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| I'm in the middle of another of my chronic hiccup bouts. Every so often I get hiccups that last days, and once, two weeks. Here are the symptoms: Powerful hiccups that will not go away, no matter how many home remidies are tried. (At first, breath-holding helps, but only for an hour or so.) The hiccups go away when I sleep, and sometimes when I'm concentrating on something. Diagnosis: Psychogenic. They're not "in my head". If they were, I could will them to go away. I can't. Doesn't matter that their phychoanything though, I'm on day 2 now; by the end of the day, or tomorrow, they will become quite painful. Maybe stress. Maybe I just need to relax. Ouzo? For reference: | ||
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Comments: mel (2004-06-25): well, ive had the hiccups for a month now. and it hurts real bad. i'm only 15 years old. im going to the doctor on wednesday ... so maybe she'll tell me something that will help both of us!! Erik (2004-06-27): Good luck! This time my hiccups only lasted about three days. I was lucky this time. Let me know how it goes with your doctor, next time I'd rather not wait even 24 hours. Jere (2004-06-29): agreed, good luck! I just started on my third day of hiccups, and I have never really had this kind of problem before and I'm beginning to feel a little sore. Let us know what the doc says tomorrow! Hope its an easy treatment... oh ya, and I have tried like 8 "magical home remedies" but none have helped for more than an hour... as I expected. Kofi (2004-07-26): I have had chronic hiccups since 1999. It stays for months. I have been to several doctors with no success. I just found out my uncle and grand uncle on my moms' side have and had the same disorder so I know it's not in the mind. I would surely think mine away if it were in the mind because it's unpleasant and painful. Let me know when you get any good treatment and I will do the same Ruben (2004-08-02): Get a glass of water and a straw. Press on the opening of both ears as tight as you can at same time, drink 10 drinks of water. My friend swears by it. missiny (2004-08-19): I have a friend who has chroic hiccups he has lost about 50 pounds this year. He is just sicker and sicker. He has been to the hospital several times this year and they can't help him. I am afraid they are litteraly killing him. He looks awful Erik (2004-08-20): Missiny, your friend really, really needs to find another hospital or doctor, or both. I know from reading the above articles that there is surgery that can be done in extreme cases. There are also powerful drugs available. Hiccups should not kill anyone! dying (2004-08-25): man, i thought i was the only person on this earth with this weird illness. i cant stand it. if anyone knows what i can do. please let me know. Erik (2004-08-26): Dying, read the above articles. They might give you ideas for what to do, and what you can ask your doctor about. TD (2004-08-26): I have recently been diagnosed with Chronic Hiccups. I have read that it can be a sign that something more serious can be wrong. I am only in the beginning process with doctors but so far I have a CAT scan scheduled and also an upper GI endoscopy. My hiccups aren't as serious as yours. They only last for one day and I only get them about once a month. What have the doctors told you? Erik (2004-08-26): Wow, they diagnosed you as "Chronic" with symptoms that mild?! And they're going all out on you too. You must have a good health plan. Good luck! Definitely come back and let the rest of us know what they did for you. patrick (2004-09-01): I have a friend who also has severe hiccups - sometimes they last for days occuring every few seconds - it is destroying his life - if you find any leads please let me know - currently I am going to find doctors that use vagal nerve stimulation. pkpryor@yahoo.com thanks Stephanie (2004-09-07): I get hiccups 6-10 times a day. they last for about 20-40 mins. i know what it feels like for all of you. it helps that im not the only one with this disease. im going to the doctor soon. definately lets me know if anyone finds a remedy. LUPE (2004-09-10): MY BOYFRIEND HAS HAD HICCUPS FOR TWO YEARS NOW. WE'VE BEEN TO MANY DOCTORS TRIED DIFFERENT MEDICATIONS BUT NOTHING WORKS. THEY GET SO BAD THAT HE CAN'T BREATH OR EVEN EAT.IF ANYBODY KNOWS OF ANY CUR PLEASE DO TELL alex (2004-09-30): This is my third time having chronic hiccups, and I'm on my 4th day! It comes and goes, and will last for hours at a time. I hate them so much! By the second day, my chest is usually sore, and I'm always very tired. My first episode lasted 3days, then a day w/o, and another 3 days after that. I was burping a lot too, so I figured it to only be gas. The one before this lasted 2 days straight, with gas too. I went to my doc. but he said it was prob. just what I ate giving me gas. It was constant w/o breaks until I decided to get drunk and throw up, and that cured it. Tomorrow will be Friday, so if it doesn't stop, then I'll be drinking. Jane (2004-10-13): read this article: http://www.scienceblog.com/community/article3116.html It's about a new treatment for intractable hiccups that involves the vagus nerve Erik (2004-10-13): Yikes, that's scary. Reminds me of a recent Michael Crichton book: Terminal Man. Still, it's a hell of a lot better than death. Big Jim (2004-10-14): Here's some interesting info from epilepsy.com: http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/vns.html Now you have two trains of thought to ponder: is it a form of irritation, or is it a form of seizure? Without getting tooo personal out here in the real world, does epilepsy run in either side of the family? Sounds like the VNS is a positive potential in regulating the issue. Since, Erik, yours comes and goes, I wonder if it may be allergy driven via food or season? Just a thought... Erik (2004-10-17): My hiccups are triggered by stress, I'm sure of that. But, as the above links show, chronic hiccups are caused by a wide range of causes. Milt epilepsy could easily be the cause for some people. Liz (2004-10-18): My hiccups never last days, but I have been getting them 3 or 4 times a day for the past year or so. Do I have chronic hiccups also? Erik (2004-10-18): Sounds chronic to me, but then, it never hurts to talk to a doctor. Tim (2004-10-23): Well, its nice to know I'm not some lone, freak of nature