Cimetidine - Long Term

[hart2hart]

Pete and I are curious as to who takes Cimetidine long term?

P.S. Pete had a great check up with Dr. K on Wednesday. Everything was looking so good she sent him home without seeing her
or Sandy. Like really? (LOL) That happen to anyone else????



Julie H
Stamford, CT

[GrouseMan]

Define long term. My wife has been on it since last August. In the other Cimetidine/Tagamet thread I believe Pollo65 said she has been taking it for 5.5 years.

Regards,

GrouseMan

[hart2hart]

GrouseMan -

Pete's been on Cimetidine since his Liver resection in October 2013.

We buy it at Walmart ---Cheap. Just wondering if he should take it forever?

What do you think GM?

Cheers!




Julie
Stamford, CT

[GrouseMan]

I can't really say. My personal belief is that for some people, based on what I have read, this may prevent recurrence and spread of additional Mets. The first papers in the UK the Dr suggested that so long as his patients continued to use it, they remained stable, I don't think cancer free, but we have no way to know how long he followed these patients for. My understand was they were older patients in the first place (70+ years), both of which refused to continue with normal chemotherapy. I believe this to be the first evidence of cimetidine doing some good, though at the time no one had an explanation.

The Asian studies, again, I don't know how long they followed the patients for, and if they continued its use afterwards. Based on some of the newer signaling and inhibition pathway studies, it has many subtle effects on tumors. Probably as long as there is a chance that there might be one Cancer Stem Cell still floating around in ones body, perhaps, it wouldn't hurt to continue taking if it truly works on preventing invasion and proliferation of these baddies.

The problem is, the drug isn't studied nearly enough, and prior trials have been somewhat ambiguous in their results. They can't predict who might benefit from using it, and there in lies the problem. More work needs to be done, but likely will not be undertaken. But since it's relatively inexpensive, is a known chemical entity, and one can be sure they are getting what they pay for, I see no reason to quit using it at this point. I worry more about it being taken off the market and no longer being available to us. Even at Walmart, you will likely only find a couple boxes on the shelf compared to the much larger displays for the other acid reflux drugs, like Zantac, and Prilosec that do not show the same anticancer effects. Apparently it doesn't sell as well so they don't stock as much.

RP1954 may have better access to research papers than I do now a days, I no longer have access to as many scientific journals as I once did when doing drug discovery research. My sources are limited and I don't live near a research library any more.

Regards,
GrouseMan