Hiccups are caused by involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, explains the Mayo Clinic. After each contraction, the vocal cords close, which causes the "hic" sound. Usually bouts of hiccups will go away by themselves. However, when hiccups continue for a while, most people will try to find relief. Hiccups that last more than one or two days may be a symptom of an underlying disorder for which treatment is necessary; in this case, a health care provider should be sought. In rare cases, hiccups will resist all treatment and last for months. Several home remedies, as well as medical treatment, many help to cure the hiccups.
Breathing
One common remedy is to breathe into a paper bag. Hold the opening snugly to your mouth and breathe in and out up to 10 times. It might be more effective if you breathe more rapidly than you normally would. An alternative to this method is to simply hold your breath for 10 seconds. If you begin to feel dizzy or faint, stop immediately.
Water
Drink or gargle with water. Cold or ice water seems to work best. There is no general consensus on how to drink the water. Some advocates tell you to sip, while others say to drink down a full glass of water all at once. Another option is to lean over and drink water from the "wrong" side of the glass by placing your mouth on the opposite side of the glass and drink while your chin is in the opening. One other method is to place a pencil between your teeth while drinking a full glass of water.
Sweet or Sour
The Medical College of Wisconsin suggests biting into a lemon, drinking a teaspoon of vinegar or swallowing a spoonful of sugar. Still others advise combining the sugar with the lemon or the vinegar. Either way, the sharply bitter or intensely sweet flavor presumably shocks the senses into curtailing the hiccup spasms.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Anything that stimulates the vagus nerve will stop diaphragm spasms causing hiccups. An easy way to stimulate the vagus nerve is to tickle the back of the roof of your mouth with a cotton swab or to stick out your tongue. The "Journal of Neurosurgery" reported in 2005 that a vagus nerve stimulator was successfully used to cure a case of intractable hiccups.
Medical Remedies
"Fast Facts," published by End-of-Life/Palliative Education Research Center, explains that for hiccups that last longer than two or three days, a medical professional may perform gastric lavage, which is the pumping out of the stomach contents, or carotid massage, which is the gentle massaging of the area around the carotid artery. Chlorpromazine (orally or by infusion), the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat hiccups, may be prescribed for truly intractable hiccups. Other drugs used to relieve hiccups are gabapentin, haloperidol, phenytoin, baclofen or metoclopramide.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Hiccups
- Masters in Healthcare: 11 Ways to Get Rid of Hiccups
- "Fast Facts"; # 081 Management of Hiccups, 2nd ed.; Medical College of Wisconsin; End-of-Life/Palliative Education Research Center; Chad Farmer, M.D.
- "Journal of Neurosurgery;" Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Intractable Hiccups; Bryan Rankin Payne; 2005