suffering from this. I got my first bout a little over a month ago. That lasted like 4-5 days, *very* constant. Thought it was just gonna be a one time thing, but it happened again 2 days ago. Today's been pretty quiet, but my chest feels all weird.. and every so often I'll get an isolated hiccup- especially if I drink my soda too fast(?!?)I'm trying to figure out why this is happening, but theres so many fricken variables. I'm starting to think somehow stress is triggering gas build up.. Maybe from stomach acid? if I layed down for too long while hiccuping, I felt like a burning sensation at the bottom of my throat (kinda like after you yack)...but then again, I'm not a doctor :/ Anyhow, just felt like sharing in the pity party. I'm expecting they'll come back soon enough.. Erik (2004-10-23): Sorry Tim, it sucks. No doubt about it. Doesn't hurt to go ask a doctor about it though! Elisa (2004-11-03): For the last year I've had the hiccups. They aren't as serious as yours, but they come about 5-10 an hour, every day, religiously...would that be chronic also? Erik (2004-11-04): Sorry Elisa, I'm not a doctor. I can't tell you if your hiccups are chronic or not. However, in my opinion, your case is serious enough that you should at least go talk to a doctor, someone with experience in this kind of thing. Elisa (2004-11-05): thanks though. My doctor kinda just laughed at me. I guess I need a new one. Maybe if I'm lucky they'll just...end... Roy (2004-11-09): My girlfriend has had hiccups for a month now. They're not very often, maybe 10 or 15 tops a day, is this serious or ab-normal? Erik (2004-11-10): I don't know Roy, I'm not a doctor. But if you're worried, go see a doctor, it could be almost anything: stress, alergies, etc. Tony (2004-11-16): I don't have chronic hiccups, I get them once or twice a month lasting no more than a few hours max. I'm going through a bout right now,which drives me crazy, but after reading all your posts, I realize I'm in no position to complain. I've found that holding my breath usually works(eventually). Good luck everyone, you all have my sympathy. Pete (2004-11-17): I have had chronic hiccups for the last few days for hours at a time. The only think that stops them is fromage frais! Sersiouly, nothing else works! Erik (2004-11-17): The only thing that works for me, is breath holding. If I hold my breath for as long as I possibly can, with as much air in my lungs as I can possibly fit, and actually visualize my diaphram relaxing, my hiccups sometimes go away for a little while. Kirk (2004-11-24): I started getting bouts of longlasting hiccups after I started a stressful job. In most cases it's caused acid reflux or some sort of stomache problem, probably due to periods of stress. Try relaxing and taking antacids. Joie (2004-11-26): Tonight I stumbled upon your website. My father, who is 82 years old, has been suffering from chronic hiccups for years. 2 yrs. ago, they lasted for 2 yrs straight. Suddenly they just stopped. They are back for the past month. Thanks for the links! Do you have anymore? Has anyone tried some of the typical prescribed drugs like Thorazine (which didn't work and made my father drunk), Baclofen (worked a small bit but then nothing), or the latest drug the doctors' have tried, Nexium combined with a low dose of Amitriptyline (which is an anti-depressant but also can be used to control anxiety and nerves). The next move is to take my father to a neurologist. Erik (2004-11-26): Joie, those links above came from the first couple of pages from a google search for "chronic hiccups". Try that, search, as well as all of the medications you listed, such as "hiccups Nexium". Good luck! mollie (2004-12-30): today is the first day ive gotten the hiccups for a long period of time. I had them all day for like 45 minuets every 2-3 hours. its really annoying. what is chronic hiccups? is it very serious? Erik (2005-01-04): Mollie, from what I've read, short bouts of hiccups like yours could be anything from stress to a food alergy. If it goes away, you're probably fine, but if it goes on for more than a day, go see a doctor. It could still just be stress or an alergy, but it's best to be safe. Robyn (2005-01-11): I've been getting hiccups several (3-4) times a day for about 5 years. They started getting worse and it's up to probably 20 times a day at at the worst. They never last long though. But it's really annoying. Erik (2005-01-11): That's awful Robyn. Read the above articles, and anything else you can get your hands on, and try to isolate what's causing it. Robyn (2005-01-12): I finally talked to my doctor and am going to a neurologist at the end of April. So hopefully I will be able to get some answers. Erik (2005-01-12): Great, please come back and let the rest of us know if you get any good information. Robyn (2005-01-13): Surem will do. Anhellica (2005-01-14): I too am a chronic hiccuper, i have been having them a dozen or more times a day and they last so long that my cheast has begun to hurt and i will end up with a pounding headache, i have been doing a little research on this and i am starting to discover that it coulld be that i have acid reflux desease, i would have never thought the two were related but apparantly they are, However, I am not sure that is what is causing my symptoms and am always looking for any other information, i have read all of your e mails and each secribe how often you get the hicupps but i dont see too many thoughts on what is causing them, so, I would like to hear more from all of you on what you believe to be the cause? thanks Erik (2005-01-14): Angellica, from what I have read, determining the cause of chronic hiccups is very difficult, given the exteme range of possible causes. As I said, I think mine are stress triggered, where some people's can be triggered by an alergy, or even a neurologic disorder. There are probably some common causes out there, but I haven't seen a good list. Kaylie (2005-01-17): I get the hiccups atleast once a day. They vary on how long or so they last but 45 minutes is the max. Usually its when I am eating or drinking. It also tends to happen when I get nervous or overly excited. I am trying to find a simple answer to my question and that is this; At what point to you think it is ok to go and talk to a doctor about your hiccups? Erik (2005-01-17): Kaylie, let me ask you this: Why would you not go see a doctor? If