True heartburn and acid indigestion is horrendous. It hurts, it stings and it BURNS LIKE HELL. It makes eating and drinking a nightmare, you feel permanently awful and sleep is virtually impossible when you?re in its grip. It doesn?t just affect your stomach, but your whole oesophagus and even your poor old throat.

There are lots of causes of heartburn and many are related to intolerance to certain foods. Spicy foods, acidic foods and drinks, dairy products and alcohol are some of the most common culprits. Overindulgence is also a guaranteed heartburn-generator, hence many will suffer more than usual at Christmas or after a night on the booze.

Most of the treatments around for heartburn and acid-indigestion are antacids that you suck or chew. They work by coating the stomach, reducing inflammation and neutralising acid. They are a temporary fix that may only bring relief for an hour or so before you need some more. As a result, you can be only half way through a bad heartburn day and have already taken the maximum recommended daily dose.

Zantac 75, however, works differently. It contains 75 mg of the drug Ranitidine which works by not only neutralising acid in the gut, but also preventing the gut from producing any more by blocking the action of histamine. And the effects last for up to 12 hours.

Dosage is one tablet at first, followed by another if no relief is felt after an hour. Simply swallow the tiny pinkish tablets without sucking or chewing. I?m quite a bad heartburn sufferer and find that I generally need the double-dose. However, that fixes me for a good day and I can carry on eating and drinking what I like without any trouble. And most of all, I can sleep.

No more than two tablets should be taken in 24 hours and they should not be used by children or by people with liver and kidney failure. It should also be noted that ranitidine and alcohol don?t mix well, leading to a rise in blood alcohol lev
els.

Side-effects are said to be rare but can include constipation, diarrhoea, fatigue, headache, insomnia, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, agitation, anaemia, confusion, depression, easy bruising or bleeding, hallucinations, hair loss, irregular heartbeat, rash, visual changes, and yellowing of the skin or eyes. A horrifying list yes, but very similar to the ones you see on most medicines.

I have never noticed any side-effects with Zantac and I do take it quite regularly.

The side-effects, in fact, are in my opinion a lot less worth worrying about than the price. A little pack of 12 tablets costs £3.99 or more, depending on where you buy it. By any standards, this is exorbitant.

However, I?ve recently discovered to my delight that Tesco do their own IDENTICAL tablet with IDENTICAL ingredients in IDENTICAL measures. It?s simply called Ranitidine and it sells for £1.89, HALF THE PRICE of the ?big brand? Zantac.

Zantac I give 5 stars for effectiveness and 1 star for price.

Good old Tesco I give 5 stars on both counts, as with their ranitidine neither your heart or that hole in your purse will be burning.