Role of ranitidine in negative symptoms of schizophrenia - An open label study

In this open label study, 75 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were randomized to three groups of 25 each, receiving 150 mg/day ranitidine, 300 mg/day ranitidine and receiving only olanzapine. They were rated on PANSS at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks. There was a significant reduction in the scores of negative scale in patients receiving 300 mg/day ranitidine in comparison to patients not receiving ranitidine at the end of 4 weeks but was not seen again when assessed at the end of 8 weeks. Though effective in reducing the negative symptoms, the effect was not sustained due to the tolerance to the actions of ranitidine.