Why are cimetidine and ranitidine better antacids than sodium hydrogencarbonate or magnesium or aluminium hydroxide ?

Explanation

Sodium hydrogen carbonate or magnesium or aluminium hydroxide neutralize the excess HCl and raise the pH to an appropriate level in stomach Therefore, these and control only the moms and not the cause. In contrast, cimetidine and ranitidine are better antacids because they prevent the interaction of histamine with the receptor present in the stomach wall and thus release lesser amount of HCl