TY - JOUR T1 - CImetidine and ß-blockers AU - STERCHELE JA, STIERER RC Y1 - 1989/05/01 N1 - 10.1001/archinte.1989.00390050166042 JO - Archives of Internal Medicine SP - 1222 EP - 1223 VL - 149 IS - 5 N2 - To the Editor.—We read with interest the article in the May 1988 issue of the Archives concerning the 1988 Report of the Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.1 However, in Table 5 there is an error. It states: "Cimetidine may reduce bioavailability of β-blockers metabolized primarily by the liver by inducing hepatic oxidative enzymes." This, in fact, is false. Cimetidine therapy may actually increase the bioavailability of hepatically metabolized β-blockers by competitive inhibition of hepatic microsomal enzymes, as shown by Asgharnejad et al.2 Additionally, cimetidine therapy has been shown to decrease liver blood flow by 25%, as SN - 0003-9926 M3 - doi: 10.1001/archinte.1989.00390050166042 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.1989.00390050166042 ER -