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This clinical case and the literature review show possible development of methemoglobinemia due to the use of local anesthetics, included in drugs for the gastrointestinal diseases treatment, in particular benzocaine, which is the methaemoglobin forming agent. These drugs are common and often taken by the patients themselves without any control. The aim of our paper is to draw the attention of physicians to the risk of the widely known drug administration which can be purchased without a prescription.

Forty-three patients with duodenal ulcer were treated with almagel and gastrocepin, had four meals a day. Twenty-one patients received the drugs according to the standard schedule before meals. The test group of 22 patients took meals and drugs in turn during 24 hours with the aim of a continuous moderate reduction of acidity and activity of proteolytic enzymes. Statistical analysis of the results showed a shorter duration of the ulcer healing in the test group. This conclusion permits recommending the above novel modification of the standard treatment for use in duodenal ulcer treatment as advantageous.