you have insurance, you're out a few bucks and an hour. If it's bothering you, why live with it? Tara (2005-01-28): I have had chronic hiccups for more than 3 months now. I get them more than a few times a day and they last all day for hours on end. It isn't just the quit ones that make you move or something, it is the very loud and annoying ones. Everyone hates being around me when I get them because they are so loud. But if I close my mouth to make them quite, it really hurts soemtimes. So people yell at me to close my mouth, but if I do it hurts. Any ideas guys? I haven't went to the doctor or anything. I didn't really know I needed to for hiccups? Should I? Mine last for hours everyday more than once a day. I need help Erik (2005-01-28): Tara, I know where you're comming from. After a few days of my hiccups, my whole chest hurts. Read the above articles, see if they give you an idea of what might be causing yours. If you get them every single day, maybe it's an alergy you can cut out somehow. If you can't figure it out, do go see a doctor, there is no reason to suffer. mollie (2005-01-29): hey this is mollie again. i just wanted to tell u that the day i posted that was the only day i hiccuped alot. The nxt day i didn't at all and the only time i do now is if i drink pop and its only for a couple min. anyways thanks for all the info and stuff. -mollie :) Randy (2005-01-31): I have had hiccups for a year and a half,they have been continuous the whole time even when I sleep. I've been to five specialist and none of them no whats wrong,I have them all day and even when I go to sleep,it is very hard for me to fall asleep. These hiccups cause me to have serious heartburn and at least once a day my wind pipe gets cut off and I can't breath for about 20 sec. It feels like something is stuck in my airway,finally an air bubble passes and I start to breath again this is very scary and I have told all five DR. they don't seem to believe how bad my problem is. All the test that they have ran on me all come back normal and I know this is not normal. My hiccups are so bad I hiccup 1-2 for every breath that I take and the DR.s have seen me this way, but they still insist that everything is normal. I also told them that my grandfather had chronic hiccups for eight years straight and had the exact symptoms as he did. Please help me it is so hard to talk,eat,sleep. P.S. all the medicines that they presrcibed to me did not do anything for me. Erik (2005-01-31): Randy, you've started off right, searching the web for information. Keep looking, find all the information you can. If it's bad enough, there are surgical procedures. In the articles I link to above there is some discussion about the surgeries, and you should be able to find the doctors who perform them. If you can track down some of these doctors, they might be able to even find non-surgical possibilities for you. anonymous (2005-02-09): my girlfriend has had hiccups for two years without stop you need to see a doctor Erik (2005-02-09): Anonymous, did your girlfriend find a doctor who helped her? Anja Schutz (2005-02-15): Whew! I'm not alone...hiccuping as I write this. Usually on and off for two days straight. Annoying! I will go to a doctor, just never realized there could be an actual "cause" for this...Thanks for the links... Anhellica (2005-02-16): hi guys, this is anhellica, i thought about the relationship between the hiccups and the acid reflux and then, about the cause of my acid reflux, and eric, i think you are right about these problems being stress related. so i have resorted to eating antacids by the hsndfull, i cannot say how healthy that is, but the good news is, the hiccups are not so bad latley. so i suppose thst the nexxt problem i need to address id my stress level, regardless it seems i am alwys chasing my tail. ha ha... anyway i enjoy the emails from all of you and i will keep in touch. thanks Chaz (2005-02-20): I've had the hiccups 4 about 2 years everyday. Some days are worst then others.In the begining a belch would start them but now they can start with just a deep breath.Some days they last all day. I have tried most home remidies, the only one that seems to work for me is drinking gulps of liquid (cranberry juice) while holding my breath.Doctors don't know the cause so there's no cure.(I am presently seeing a specialist) It seems it's something I just have to live with. Erik (2005-02-20): Angellica, good luck, reduction in stress is always a good idea. Chaz, it's not something you have to learn to live with. Figure out the cause for yourself, if no one can do it for you. Read, study, experiment. Jenny (2005-02-24): I've had the hiccups for almost three years, but they're not exactly continuous. It's about one-three hiccups every five or ten minutes. It's more when I'm stressed and less when I'm relaxed. I've been to a doctor a few times, but he was no help at all. Basically, he just said, "Well that's weird," and sent me home. I've decided that they're very much stress related, so I'm trying hard to control the stress in my life, but it's hard. I'm what they call a "high stress individual" and being in college is basically one giant panic attack until you get your degree...in the far far distant future..... JR (2005-02-25): My Dad has had this for 1.5 years back in 1999 and finally found a treatment in 2001 for it. This has been good up until recently last week. Unfortunatly, it is now slowly coming back or reoccuring which from my research says it is possible when double dosage is used. oagworld@yahoo.com JR (2005-02-25): Before I forget, my Dad will be 86 years old this year. Erik (2005-02-25): Jenny, good luck, and remember, it could be multiple causes. Stress might just make it worse. Keep an eye out for foods you might be alergic to. It might also be a good idea to see another doctor, more experienced in either chronic hiccups or even alergies. JR: Do you mind letting us know what treatment worked for your dad? Kevin (2005-02-26): I don't have chronic hiccups persay - I only get them like twice a month- but the ONLY only time that I EVER get hiccups is when i smoke a cigarette, and every drag that I take off of the cigarette, I hiccup. It is really rather annoying, because once it happens to me once, then every time a smoke that day*up to like 3 days* I hiccup...what does this mean?? Erik (2005-02-27): It could simply be the act of suction. It might