[Early evening administration of ranitidine in therapy of duodenal ulcer]

In this randomized clinical study the effect of 300 mg ranitidine given either after an early evening meal (abt. 6 p.m.) (n = 136) or at bedtime (abt. 10 p.m.) (n = 145) was investigated in 279 patients with an acute duodenal ulcer (79 women, 200 men, age median 40 years). To provide a double blind design, patients of each therapy group were given a placebo tablet either at 10 p.m. or at 6 p.m. (double dummy technique). After 2 and 4 weeks of therapy, the healing rates for the early resp. late evening doses were 75.6% and 65.9% (p = 0.054) and 95.5% and 94.2%, respectively. The healing rates for patients with an ulcer diameter between 5 mm and 9.5 mm and with a case history of duodenal ulcer, however, were significantly higher for the early evening doses of 300 mg ranitidine (85 vs. 65%, p less than 0.01, and 75 vs. 60%, p less than 0.05). The study results indicate that an early (abt. 6 p.m.) as well as a late (abt. 10 p.m.) evening doses of 300 mg ranitidine have a comparable positive effect on the healing of an acute duodenal ulcer, with the early evening doses having advantages in special patient groups.