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Thread: Help! Hiccups!

  1. #1
    Veteran Member VeraLynn's Avatar
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    Default Help! Hiccups!

    Anyone have any good cures that actually work? I hate being upside down, so drinking water upside down is not a good one for me.
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  2. #2
    BrunetteGoddess
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Besides that idea, sometimes holding my breathe as long as I can cures them. Or you can try making yourself burp up the air bubble if you feel it.
    Last edited by BrunetteGoddess; 05-12-2008 at 05:54 PM.

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    Veteran Member boxingdoc's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Hiccups are spasms of the diaphragm and can be caused by a multitude of things, both benign and sinister. The vast majority are benign.

    From emedicine:
    The cause of hiccups in children and infants rarely is found. Brief episodes in adults usually are benign and self-limiting.

    Typical causes include gastric distention (ie, food, alcohol, air), sudden changes in ambient or gastric temperature, and use of alcohol and/or tobacco in excess. Psychogenic causes (ie, excitement, stress) also may elicit hiccups.

    Persistent or intractable episodes are more likely to result from serious pathophysiological processes affecting a component of the hiccup reflex mechanism. More than 100 causes have been described; however, in many cases, the cause remains idiopathic. These may be classified as follows:

    * Eighty-two percent of persistent or intractable episodes occur in men. An organic cause can be identified in 93% of men and in 8% of women, resulting in an overall organic incidence of 80%. The remaining 20% are considered psychogenic in origin.
    *
    o Hysteria
    o Shock
    o Fear
    o Personality disorders
    o Conversion disorders
    o Malingering
    * Central nervous system
    *
    o Structural - Malignancies, multiple sclerosis
    o Vascular lesions
    o Infection
    o Trauma
    * Diaphragmatic irritation
    *
    o MI
    o Pericarditis
    o Hiatal hernia
    o Subphrenic abscess
    * Vagus nerve irritation
    *
    o Meningeal branches - Meningitis, glaucoma
    o Auricular branches - Foreign body, hairs
    o Pharyngeal branches - Pharyngitis
    o Recurrent laryngeal nerve - Mass lesions in neck, goiter
    o Thoracic branches - Infection, tumors, esophagitis (ie, reflux), MI, asthma, trauma, thoracic aortic aneurysm
    o Abdominal branches - Tumors, gastric distension, peptic ulcer, AAA, infection, organ enlargement, inflammation (eg, appendicitis, cholecystitis, inflammatory bowel disease)
    * Anesthesia related
    *
    o Hyperextension of neck - Stretching phrenic nerve roots
    o Manipulation of diaphragm or stomach
    o Laparotomy
    o Thoracotomy
    o Craniotomy
    * Metabolic
    *
    o Hyponatremia
    o Hypokalemia
    o Hypocalcemia
    o Hyperglycemia
    o Uremia
    o Hypocarbia
    o Fever
    * Drugs
    *
    o Benzodiazepines
    o Short-acting barbiturates
    o Dexamethasone
    o Alpha methyldopa

    The cures:
    * Many traditional remedies used in an ED have a sound physiological basis affecting components of the hiccup reflex.
    *
    o Stimulation of nasopharynx - Forcible traction on the tongue, swallowing granulated sugar, gargling with water, sipping ice water, drinking from the far side of a glass, biting on a lemon, inhaling noxious agents (eg, ammonia)
    o C3-5 dermatome stimulation - Tapping or rubbing back of the neck, coolant sprays, acupuncture
    o Direct pharyngeal stimulation - Nasal or oral catheter (90% effective)
    o Direct uvular stimulation - Spoon or cotton-tip applicator
    o Removal of gastric contents - Emetics, nasogastric tube
    * Vagal stimulation (Only one technique at a time is recommended.)
    *
    o Iced gastric lavage
    o Valsalva
    o Carotid sinus massage (only by experienced personnel after exclusion of contraindications)
    o Digital ocular globe pressure (only by experienced personnel after exclusion of contraindications)
    o Digital rectal massage
    o Interference with normal respiratory function - Breath holding, hyperventilation, gasping (ie, fright), breathing into a paper bag (increases partial pressure of carbon dioxide), pulling knees up to chest and leaning forward, continuous positive airway pressure, rebreathing 5% carbon dioxide
    o Mental distraction - For example, ask the patient to "think of a loved one remembering you." An inventive naval doctor achieved success by offering $10 if the patient could continue to hiccup immediately.
    * Other
    *
    o Behavioral conditioning (including other members of the family unit)
    o Hypnosis
    o Acupuncture (including near-infrared irradiation of acupoints)
    o Phrenic nerve or diaphragmatic pacing: Incidental cure during cardioversion has been reported.
    o Phrenic nerve block surgery: Surgical interruption of the phrenic nerve has been advocated for intractable cases that are unresponsive to other treatment. This final and most drastic approach may be associated with considerable morbidity and is not universally successful. Microvascular decompression of the vagus nerve has been described as a successful procedure.
    o Prayer: The most novel cure for one patient was to pray to the Catholic patron saint of lost causes, St. Jude. After 8 years and more than 60,000 suggested treatments, his prayer to St. Jude was answered.