irritate your diaphram. Oh hiccup (2005-03-12): Hi Eric, My grandfather gets chronic hiccups. Unfortunately his condition makes him miserable when it occurs. I can't quite offer good news. He used to get hiccups in his younger years that would last hours and sometime a day. As he grew older, they became more and more persistant and eventually after a week or two of hiccups he would have to go to the hospital. He wasn't keeping any fluids or liquids down. He used to be able to get rid of them by sleeping too when he was young. I'm so glad you made this website and so we can share our plight. My grandfather is now 83 and lately for the 1st time it's become life threatening. He almost lost half of his blood in one day because of the gastric juices that flood his esophogus and caused internal bleeding. Watch out for that! For many years, he has taken reflux medication and various types of medication like chropromazine. The medications aren't working as well as when he was just a bit younger. It seems the body gets used to the medications and the hiccups can't be controlled. It seems the hiccups are winning over him more and more these days. He has a lot of breathing problems and pain in his diaphram. While we do not know the solution, I can offer this. My grandfather didn't have good bowel health when he was a young adult. He didn't consume enough fiber and always had few bowel movements. In his old age now, he really shouldn't have additional bowels sitting in his system but because his muscle movements were not exercised regularly at youth and with natural decline in old age, he retains more waste than I think he should. I'm sure that does not help with improving body's well being. So, make sure you have good digestive health! I have long documents of his condition through the years as I took care of him. If I can be of help to anyone, please feel free to email me. esilkenquill (at)gmail (dott) com Erik (2005-03-14): Oh hiccup, I wish your grandfather the best of luck. The only thing that has helped me recently was breath holding combined with relaxation. I hold my breath as long as I can, upwards of a minute, and visualize my diaphram relaxing. It usually gives me a few minutes of peace, and has once so far cut off a multi-day series. TIM (2005-03-17): I KNOW WHAT TO DO! This girl in my class had them today and another student who is also a nurse said to press on the outside corner of your eyes (between eyes and bone)for about a minute. It's magic. dr avi india (2005-03-17): my young patient women has intractable hiccups ince last night 9 pm.i have tried tab libotryp (amitriptylin three times aday)she is partially responding.there is stress i think which is causing this. Robyn (2005-03-17): Since the last time i posted, my hiccups are almost constant. Some times are worse than others and i am able to get breaks for a couple hours at a time. I had x-rays and a CT scan, but apparently there was nothing found with them. Now I guess I just have to wait until April and my appointment with a neurologist to see if something can be found. me (2005-03-29): my husband has had them for almost 48 hrs..nothing is helping..he is headed to a hospital in the morning...for xray and such...he is in major pain..taking muscle relaxers for the pain in chest...and nothing is working...if i find out something through him i will post it.. me (2005-03-31): my husband went to the hospital..his is caused by a hernia...when he lifts something heavy it pushes his stomach up to his esophagus..and causes his hiccups..they put him on muscle relaxers for now...that seemed to help some..he will know more in 2 wks... Whitney (2005-04-07): Where does air get stuck when you have hiccups? Abbie (2005-04-12): Reading this made me laugh really hard. I have had the hiccups for 2 and a half years. And its not like your hiccups, which go away for short periods of time.......i havent had a day pass without a hiccup for 2.5 years now. Also, mine are not like a bunch of hiccups in a row, its more like one every 20 minutes or so then randomly they get bad and there will be alot in a row. Its becomeing a problem. :-(. Paige (2005-05-03): Hi, i am like 12 and doing a reseach on hiccups so i have a few qustions. Can hiccups actually kill you or dose the dissease a person have cause hiccups? zhais (2005-05-03): I also have a chronic hiccup. It started I think 5 years ago. I have about 20-30 per day and no pain when it happens. Last year I did MRI to the brain and the doctor didn't find any tumor. Today I was to an internist and did gastroendeskopie test to check for the stomach and esophagus, again nothing, but the doctor thinks I must check for a tumor in medistinum. I must admit, this is frightening me. Erik (2005-05-03): Paige, I haven't heard of hiccups ever killing anyone by themselves, but sleep deprivation and starvation due to hiccups could be fatal. c mountain (2005-05-05): I am an 18 year old male, I have GERD (gastro esophogil reflux disease) The hiccups started two weeks ago, I got the hiccups on a Sunday nightr after eating a greasy meal at McDonalds. That night the hiccups woke me up four times. They continued the next day and did not stop until I sneezed that night at about 11. It wasnt until a few days later that I got the hiccups again. After about 3 hours, I forced myself to sneeze by sticking a tissue in my nostril and tickling my nose. The hiccups were gone until yesterday at about 12 noon. The sneezing wont work this time. When I have these episodes, I hiccup about every 8-10 seconds. I have a headache, my shoulders hurt, my ribs hurt. It hurts to breathe. Since my first bout i have stopped eating fast food, spicy food, greasy food, chocolate, carbonation, caffeine, and i have stopped smoking. these are all the things i was told to quit when diagnosed with GERD one year ago. Erik (2005-05-05): That's awful c mountain. At least you have a doctor to go to. That's step 1. Good luck, and thanks for the tip on the neezing! Lulu (2005-05-08): c mountain I also second Erik. I think it's great that you were able to stop eating certain foods. I'm 28 years old and alsp have GERD and have had it for about 8 years now. I get the hiccups daily in spurts. However, lately they have been painful. I've gone to see two different specialists and have had no luck with them. I'm now on my third one and hope that his one will be able to figure out how to stop my hiccups. Erica (2005-05-12): this sight is really funny i get the Kick out of hiccups My Horse gets them all the time and One time she had them so bad she could not even sleep.Her name is wonder and she is Golden and has a white mane and tail she is Big and Her Belly is big too so i put her on a diet.I am 14 years old and i have been interested in hiccups for a life time i wonder why they hurt? can you answer that? Erik (2005-05-13): Erica, my hiccups start to hurt after several hours of hiccuping, because my diaphram and the muscles around my gut are tired, causing soreness. Robyn (2005-05-13): I went to the neurologist for my hiccups. He put me on Baclofen to try and control them and I am being schedualed for an MRI and had blood work done. So far the meds seem to be working I'm not hiccuping so much since I started taking it. Cassy (2005-05-14): I've been getting very forcefull hiccups for a while, I try holding my breath but all it seems to do is make them that much more worse... I don't know what to do they are hurting my belly so much. they get so bad i have to hold my belly so it wont hurt as much Erik (2005-05-15): Robyn, good luck with the tests! Cassy, it's time to see a doctor. Really, now. Dave (2005-06-30): Well we are among friends here it seems. I am just ending day 2 of my current bout with the dreaded hiccups. We are having a BBQ at the office tomorrow and I know I will eat too much and be miserable, hiccupping uncontrollably through the day. No one knows what it is like and they tend to chuckle when you describe your pain. But Man after about a day and a half it REALLY starts to tear up your asophogus. If I make it to day 4 I'll see a doctor but I did that once a long time ago. He prescribes something given to people with schytsophrenia saying that it also has been effective for hiccups. It was, but I was on day 4 so who knows if they went away on their own or not. I find a nice chocolate shake can ease the pain, but it's no cure. Good luck everyone! Ouch I just did 3 in a row. Dave in St. Louis rod (2005-07-09): i have had hiccups for about 2 days now. Im 31 yr old male who has had no previous symptoms prior to these hiccups. Any other suggestions besides the ones posted on here greatly appreciated. Wondering when should I go to the hospital. Erik (2005-07-11): Rod, sorry it took me a while to respond. I'd say, if you still have hiccups, definitely see a doctor. Audrey (2005-07-19): Well im sorry 4 all of yall. i never get the hiccups unless i laugh or dirnk somthing really fast. and guess what i never has the hiccups at skool. im 13. Robyn (2005-07-30): Well, I had a bunch of test, all which just showed I'm perfectly healthy. They can't find any reason for my hiccups, and now that medicine that I've been taking, Baclofen, after working for two months isn't working anymore! It's sooooooo annoying! Now the neurologist is doing research to try to find something else to help me. Anyone have any other suggestions, other than those home remedies which don't work, for me? Blue Collar Phil (2005-07-31): For myself, they occurred shortly after I started working for the first time in about 4 months, in a plant where I was around potentially dangerous chemicals. Although they were only dangerous to the skin, and I wore rubber gloves, I would sometimes get small holes in the glove from metal and such, and my hands would be drenched for the majority of the day in this substance that serves as a rust-preventative for heat treated industrial parts. My hiccups lasted for about 3 days, and my mother, an RN, could offer no help as far as how harmful my hiccups may or may not be and that I should do an internet search. Maybe someone can draw a similar line from my experience... amanda (2005-08-11): I get the hiccups about twice a week and they usally last for up to 8 hours on average, i get the worst hiccups too, they always come so fast that i can hardly breath sometimes Erik (2005-08-11): Amanda, that is a serious problem. You should see a specialist doctor as soon as you can. You should also try to remember any patterns to the occurrences, eg. foods you ate, seasons, alergy or stress related possible triggers. These could help your doctor pinpoint the problem. kaz (2005-08-30): Hey guys, my grandpa, dad and sister always get the hiccups but in bouts of 10 or 20 nealry every day, it is REALLY ANNOYING for them and for the rest of us! Does anyone know why this is happening? Quick response would be greatly appreciated THANKS! kaz (2005-08-30): I do feel sorry for you guys, I know someone at work who is always getting the hiccups, drives everyone insane, personally I get the hiccups in bouts of about 20 mins mabey 3 times a day then they go away for a month or so but it is the rest of my family that seems to get them regulary Erik (2005-08-30): Kaz, I'm afraid there is no simple "quick" answer. Chronic hiccups can occur because of many different (and possibly multiple) reasons, from allergies, stress, neurological problems, etc. The best advice I have is to seek out a specialist doctor. kaz (2005-08-30): thanks wil do kim (2005-09-03): My dad is 65 years old and is on his 7th day with hiccups, docs have given him 4 different needles and different meds, he taking chlorpromazine now no luck yet, he's had about 20 hrs sleep in 7 days. Jim (2005-09-07): I am currently trying to pass a kidney stone and my hiccups have not stopped for the past three days Erik (2005-09-08): That sucks Jim. Good luck! Silvia (2005-09-17): Hi, i'm sending this on behalf of my dad. He is so miserable with his chronic hiccups. His hiccups bother him so much that he has believed that its because of food, so he has become anorexic. Thats not all...he says that throwing up calms his hiccups temporarily, so he has also become bulimic. On top of that he is diabetic, so he becomes hypoglycemic from his bulimia and anorexia. He throws up even when he has not eaten anything. He is also a chronic alcoholic, so this has all tied into one big knot of complications. The whole family feels bad for him because he is just depressed and tired of it. I used to think that someone could get used to having hiccups, but i was completely wrong. Please let me know what i can do to help. It is affecting our family physically, psychologically, and emotionally.He has felt suicidal at times. cassie (2005-10-10): hi, my case isnt as bad as the ones above i was just wondering why i get