Hiccups almost always go away on their own
DEAR DR. K: I regularly get hiccups. Sometimes they last a long time. Is this cause for concern?
DEAR READER: As annoying as hiccups may be, they rarely signal a serious underlying problem.
Hiccups are caused by an abnormal reflex of the diaphragm and the rib muscles. Hiccups involve a sudden contraction or spasm of the diaphragm and the muscles between the ribs. The spasm makes you inhale quickly and involuntarily. As air is suddenly sucked into your lungs, the space in the throat near the vocal cords snaps shut. This is what produces the typical hiccup sound.
Many everyday situations can trigger hiccups:
Emotional stress or excitement
Stretching of the stomach (after overeating, drinking carbonated beverages or swallowing air)
Abrupt changes in temperature (as with drinking a hot beverage) Alcohol bingeing Smoking
If your hiccups come and go, they are most likely a result of your eating habits and digestive function. Try to eat less, or more slowly. Also, limit your alcohol intake. (Avoiding carbonated beverages may also help.
If your hiccups last longer than 48 hours, an underlying medical problem becomes more likely. Examples include laryngitis, an enlarged thyroid gland, tumors in the neck, infections near the diaphragm and hiatus hernia.
Treating a disorder that may be triggering hiccups is usually the first course of action. Say, for example, that GERD or an infection is triggering your hiccups. Medication treatment for GERD or antibiotic treatment of the infection may reduce or even eliminate them.
Certain medications may cause hiccups, and discontinuing them can be an effective cure. Examples include midazolam (a relative of Valium), some types of chemotherapy and the heart medication digoxin.
If your hiccups aren’t triggered by a medical condition and aren’t particularly bothersome, there is no urgency to “cure” yourself. Hiccups will almost always go away on their own. But if you are bothered by them, the following strategies may help: Holding your breath Breathing into a bag Swallowing sugar Biting on a lemon Gargling ice water Tickling your hard palate with a cotton swab
Drinking from the opposite side of a glass