Cimetidine versus placebo in the treatment of psoriasis

A 2-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of cimetidine in the treatment of chronic, plaque-type psoriasis. 24 patients completed the trial (11 treated with cimetidine, 13 with placebo). 3 patients in the cimetidine group and 10 in the placebo group improved. This difference is significant (p less than 0.01). Cimetidine had to be discontinued in 2 patients because of side effects. In this study, cimetidine proved of no benefit in the treatment of psoriasis. Furthermore, our results suggest the possibility of an adverse effect of cimetidine in psoriasis.