Brief Answer: proton pump inhibitors work better Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic There are different classes of medication that can be used for reflux. Ranitidine belongs to a family called histamine receptor antagonists. That family of drugs is not as strong as the other types of reflux medications such as prevacid, protinix, nexium, aciphex. These medications are more effective than ranitidine. You may want to use one of these to see if it would have an effect. Though reflux can cause coughing and pain, there are other causes of one or both of these symptoms such as : (1) post nasal drip- in some persons the drip itself is not felt but they experience cough either in the evenings or in the early morning. It is treated with topical steroid nasal sprays such as flonase, beconase, nasonex. Avoidance of the trigger is also important If the coughing is persistent then pain can occur but the drip itself is not usually associated with pain (2)asthma related cough- there would usually be a history of asthma in the past however (3) infections such as viral cough and cold but this would be associated with other symptoms You may want to use one of the other reflux medications for a few days. Rarely , in some persons it can take 5 to 7 days for these medications to achieve good levels in the body. Most people, however, respond earlier than this. I hope this helps,feel free to ask any other questions

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