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Milton L. Levine, MD
Stony Brook School of Medicine Valley Stream, NY

JAMA. 1978;240(12):1238.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

Cimetidine, a potent H₂-receptor antagonist, has been recently introduced for the suppression of gastric acid secretion.^1,2 This medication has the ability to produce gynecomastia and breast swelling when used for a prolonged period (as in the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome)³ and apparently has a mild sedative effect when given orally.⁴ Although the usual route of administration is oral, the medication can be given intramuscularly and intravenously (IV). I recently observed a patient in whom profound coma developed while receiving cimetidine, which reversed when the therapy was discontinued. I believe this potential side effect of cimetidine should be brought to the attention of treating physicians.

Report of a Case.—

A 53-year-old bartender, who admits to a 25-year history of excessive alcohol use (which he claims he discontinued three months before hospitalization), was admitted to Franklin General Hospital,Valley Stream, NY, for massive upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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