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Cimetidine in the treatment of interstitial cystitis
P Seshadri1, L Emerson, A Morales
1Department of Urology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Objectives:
To assess the effect of the H2-antagonist cimetidine in the treatment of patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) refractory to other conservative therapies.
Methods:
A group of 9 patients previously treated conservatively for IC without success were entered in the study. They were thoroughly investigated and treated with cimetidine at the dose of 300 mg orally twice a day for 1 month.
Results:
Six of the 9 patients (66%) experienced various degrees of symptomatic relief while on the drug. Of these, 4 (44%) have noted a complete and sustained response to the medication.
Conclusions:
The encouraging results observed in this pilot study together with the simplicity and tolerance of the treatment makes it an alternative when other options have been exhausted. Its use as a first-line monotherapy remains speculative.