the hickups every day its only 1-4 times each time i hick up. but i do it 1 to 10 times a day every day for the last year. Erik (2005-10-10): Everybody is different Cassie, I'd start with the articles I link to above, and see if you can isolate the cause, be it stress, an alergy, or something else. Shari (2005-10-12): My husband has had the hiccups for two years, usually 4or 5 days aweek. The hiccups usually go away when he sleeps. He has been to a specialist but so far no answers. Can anyone suggest what else we can try? Also has anyone had the surgery? Shari (2005-10-12): The web seaching is new to me. I have found the links since I wrote that first note. I appreciate the iformation. The past year I have been trying to monitor food and stress. Allergy tests sound like a possiblity. How would I go about finding a doctor that would be qualified in this area? My husband has diebetes so is already on too many medicines. Thanks for the help. Erik (2005-10-12): Shari, your family doctor should be able to refer you to an alergy specialist. Good luck! Crystal (2005-10-23): I have had hiccups for about two and a half years now. I'm not sure if they can be considered "chronic," because I generally get one every few hours or so, but occasionally one right after the other, which usually lasts for about fifteen minutes. They are loud and very painful, and people frequently ask me if I'm alright, because it sounds like I just got kicked in the gut . No home remedies have ever helped, because they don't happen one after the other. I'm currently in college for music education, and my hiccups interrupt my classes, and even some of my performances. I went to a doctor once to talk about it, and the only suggestion he had was to quit playing the tuba, which is my life... Have you heard of hiccups like mine? Erik (2005-10-25): Crystal, without question, you need to see a doctor. A specialist. If your family doctor cannot offer helpful suggestions, get referrals to specialists. Kelly (2005-11-06): I hiccup all the time.. usually just one hiccup every little while during the day.. if I eat even a little bit i will still hiccup after. sometimes the hiccup causes food to come back up in my throat. thanks for letting me share! :) ! Erik (2005-11-07): Sorry to hear that Kelly, that would really get old fast. If you've got goot health insurance, hunt that thing down! Graeme (2005-11-14): I'm toward the end of the 2nd day of 'chronic' hiccups as I write this. I have had some gastrointestinal infection (read: diarrhea) over the past week and they seem to be a result of that. Usually I can force them away by drinking a glass of water while standing bent over from the waist as far as I can go. Try this - it works. It helps to have the glass behind your chin, not in front of you as you would normally drink from a sitting or standing position. That way you won't spill it as you reach the bottom of the glass. But although this still helps, lately the cure hasn't been lasting very long. If I belch, burp, laugh, sneeze or cough they're back. If this keeps up I will certainly seek medical advice. It's embarrassing to say the least, as I am also a teacher. Josh (2005-11-21): I am a 30 yr old Christian from Omaha Ne and I pray for people with hiccups. This may sound strange to you but about 4 years ago I had a spell of hiccups and in the middle of the spell I prayed for God to heal me and he did. Since then I have seen success in the same way when I pray for others. Not always, but many times. I can't explain it... If you want me to pray for you I would be happy to. 402-201-3263 Erin (2005-12-04): I have had hiccups for four months now they just wont go away! Jake (2005-12-05): For the past couple months I've been getting hiccups in my third hour class. They go away after about 10-15 mins, but it just seems weird that it only happens in my that one class. nancy (2006-01-02): i have the hiccups everyday but it usually helps to put my finger in then navel o bellybutton and massage it for a few minuets im 15 male with an inbetweenie belly button hope it works for some of you jennifer (2006-01-23): Jennifer - My husband had colon cancer and had an operation 13 months ago. 3 days after surgery he got hiccups and he suffers daily.. no one has been able to identify what the problem is. He has had CTscans - been on every kind of medication you can imagine and he is so uncomfortable due to the reflux that he only gets relief if he throws up. Has anyone had no stop hiccups for over a year that had a surgery as well? they used to go away when he would fall asleep and now they continue in his sleep. we have been referred to a specialist and he gets a endoscopy tommorow I pray we can get rid of these hiccups he has suffered enough. No one knows the pain uless they have been through this..... any advice? We have tried accupunture as well with no relief. Tina (2006-01-25): I have the same type of hiccups as cassie....i only hiccup a few at a time and then they are gone untill later...then it starts again....people tell me that i sound like a mouse when i hiccup...i cant believe that other people have a problem like mine...I feel bad for those of you that have them all the time, hope someone can find a cure for you, i think that would be horriable all the time. mom (2006-02-02): My son has had chronic hiccups for 2 years. HE suffers terribly. He too has to throw up for relief. He also suffers from severe breathing problems. The Dr. has put him on opiates which does help, but his tolerance level keeps increasing; that can't go on. Can anyone produce a name of a Dr. that does the surgery with the vagus nerve? son (2006-02-14): opiates work i.e. oxycodone ive had chronic hiccups for 3 years they work its finding a dr.that will prescribe for this horrible condition Judy (2006-02-19): My husband has had chronic hiccups for 23 years. He has them for 5-7 days, 24 hours a day, every few seconds. He gets very very sick, can't eat, sleep and gets very weak. He spends most of this time in bed. The doctor has prescribed Thorazine which makes him like a zumby and doesn't help until the last day. He gets these every two weeks now. We can't find a doctor that can help. In the year 2006 wouldn't you think they could help cure this awful disease. Erik (2006-02-22): That's awful Judy. I've heard of Thorazine being prescribed, but that hardly sounds worth it. B (2006-02-23): I have hiccups