H2 Blockers (Tagamet, Pepcid, Zantac, Axid) (Page 26 of 52)

I have noticed the tolerance thing too.  That said, I've never gone past 60mg of famotidine.  I am concerned about the huge doses that are well above what the instructions say. 

I'm also with you on the Zantac.  For me, it does *absoulely nothing*.

Still Steptical, just how long have you been using Pepcid AC? How often, and at what dosages?

You claim to use 10 tablets, a total of 200mg, way past the recommended dosage. Is it really worth the money, and the risk of damaging your body in the long run?

Vagrantblue,  I been on the Pepcid thing for about two years now, going on three I think...I go out drinking about twice a week and I guess that equals out to anywhere from 300-400 mgs a week.  Is it really worth the money and risk of damaging one's body in the long run?  No, but in a culture ruled by vanity, I'm pretty sure we've all wasted money on some things that would help us look "normal" or "accepted" in a social setting.  But in the case of being Asian, it's not just vanity, I have a very active social life and I also in enjoy alcohol in moderation, but without the dosage, the flush reaction is quite painful.  But thank you for your concern!

I took one tablet each.  I think that is 150mg of Ranitidine (zantac) and 10mg of Loratidine (Clarityne). From the studies I have read, they work in combo. I.e. taking either one would most likely not be effective on its own.

Based on the studies described in the pending patent that I referred to in one of my earlier posts, it is ideal to take it 30 mins or so before drinking, and the effects last about 3 hours on that dosage.

The tests done in the patent are also encouraging, it seems that all the subjects that tested the combo were successful.

I have tried the combo several times now and it works well for me.

Yikes, I just read the Pepcid - hair loss connection. Ok, I guess that's another plus for the Ranitidine-Loratidine combo, hehe. Dont know which is worse, bald or flushed..... Anyway, personally, i rotate between pepcid and the combo. Somehow, I feel like it is better that way.

Again, please, people, the studies do not show that the H1/H2 blockers necessarily lower acetaldehyde (results are unclear).  So we are still poisoning your body as we flushers can't eliminte the acetaldehyde well. Acetaldehyde is a powerful carcinogen. So please don't take the pepcid or ranitidine/loratidine combo as a licence to act like we don't have the asian flush gene. You'll be seriously risking your health.

The only tested compound which I know of which clearly can lower Acetaldehyde is Cysteine. But delivery of Cysteine is difficult as it is unstable. Until a good method is found to deliver cysteine to the parts of our bodies which are brimming with Acetadehyde, we should be cautious with our drink. BTW, there is already a cysteine chewing gum which will lower oral concentrations of acetaldehyde. However, we need something else which can lower our serum, liver, and gut acetaldehyde levels.

Hi everyone, i am really really happy to have found this forum. I am half korean half swedish and have had problems with the asian blush from i was a teenager. It is, - as all you guys sure already knows- . a really big issue when it comes to drinking alcohol. One of my biggest problem with the asian blush is that when i get red in the face i also look a little bit swollen in the face due to all the blood i think that pulsing in the face. And that makes me less attractive i think. I am a little bit shy so i have really big problems meeting girls, so its kinda "moment 22" for me. But i have ordered some pepcide AC Maximum on the net now so i am VERY anxious about have them so i can try.

I read somewhere on this forum that some guys have tried this for several years...and i also read that people have experienced that the body builds up an intollerance against pepcide after a while...you guys that have tried this for several years, do you experienced any intollerance?

/Martin

The adverse effects of acetaldehyde are serious. There is now ample evidence showing a link between acetaldehyde and cancer. In a recent study, researchers concluded:  "Taken together, the observations from biochemical, epidemiological, and molecular studies, in conjunction with this study, well fit the scenario that acetaldehyde is a primary causative factor in alcohol-induced cancers."

Asian flushers have greatly elevated acetaldehyde levels after drinking.

Initially, it was suggested that pepcid would slow doen the breakdown of alcohol in your system, thus slowing down production of acetaldehyde. However, studies clearly show that subjects taking famotidine do NOT show elevated alcohol levels. I.e., the alcohol is not breaking down any more slowly. So how could pepcid, the H2 antagonist be working? Acetaldehyde affects histamine metabolism. It has been shown to increase histamine release and to slow histamine elmination. Histamine causes flushing.

So alcohol(Ethanol) breaks down to acetaldehyde, acetaldehyde stimulates histamine (and causes cancer), histamine causes flushing. Pepcid and other H1 or H2 blockers may just help by targeting the histamine. BUT that leaves acetaldehyde unaffected and still ravaging our bodies and causing cancer, just without the flushing.

