Name:  Cimetidine

Synonyms:  2-Cyano-1-methyl-3-(2-(((5-methylimidazol-4-yl)methyl)thio)ethyl)guanidine

Molecular Structure:  

Molecular Formula:  C₁₀H₁₆N₆S

Molecular Weight:  252.34

CAS Number:  51481-61-9

EINECS:  257-232-2

 

Cimetidine is largely used in the treatment of heartburn and peptic ulcers.It is believed that consuming Cimetidine an hour before smoking Cannabis, would potentate the Cannabis's effects. It is believed because Cimetidine inhibits the CYP-450 enzyme, and metabolism mainly occurs in the liver by cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4. Due to the inhibition of the CYP-450 enzyme, THC, the psychoactive substance in Cannabis, would not be able to be metabolized until the inhibition of the CYP-450 enzyme is lifted, which may take hours, thus increasing the duration of its effect.

In some studies, cimetidine has been found to reduce the debilitating pain and symptoms of herpes zoster, presumably by blocking the H2-receptors of T-lymphocyte suppressor cells. A number of "open label" studies showed that cimetidine was effective in the treatment of common warts, but more rigorous double-blinded clinical trials showed it to be no more effective than a placebo. Another study by Yokoyama et al. used Cimetidine for the treatment of chronic calcific tendinitis of the shoulder. The small scale study took 16 individuals with calcific tendinitis in one shoulder, all of which had previously attempted other forms of therapy including steroid injection and arthroscopic lavage. During the course of the study 10 patients reported an elimination of pain and 9 displayed a complete disappearance of Calcium deposits. With results being on a small scale, it has been recommended that Cimetidine, for the treatment of chronic calcific tendinitis of the shoulder, be opened to large scale clinical trials.

Cimetidine has also been reported for use in treatment of colorectal cancer - it is however not approved in the US by the FDA for cancer treatment. Cimetidine has been reported for use as an analgesic in experimental treatments of interstitial cystitis. Pretreatment with cimetidine improves the accuracy of measured creatinine clearance testing when using urine collection analysis.