Cimetidine reduces stomach acid by blocking histamine H2 receptors on the acid-producing cells of the stomach lining. It was the first drug of its kind anywhere — launched in the 1970s as Tagamet, it was the world's best-selling medicine for years and turned ulcers from a surgical problem into a prescription. Every H2 blocker since is a descendant.
In the NAFDAC register
51 registered products
from 34 registration holders
What it costs online
about ₦1,315
≈₦66 per tablet (tablet/capsule)
Sampled from 2 listings across Supermart.ng · August 2026
Full price breakdown →Brands of Cimetidine in Nigeria
Comes as
- Tablet400 mg· 10 makers200 mg· 8 makers
- Injection200 mg/2 mL· 3 makers
Those 51 products from 34 registration holders include combination products and older listings; below are the most common brands.
| Brand Name | Manufacturer | Strength | Form | NAFDAC Reg. No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MeCure's Cimetidine 400 mg Tablets | Me Cure Industries Limited | 400mg | Tablet | A11-0265 |
| Cimetidine 400 Tablets | Fidson Healthcare PLC | 400mg | Tablet | A11-100353 |
| RGI Cimetidine-200 Tablets | Richygold International Limited | 200mg | Tablet | A4-1517 |
| Gasrol Tablet | Sam Pharmaceutical Limited | 200mg | Tablet | 04-1373 |
| Coco Cemitab 200 | KCH Consumer Healthcare Limited | 200mg | Tablet | A4-5614 |
Cimetidine Price in Nigeria
As of August 2026, Cimetidine sells for about ₦1,315 online in Nigeria (₦1,000–₦1,630) across Supermart.ng. Open-market prices (e.g. Idumota, Ogbogwu) are often lower.
Online retail (sampled)
₦1,000 – ₦1,630median ₦1,315
2 listings across Supermart.ng — brands and pack sizes vary · August 2026.
tablets: about ₦66 per tablet (₦50–₦82), from the 2 listings that state a pack size.
First tracked August 2026.
How to Verify Your Cimetidine is Genuine
- 1Check the NAFDAC number on the pack — MeCure's Cimetidine 400mg carries A11-0265 and Fidson's Cimetidine 400 carries A11-100353 in our copy of the register.
- 2Other registered products include RGI Cimetidine-200 (A4-1517), Gasrol (04-1373) and Coco Cemitab 200 (A4-5614).
- 3Confirm any brand with our NAFDAC checker — with around twenty companies holding active registrations, a genuine cimetidine should be easy to find in the register.
- 4Most registered cimetidine is made in Nigeria, so a locally made brand here is the norm rather than a compromise.
- 5Avoid loose tablets sold by the piece; a blister with a batch number and expiry date is worth the small extra cost.
Where to Buy
Buying Cimetidine by the carton
Cartons are bought at Nigeria's four open drug markets. Each guide names the sellers there you can contact, and how to buy safely:
No shop we list has Cimetidine on its confirmed product list yet — the market guides still tell you where the trade happens and how to buy there safely.
Wherever you buy, buy only from licensed pharmacies and verified distributors — not roadside vendors — and verify the pack's NAFDAC registration before you pay. Buying Cimetidine in bulk or for resale? See how to buy medicines in bulk in Nigeria safely.
Need Cimetidine in bulk, or can't find it near you?
Tell us what you need and we'll connect you with a verified, NAFDAC-registered source.
What is Cimetidine?
In Nigeria cimetidine remains extremely common. Our copy of the NAFDAC register shows around twenty-six active cimetidine registrations from about nineteen companies, and — unusually — the great majority are made in Nigeria: MeCure, Fidson, Richygold, Sam Pharmaceutical and others. It is cheap, sold widely over the counter, and it is the tablet most Nigerians mean when they say they are 'taking something for ulcer'.
It is also the H2 blocker that medicine elsewhere has largely moved on from, for two reasons: proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole suppress acid far more effectively, and cimetidine interferes with more other medicines than any of its relatives. Neither of those makes it a bad drug for occasional heartburn. Both make it the wrong drug for someone with a real ulcer, or someone on warfarin, phenytoin or several other common medicines.
What is Cimetidine used for?
