Ranitidine versus ranitidine and prazepam in the short-term treatment of duodenal ulcer--a double-blind controlled trial.

Fifty out-patients with an active, endoscopically proven duodenal ulcer were entered a double-blind trial of ranitidine + prazepam or ranitidine + placebo. Two drop-outs occurred in the prazepam group and 1 in the placebo group. After 28 days of treatment, the ulcer had healed in 95.6% of the patients on ranitidine + prazepam and 75% of the patients on ranitidine + placebo (p = 0.03). Sleepiness was the most frequent side effect, reported by 8 subjects in the prazepam group and by 1 subject in the placebo group. It is concluded that prazepam can be usefully combined with ranitidine in the short-term treatment of duodenal ulcer.