Comparative study of cimetidine and Mylanta II in the 6-week treatment of gastric ulcer.

The efficacy of antacid in the treatment of benign gastric ulcer is less well established than in the treatment of duodenal ulcer. The objective of this study was to monitor ulcer healing and symptom relief in 38 patients with gastric ulceration treated for 6 weeks with cimetidine (Tagamet) 300 mg q.i.d. or an aluminum-magnesium containing antacid (Mylanta II) 10 ml q.i.d. (acid neutralizing capacity 203.2 mEq/day). The study was single-blind; the study physicians and those providing endoscopic assessments were not aware of the patients' treatment. Entered into the study were 19 male and 19 female patients ranging in age from 17 to 70 years, with a mean age of 52 years. None of the patients had taken cimetidine in the previous month, and none abused alcohol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, but two-thirds of the patients were smokers. Five patients in the antacid group withdrew for numerous reasons including continued pain, noncompliance, and side effects. All patients in the cimetidine group completed the study, and no side effects were noted. There was no difference between the antacid- and the cimetidine-treated patients in the relief of symptoms. There was a significant difference in the 6-week ulcer healing between the groups, with 14/19 (74%) healed in the cimetidine group compared with only 6/14 (43%) healed in the antacid group (p less than 0.025). Thus, Mylanta II, 10 ml four times daily, is comparable to cimetidine 300 mg q.i.d. in the symptomatic relief of benign gastric ulceration, but ulcer healing was superior using cimetidine.