So until we find for certain that these H1/H2 blockers actually reduce the acetaldehyde levels, we should still be very cautious. In fact, the evidence does suggest that pepcid won't reduce acetaldehyde levels. I know I may sound like a nag, but please be careful folks.

hey kman, i found a rather intersting article

http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/127/5/376#T1

have a read its interesting and might help you

hey all
does anyone know if you can buy famo or pepcid in dutyfrees??? or in fiji or rarotonga??

I only very recently discovered these types of discussion forums re. the asian blush and nearly hatched eggs (!) when I read that a little ol indigestion tablet could do the trick!!

Anyway, without wishing to ramble on, I thought I would share my experiences too as I've found the more detailed posts v.useful. 
Perhaps at this point, i should also mention that i am korean born but raised mostly in the UK, oh and  25 yr old female

After resigning myself to a lifetime of drinking in dark bars (highly recommend istanbul, the drinking places there are practically pitch black and you don't even have to leave the safe haven of the dark to go to the bar, as they have waiter service as the norm......italy on the other hand favours the unforgiving spotlight type decor which is not helpful to our cause at all!......i digress) I then discovered that having a vodka and coke roughly 2 hours before going out  would rid me of any serious flushing later.  I would still go v.pink (temperature of room, depending) but being a girl, this wasn't too hard to deal with. 

Then, whilst chatting to a friend about it, she suggested trying beta blockers, propanolol 40mg to be precise, and lent me a few to try out.
I thought it would be too good to be true to expect that I wouldn't go red at all but i then discovered that as long as i had my 'preparation' drink beforehand as usual and then took one of these 30-60mins before having another drink (normally the amount of time it takes to reach the drinking location anyway) i didn't have a second redness at all! woohoo! 

So this is generally what i've been doing for the last 3 years or so and it works for me as i usually only drink at the weekends on BIG nights out.  As a rule, i tend not to have a big meal before a drinking session, just a generous starchy lunch. 
Of course, this doesn't solve the more spontaneous, drink-after-work type problem so that, i guess, is where PEPCID comes in.....
And, most probably like most asian-flushees, i immediately sought out some pepcid ac max strength and found some through ebay (arrived within a matter of days) and gave it a whirl.
I've only tried it a few times now, having  a few drinks after work and (gasp) food too and found that it does reduce the redness quite well.  I'm still pink in the cheeks but, crucially, not red and therefore not really all that noticeable.
And for any girls out there, i also use a brilliant make up which covers the more flushed parts of my face and therefore leaves you feeling much less conscious.  It's actually a stage make up called CHARLES FOX: www.charlesfox.co.uk .  Just a tip, though, don't slather it on, as i have done in the past, the geisha look can be just as scary!! a little dab does the job nicely.
OK, enough of the make up stuff - it's not fair on the blokes!! But if any of you would like some other make up tips that i've used, then let me know, i'd be more than happy to share :)

Well, think it's time to round up this essay and conclude by saying watch this space. 
I'll be trying out the pepcid ac max strength this saturday and keep track of the effects/results.

Hi,

Great forum, lots of useful info on here. I was happy to find out about the flush just to know that it's a genetic defect and that I'm not actually cursed. :)

I will have to try Pepcid as soon as I can get my hands on some, but Zantac will have to suffice for immediate experimentation as it is readily available here. I'm a bit skeptical on how effective Zantac is as the general consensus seems to be that it doesn't work (or just delays the redness). Also I've seen people saying they get drunk easier when they used Zantac, which is not something I'm aiming for. If the Zantac doesn't work then I suppose ebaying some Pepcid will be my last resort.

I'm considering going to my GP to ask him for something with famo in it, but I'm not sure what to tell him. He's not my 'family' GP or anything but I prefer going to him when I'm really sick so if he flat out rejects my request for famo tabs then it's going to make things a bit awkward. Any tips on how I should approach him? He doesn't seem like one of these moral-high-ground docs and he's kinda youngish so hopefully he'll understand. I'm assuming being honest with him is the better route because if I try to fake heartburn he might give me something else, and then when I ask "Erm... have you got anything with famotidine in it?" he'll think I'm some kind of addict. :)

Any advice is appreciated.

Crimson, takign Zantac alone has been shown to be not very effective in tests. If you want to use Zantac, you have to use it in combination with Claritine. That's been shown to work by the researchers filing the patent mentioned in my earlier posts.
And don't forget those eyedrops. Keeping those eyes white really does help.

I have tried both combinations and for me, Zantac + Claritine actually works better than Pepcid. But Pepcid is often more convenient as I just have to pop 1 pill.

Btw, I am a hardcore flusher. Without the pills, I go super red at the first sip.