very occasionally but when I try a certain technique to rid myself of them, it seems to work every time. Essentially I breathe in very slowly and then breathe out very slowly, without pausing. It takes quite a bit of concentration to do it when you are constantly interrupted by hiccups, but it works for me. Hiccups seem to be a kind of spasm, and this slow, steady breathing preoccupies the muscle, it seems, and stops the jerky hiccups. I would be interested to see if it works for chronic sufferers. You all have my sympathy, good luck! JACK (2006-03-18): I DISCOVERED A METHOD TO CURE OCCASIONAL BOUTS OF HICCUPS THAT I HAVE ENCOUNTERED MYSELF. IT WORKS 100% OF THE TIME. IT ALSO WORKED 100% OF THE TIME FOR EVERYONE WHO I HAVE SHOWN THE METHOD. THE METHOD IS DIFFIUCLT TO EXPLAIN WITHOUT BEING IN THE PERSONS PRESENCE. IF ANYONE THINKS THAT THEY MAY BE HELPED WITH MY METHOD, E-MAIL ME AT JZDEP@EC.RR.COM I'M DOING IT THIS WAY BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO HAVE FIRST HAND KNOWLEGE AS TO IF MY METHOD WILL WORK FOR EVERYONE. anonymous (2006-03-18): Jean..My Son has had chronic hiccups for four months now .and becoming worse , all the time. They stop when he is asleep .This started when he was drilling heavy Steel ,with the Drill held against his chest.He does suffer with Hiatus Hernia and Reflux anyway, but this has made it worse ..He has had all the CT scans that everyone has mentioned as well, But .it has been suggested that he take a Drug called Largagtol .I dont know anything about this . Has anyone out there used this Drug, or heard of it ? Would love to hear from anyone who has tried this " Largatol" Waiting...Jean Kristin (2006-03-26): I have had the hiccups for three years every day. They started out a couple of hiccup attacks every day and then progressed to every few seconds all day. The doctors put me on chloropromaz a muscle relaxant, but that only slowed them back down to every day a few times a day with the occasional attack. With in the last week there was a chiropractor at my school doing spinal exams. They did one on me and told me where I have very high tension points. These points work with the nerves that control my diaphram. They said that if I got adjustments that my hiccups would go away. I suggest to people that they go talk to a chiropractor and see if they can help you. Lizzy (2006-03-31): i am not sure whether or not i have chronic hiccups... i have had hiccups since last may or so... although i do not hiccup continuously, i hiccup maybe once or twice every few hours. when i sleep i do not hiccup at all. i am not sure what i have. can anyone help me? Erik (2006-04-01): That sounds chronic to me! Nikki (2006-04-20): Does this sound like chronic hiccups to you... i have always the hiccups, and sometimes they get so intense that my lungs start to hurt...i can get one every once in a while and sometimes i get a bunch...but i never hiccup when i sleep...is it chronic Erik (2006-04-21): Nikki, that sounds like chronic hiccups to me! Megan (2006-04-21): Weird! I've had the hiccups for a year and a half now straight. Like everyone else on here, I don't hiccup at night. At first it was funny.. now its getting annoying! i can feel them coming and hold them in for a while, but after doing that for too long they come really hard and I can't hold them in! markgb007 (2006-04-29): I have had the hiccups for going on 9 years. I do get breaks of a day or two evry so often. I have had ct scans mri's and ultra sounds to no avail. I am also on largagtol it eases the severeness but dosn't stop them it lowers my blood pressure so I get drowsy and very dizzy if I make any sudden moves. I have to go get the cam down the throat next month hoping to find somthing so I can get on with life. Erik (2006-05-01): Good luck Mark! smish (2006-05-02): i've had hiccups for going on 10 months now. they started at maybe one a day, then one an hour, now i have two or three short bouts an hour. they are high pitched and sort of squeaky. they have been getting worse and worse and now i can feel them there all the time, that tense feeling like you're on the verge of hiccuping constantly. they stop when i'm asleep, and strangely enough, when i'm concentrating on something. i tend to hiccup as soon as the period of concentration ends, like at the end of a maths test or after playing a piece on my cello. crazy. Erik (2006-05-03): Smish, those are psychogenic, just like mine. You're brain is making you hiccup without your permission. Look into things that might make you stressed or upset. SK (2006-05-19): My situation is kindof different. I've had hiccups for over 3 years now, but they are not continuous hiccups like the usual hiccups one might get. I only hiccup once and then it stops, sometimes its two hiccups and then it stops. This is on-going throughout the day, happens atleast once an hour. Whenever I tell someone about it, they say drink some water..but there is no point to that because I hiccup once or twice then its gone, people dont understand that it's not a normal hiccup that holding my breath or drinking water can cure. I've had CT scans on my head and chest area, nothing was found. No one knows what is causing this but I've had enough. Also, when I do get the regular hiccups that continue for a minute or two they are incredibly strong and cause my abdomen to hurt. bobby mnemonic (2006-05-23): I've had hiccups going on 5 days stratit. When I wake up in the morning i don't have them, but as soon as I cough they come back. When I get the hiccups they last for about 4-5 hours. when they stop, it's about 1-2 hours and thats my chance to eat something. however, they do stop when i am asleep. sometimes I try holding my breath to get them to stop but it only work sometimes. my stomatch hurts and it's effecting my life. i wish they'd go away Erik (2006-05-28): Bobby, sorry you're having a rough time of it. Same advice as I give others: Reduce stress, look for alergies, and research. Moesha50 (2006-06-07): My Dad has hiccups constantly, they come and go but when he has them it lasts for 2 - 3 hoursthere have been times he has styaed up for most of the night having them. We have been to the doctors, specialists, private doctors the works and no one can find a cure. Yesterday he went and saw a chinese doctor who has encouraged him to try some herbal stuff. My Dad is 78 and when he has the hiccups it takes a lot out of him