Zantac shortage

[SilverLining]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/drug-shortage-ranitidine-zantac-anaphylactic-shock-reaction-1.4188766

A mother from Lower Sackville, N.S., is desperately searching for a medication that helps prevent her son from going into anaphylactic shock, but a shortage of the product means he only has a few pills left.

Lorrena Clee's 33-year-old son, Presley Clee-Ferguson, takes ranitidine tablets sold under the brand name Zantac as part of his treatment for mast cell activation disorder, which affects the immune system.

He also has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a degenerative disease that deforms the body's connective tissues and causes chronic pain.

Why are there shortages of medications so often?

What scares me is often, when they come back they are altered.

[Macabre]

I am probably to blame. Zantac is like candy to me.

[Penny]

I've got boxes of Ranitidine. Wish I could send them to her! I was prescribed them for GERD. Are they also used for allergies or is just this particular child's specific disorder?

[SilverLining]

I've got boxes of Ranitidine. Wish I could send them to her! I was prescribed them for GERD. Are they also used for allergies or is just this particular child's specific disorder?

I'm not aware of them usually being used for allergies.

[CMdeux]

They are histamine receptor blockers.

So it's one tool in the arsenal for dealing with mast cell disorders in general. 

It's also something that we've had as part of our "no hospital available right now" anaphylaxis plan-- as in, for international or back country travel. 

[Janelle205]

They are histamine receptor blockers.

So it's one tool in the arsenal for dealing with mast cell disorders in general. 

It's also something that we've had as part of our "no hospital available right now" anaphylaxis plan-- as in, for international or back country travel. 

Zantac is part of my camp plan for anaphylaxis as well - we're about 15 minutes for emergency response and then 30 or 40 to the hospital.

[Macabre]

Yes, several times after anaphylaxis it's been prescribed--the first time after my I had anaphylaxis from shrimp cc in Houston-- and I often take one in the fall and spring at night for allergies, since I can't take another Allegra.

[StridAst]

Yeah, for those with a mast cell disorder either in addition to "conventional" allergies (Raises hand). Or instead of them,  the cornerstone of the treatment involves h1 and H2 antihistamines.  Typically Zyrtec and Zantac. 

The difference is, with normal allergies, you have the IgE antibodies that stick to the protein, then trigger mast cells to release histamine from the mast cell's IgE receptors. So what's going wrong is the cells that make the IgE antibodies in the first place.  With a mast cell disorder your mast cells can be triggered by all different kinds of things, including smells, stress (physical or emotional) heat, cold, sunlight, foods etc.  With a mast cell disorder, you can have reactions ranging from just "brain fog" all the way up to anaphylaxis from triggers that can be far more difficult to avoid. Or even impossible to avoid.  I.e. Idiopathic Anaphylaxis.   You need to blockade the histamine receptors as much as possible,  because histamine itself will trigger the mast cells to release more histamine.  And the mast cells have H1, H2, H3, and H4 receptors.  Sadly, we only have drugs to blockade H1 and H2 on the market.

[CMdeux]

.... althoughhhh-- in addition to histamine blockade, there are also mast-cell stabilizing agents like cromolyn sodium. 

(Nasalcrom is the OTC drug which contains that agent).

This agent is also used to treat eosinophilic disorders.

(Not medical advice, just information.) 

[YouKnowWho]

Per discussion with allergist we are likely going to start DD on Zantac for her temp related urticaria.  We have had one issue where she complained of throat hirting during a bad episode.  DS2 had that happen once as well.