In Nigeria, Cimetidine is commonly used for:
- Heartburn, acid reflux and indigestion
- Duodenal and gastric ulcers — though a proton pump inhibitor is now usually preferred
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease
- Preventing stomach damage from long-term NSAIDs such as diclofenac
- Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a rare acid-overproduction disorder
- Not a treatment for the CAUSE of most Nigerian 'ulcer' — see the note on H. pylori below
Dosage
IMPORTANT
Always follow your doctor's or pharmacist's instructions. The information below is for general reference only.
Adults
For heartburn and indigestion, 200mg up to four times daily is typical, or 400mg at night. For a diagnosed ulcer the usual course is 400mg twice daily or 800mg at night for four to eight weeks. Take it with or after food, and the night-time dose at bedtime, since acid production peaks overnight. Occasional heartburn does not need a long course; ulcer treatment does, and stopping early is why ulcers recur.
Children
Cimetidine is used in children only on medical advice and dosed by weight. Persistent vomiting or feeding difficulty in a child needs a diagnosis, not an acid tablet bought at a counter.
Elderly
Older adults are more prone to cimetidine's effects on the brain — confusion, agitation and drowsiness — particularly if kidney function is reduced, which it usually is with age. Lower doses are used, and an alternative is often better.
If your 'ulcer' keeps coming back, the missing piece is usually Helicobacter pylori, a bacterial infection of the stomach lining that causes most duodenal ulcers. No acid-reducing tablet cures it — it needs a specific course of two antibiotics plus a proton pump inhibitor, and it can be tested for. Years spent buying cimetidine every few months for a recurring ulcer is years of treating a symptom. And seek medical attention rather than more tablets for weight loss, difficulty swallowing, vomiting blood, or black tarry stools.
Side Effects
Common side effects
- •Diarrhoea
- •Headache and dizziness
- •Tiredness
- •Muscle aches
- •Rash
Serious side effects — seek medical help immediately
- Breast enlargement and tenderness in men (gynaecomastia), and reduced libido or erectile difficulty — cimetidine has anti-androgen activity that other H2 blockers do not
- Confusion, agitation or hallucinations, especially in older adults and in kidney impairment
- Slow heart rate
- Liver enzyme disturbance and, rarely, hepatitis
- Low blood counts — rare
When to see a doctor
See a doctor rather than continuing to self-treat for weight loss, difficulty or pain on swallowing, persistent vomiting, vomiting blood, or black tarry stools — those are alarm symptoms and need investigation, not acid suppression. Report breast swelling or tenderness in men, new confusion, or yellowing of the eyes or skin. Heartburn needing treatment for more than two weeks deserves a diagnosis.
Warnings & Precautions
Do not take Cimetidine if you have:
- Known hypersensitivity to cimetidine
- Use with caution in significant kidney or liver impairment — the dose must be reduced
- Not the first choice in older adults, where confusion is more likely
- Should not mask the alarm symptoms above; treating them with acid suppression delays diagnosis
Drug interactions
- •Warfarin — cimetidine raises the INR and bleeding risk substantially; this is the classic and dangerous interaction
- •Phenytoin, carbamazepine and theophylline — levels rise toward toxicity
- •Clopidogrel — cimetidine may reduce its antiplatelet effect
- •Ketoconazole and itraconazole — need stomach acid to be absorbed; cimetidine reduces their effectiveness
- •Metformin — levels rise
- •Many others: cimetidine inhibits several liver enzymes at once, which is the single biggest reason it has been displaced elsewhere. Tell a pharmacist everything you take.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Cimetidine has a long record of use and is not known to cause harm in pregnancy, though heartburn in pregnancy is usually managed first with antacids and posture. It passes into breast milk. As with any medicine in pregnancy, use it on advice rather than habit.
Related Resources for Cimetidine
Guides, articles, and tools related to Cimetidine and other digestive health medicines in Nigeria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- •NAFDAC Greenbook — the official database of all products registered with Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. Brand-level NAFDAC numbers for Cimetidine on this page were cross-referenced against the Greenbook.
- •British National Formulary (BNF) dosing and interaction guidance for Cimetidine.
- •Nigerian Standard Treatment Guidelines (Federal Ministry of Health).
Daily puzzle: Meddle — pair five brands with their medicines. New game at midnight.