A group of ulcer patients taking conventional doses of antacids were subjected to a double-blind randomized trial to examine the possible effect of butriptyline on ulcer healing. The study failed to show any advantage of butriptyline over placebo, but this may well have been due to the very success of antacid therapy. The healing rates of gastric and duodenal ulcers in patients on conventional antacid therapy were found to be comparable to those reported with many of the newer ulcer preparations. This study also showed that larger ulcers tend to take longer to heal than small ones.