Results of long-term treatment with cimetidine

Forty-two patients, 35 with duodenal ulcer, 6 with prepyloric ulcer, and 1 with gastric ulcer, were, in accordance with their own choice, allocated to either maintenance therapy with cimetidine or intermittent therapy in connection with symptoms and endoscopically proven relapse. Dosage during maintenance therapy was kept as low as possible to keep patients free of symptoms. Patients receiving maintenance therapy were mostly free of symptoms, but 6 out of 24 patients had from one recurrence every 2nd year to 3 recurrences per year. Patients receiving intermittent therapy had two recurrences per year (median). The yearly dose of cimetidine in maintenance therapy was high (219 g; range, 73-292 g) compared with 59 g (range, 42-84 g) in intermittent therapy. To conclude, we cannot recommend the use of maintenance therapy for years in the routine management of ulcer patients.