Healing of Benign Gastric Ulcer with Low-Dose Antacid or Cimetidine

We conducted a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine whether cimetidine (300 mg with meals and at bedtime) or a convenient, liquid aluminum-magnesium antacid regimen (15 ml one hour after meals and at bedtime) would expedite healing or relief of symptoms in patients with benign gastric ulcer. Of the 101 patients who completed the trial according to protocol, 32 received the antacid, 36 cimetidine, and 33 placebo. At 4, 8, and 12 weeks after entry, ulcers had healed in a larger percentage of patients treated with cimetidine than of those treated with placebo: 53, 86, and 89 per cent of the cimetidine group versus 26, 58, and 70 per cent of the placebo group (P = 0.02, 0.01, 0.05), respectively. Healing at the three intervals had occurred in 38, 70, and 84 per cent, respectively, of the antacid-treated patients. Neither cimetidine nor antacid was more effective than placebo in relieving symptoms. The presence or absence of symptoms during the fourth and eighth treatment weeks was a poor predictor of the presence of absence of an ulcer crater. We conclude that cimetidine significantly hastens the healing of benign gastric ulcer.