McDougle and colleagues conducted a study to ascertain if the use of a higher night time dose of ranitidine (300 mg) would be able to keep significantly more patients with duodenal ulcer in remission compared to the usual maintenance dose of 150 mg.

A double-blind, multi-center, parallel group study was conducted involving 489 patients with confirmed healed duodenal ulcer. Patients received ranitidine 150 mg (n = 250) or 300 mg daily (n = 239) for 1 year. The primary endpoint was symptomatic, endoscopically confirmed ulcer relapse.

• The endoscopically confirmed relapse rate was 6.1% in ranitidine 150 mg daily group and 6.9% in ranitidine 300 mg daily group.
• The differences were not statistically significant.

Maintenance therapy with ranitidine 150 mg daily was found to be effective for preventing duodenal ulcer relapse.

The use of a higher dose does not seem to keep significantly more patients in remission.

Source: McDougle AM, Lancaster-Smith MJ, Higson DL. Ranitidine maintenance therapy in the prevention of duodenal ulceration; a comparison of 150 mg at night with 300 mg at night. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1995 Jun;9(3):287-91.