn among other things."

But Dr. Buckhold says no matter what you take, you need to be careful with using it long term.

"You need to take a little bit of caution with all these drugs," Dr. Buckhold said. "We have had these out in the community for a long time and have been prescribing them for years and years. But taking them long term could lead to other side effects that are also concerning. But in the short term, all of them are fairly safe and well-tolerated."

The FDA has said it is not calling for patients to stop taking the drugs but also advised talking to a doctor if you want to stop treatment.