SPOTLIGHT: Problems with Zantac, Tagamet?

 
Post-marketing studies can be dangerous: New research published in this month's Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows that histamine-2 blockers such as Zantac and Tagamet may cause cognitive decline. The five-year study found that 34 percent of participants who used H2 blockers regularly showed a decline in mention functions such as language, memory, and reasoning. The study population was limited to African-Americans 65 and older, so there's hope the results won't be duplicated in other age and ethnic groups. We'll see in a few years; these researchers plan to go back to the drawing board to study just that. Report