Long term cimetidine in the management of severe duodenal ulcer dyspepsia

Sixty patients who had been referred for elective ulcer surgery, and in whom a remission had been induced, entered a prospective double blind controlled trial of a single daily dose of 400 mg of cimetidine given at bedtime, or placebo. Eighty per cent of patients receiving placebo suffered symptomatic relapse and recurrence of duodenal ulceration at endoscopy within 6 months. The mean interval to relapse was 10 weeks. On the other hand, only 27 percent of patients had a recurrence during the 6-month period on low dose cimetidine therapy. No significant toxic or other side effects which could be attributed to the drug were observed.