    Digital rectal massage really cracks me up. If you have ephedra or muscle relaxants lying around, you can try those as well.

  4. #4
    God/dess
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    My fail-proof method is to pinch my nose with one hand, and simulaneously drink as much as I can from a glass of water. Works every time. I've also held the nose and mouth of hiccup sufferers at work. Those guys adore me afterwards. You really need someone else to hold your breath, or else the nose-and-drinking thing. Fail proof!

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    Member spacecadet's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    someone told me to do a shot of sugar once.... I was drunk, and I did. never, never, never again.

    I'm also a big fan of the hold-your-nose-and-chug method.

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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    I press on the space between my ribs up by the sternum while breathing in and out deeply. This helps with burping too.

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    Featured Member Jeska's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Hold a small paper bag (or plastic-works better with paper) so that your hand is squeezing the top and breath in and out til your hiccups go away. Works every time for me. You need to relax while doing it though.


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    Moderator charlie61's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Those are caused by your diaphragm having spasms, which you can't control (obviously). The only thing you can really do to stop them is to try not to aggravate the spasms by taking slower breaths (hence the reason why holding your breath does seem to help). But holding your breath can sometimes make them worse because when you let your breath out, you jolt your diaphragm.

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    Moderator charlie61's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Haha I totally just realized that someone else actually researched it and made like the exact same post I did.

    Finals week. Brain not doing so well...

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    Featured Member aviendha's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Here's a trick I've had done to me, and done to others, with good effect. I've even done it to myself and it worked! (Which makes me more gullible than I thought.)

    Have someone hold out a dollar bill of decent value to you. ($5, 20, etc)
    They should say, "I'll give you [amout of bill] if you hiccup again."

    Try it.

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    Veteran Member VeraLynn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Quote Originally Posted by aviendha View Post
    Here's a trick I've had done to me, and done to others, with good effect. I've even done it to myself and it worked! (Which makes me more gullible than I thought.)

    Have someone hold out a dollar bill of decent value to you. ($5, 20, etc)
    They should say, "I'll give you [amout of bill] if you hiccup again."

    Try it.
    LOL... that's my fave so far!!!
    Modeling photos, bio, & lots more at


    "A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort." -Herm Albright

    "Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud." -Sophocles

    "A stripper takes off her clothes; she does not have to take off her dignity."
    -One of Indie's Girlfriends

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    Featured Member aviendha's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    A coworker of mine did it to me when I had a stubborn case of the hiccups about ....geesh, 12 years ago. She made sure to preface it with "I'm not ACTUALLY going to do this..." (meaning give me the money) and I was mystified. Then she held up a $20 and said she'd give it to me if I hiccuped again. I'd been hiccuping all morning so I was like, ha!.......*no hiccups*....HEY!

    It's hilarious when it works. Once I did it over IM to an online acquaintance who'd been hiccuping for THREE DAYS. It worked. She was flabbergasted. "OMFG! I'd tried EVERYTHING! I can't believe that worked!"

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    Featured Member southstbabe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Suck on a lemon wedge or if you don't like sour stuff, let a teaspoon of sugar melt on your tongue.

    G had the hicups yesterday and I scared him and they went away! That has never worked before but I guess when you jump out from behind a door at an 11 year old....

  14. #14
    Member MoniD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    I've always put a pen or pencil between my teeth, and then took a sip of water (or whatever liquid). Never fails!

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    Senior Member scarlet_is_yummy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    seriously, the money thing WORKS!! also try reading a nice book for 10 mins to take your mind off it and they should stop

  16. #16
    God/dess phillyvixen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    There is stuff called gripe water
    its basically water with fennel and ginger and it makes the hiccups go away STAT.
    I give it to my daughter all the time



    Quote Originally Posted by Hatshepsut View Post
    Tell him that he's a load his mom should have swallowed.

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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Quote Originally Posted by phillyvixen View Post
    There is stuff called gripe water
    its basically water with fennel and ginger and it makes the hiccups go away STAT.
    I give it to my daughter all the time
    ha me too. We have been using grip water in the UK for over 100 years.

    It is bloody expensive in the US though (around $10)

    Otherwise I just hold my breath or I do breathing exercises which calms the diaphragm


  18. #18
    Featured Member short skirts's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    shot of lime juice........never fails for my customers

  19. #19
    God/dess kitty260's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! Hiccups!

    Yeah, gripe water is good for everything. It didn't work on my young'un so we used it ourselves. Aside from tasting nasty, that shit works better then pepto. Cheap too.
    \

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