The value of cimetidine in the treatment of gastroduodenal ulcer.

The therapeutic effects of 1 g/day cimetidine in short-term courses of 21 days have been tested by a double blind study in 20 patients, of which 17 with duodenal ulcer and 3 with both gastric and duodenal ulcerations, in comparison with a similar group of patients who received placebo. The symptomatology was characteristic in all the cases, X-ray presence of ulcer in 17 patients and indirect signs in 3, endoscopic examination positive. The total volume of ClH nocturnal secretion, as well as the basal and maximal hydrochloric secretions decreased, but the differences with respect to the initial values were not statistically significant; the inhibition of gastric acid secretion by cimetidine amounted to 40%; ulcer healing was noted in 3 out of 17 cases. The adverse effects were rare: sleeplessness in 6 cases, asthenia in 4, dry mouth in 3. The differences between the results of cimetidine administration and those in the placebo group had no statistical significance. It is concluded that a short-term course of 21 days is not sufficient to obtain healing of the gastric or duodenal ulcerations.