Nocturnal acid suppression with a new H2 receptor antagonist--nizatidine.

To determine the potential efficacy of bedtime doses of the new furan H2 receptor antagonist nizatidine in the suppression of nocturnal acid secretion, this randomized, crossover, single-blind study was performed in 10 healthy male subjects. The actions of a single bedtime (21:00 hour) dose of the H2 receptor antagonists nizatidine (150 mg and 300 mg), ranitidine (300 mg) and cimetidine (800 mg), as well as placebo on nocturnal gastric acid and volume secretion (01:00 to 07:00 hours, and on overall 24 hour H+ ion concentration were studied. Compared with placebo, night-time (23:00 to 07:00 hours) H+ ion concentration was reduced by 70, 79, 95, and 76% (p less than 0.05-p less than 0.01). Nocturnal acid secretion, too, was significantly lower for the H2 blockers than for placebo (p less than 0.05-p less than 0.01). A significant reduction in night-time gastric volume secretion was observed in the hourly intervals from 04:00 to 07:00 hours and in total volume in the whole 6 hours period (p less than 0.05-p less than 0.01). Nizatidine 300 mg nocte, ranitidine and cimetidine significantly decreased H+ concentration for only 1 hour (08:00 to 09:00 hours, p less than 0.05-p less than 0.01) during the subsequent daytime period (08:00 to 13:00 hours). Since no significant pharmacodynamic differences between nizatidine 300 mg nocte, cimetidine 800 mg nocte and ranitidine 300 mg nocte were observed, it may be concluded that at the doses employed, these three H2-blockers will all be similarly effective in the acute therapy of peptic ulcer disease.