and he his really frustrated and really low.. Any suggestions??? Erik (2006-06-07): That sounds like it might be an allergy to me. Maybe he could try a super-simple diet for a couple of days and see if it goes away, then adding things back into the diet. markgb007 (2006-06-10): still haven't gone for the scope but a doc suggested seeing a hypnotist has anyone tried this Rhiannon (2006-06-10): I am 21 and i have had the hiccups for almost 6 years, randomly throughout the day, no certain things cause them. I have an appointment with a GI specialist on the 17th. What I wanted to suggest was a prescription my doctor gave called "Baclofen." It actually did reduce my hiccups significantly, however, it caused me to have a dry mouth and to feel faint on occasion so I stopped after about 2 weeks. Since those symptoms largely depend on the person and are common with many medications, I would highly recommend it to anyone. online (2006-06-10): i have had hiccups for 14 years,i have lost about 150 pounds.i have had justabout every thing noting seem to help .thay went a way for a week,but thay comes right i do not know if its eat,ihave been to all kinds of doctor nothing,if any one has something that help please email me.at dukeww69@sbcglobal.net.iam willing to try anything.richard.iam at the point now where i loese my bearth.i use baclofin it help sometimes.thanks. online (2006-06-10): i have had hiccups for 14 years,i have lost about 150 pounds.i have had justabout every thing noting seem to help .thay went a way for a week,but thay comes right i do not know if its eat,ihave been to all kinds of doctor nothing,if any one has something that help please email me.at dukeww69@sbcglobal.net.iam willing to try anything.richard.iam at the point now where i loese my bearth.i use baclofin it help sometimes.thanks. lacy (2006-06-14): there is a pressure point on your middle finger. on each side of the knuckle closest to the hand. press there you may have to search, but you know when you hit it you will feel the last hiccup bubble out and you won't again. tara (2006-06-18): Has anyone researched chronic hiccups in a newborn? I know frequent ones are coomon but my 1 month old has them whenever she is awake. They've stopped when she eats and sleeps thank god but if she atarts to stir during sleep she hiccups once/twice and when she wakes the begin. * If really relaxed, about to go to sleep the subside, become small and quiet not so big/loud. Drs aren't concerned but I am. Michael (2006-06-20): I can make my hiccups go away by will. No swallowing, or taking in air, or other techniques - I just decide to stop. I trained myself to do this when I was young - out of curiosity I guess. My hiccups usually last for a whole day, unless I end them, and if I do, they stay away permanently. I was hoping I could help, but the hiccups everyone here are experiencing are quite severe compared to mine rather normal hiccups. However, if anyone is interested I can try to explain in depth what I do. It's of course a bit difficult to explain, since I don't actually move any bodyparts, but it's all about trying to feel and control the last part of the swallowing process, where the food/drink settles. I hope it doesnt sound psycho-babbelish, because it isn't, its probably the same as looking at 3D stereoscopic images, if you know what I mean. The whole procedure takes about 20-30 seconds, and you can feel when it is completed. If anyone is interested I'd be happy to elaborate a bit and try and explain. Glen (2006-06-26): Erik..I just had brain and spinalcord sugury, and I so happened to be intabaited for my sugery. After sugery I woke up with cronic hiccups. I mean 20 to 25 episodes every day, even when I sleep, I can roll over and here they go starting up all over again! If that is not chronic hiccups, I dont know what they would be?? any thoughts ERIK Erik (2006-06-28): Glen, I wouldn't even know where to start on this one. Have you talked to your neuro-surgeon? Dan (2006-06-28): Hiccups are so annoying! Don't drink so much if you don't want them! LOL nedi (2006-06-29): My dad also have this hiccups.. How to cure it... smith (2006-07-12): ok, i have the cure for the hiccups. it may not work on all of you, and it may be something you have to do on a regular basis perhaps. god, i didn't realize there were so many of you and how bad it really was. i was on another blog and tried to give them the cure, did in fact, but as far as i can tell, no one ever came back and saw it. this was weeks ago. i'm new to computers and just starting to get the hang of it. some years ago, my aunt had told me there was this guy she saw on the news who had had the hics for years, and i always vowed that if i ever got a computer, i would try to help. i'm a sad case myself, many health problems and bad karma, this all due to my mercury dental amalgams. the reason i mention it is, well, no one ever helps me with anything either, including offering me the use of a computer to do anything, even to help people like you. anyway, i discovered the cure intuitively once when i had the hics, and the first person i tried it on was my dad when he was dying of cancer and had the hics real bad. it worked. and it has worked on everyone i've tried it on since. now, like i said, it may not work or work as well on you hardcore hiccupers, but its worth a try. i gladly offer this for free in the hopes that it will help relieve your misery, take you out of your hell. i like helping people. i just wish someone would help me with my impossible problems sometime. there's just one thing, well, two things, 1) i'm sorry i didn't find this site sooner (i've been busy and unwell, and i was disenchanted with the people in that other blog blowing me off; see, my bad karma is such that i'm not even given the chance to help people, its an electromagnetic thing you see, i dont know if you know what i'm talking about; has to do with electromagnetic fields ), and 2) i kindof really cant do it right this minute. but i promise, really i do, that i will be back tonight and post my cure. its a simple technique which like i said i devised or intuited myself. don't despair, help is on the way. i promise. my own health is a disaster and i honestly can't do it right now. cool? anonymous (2006-07-12): ok, here i am. i just read the entire collection of posts. i am horrified and my heart goes out to all of you. believe me, i know all too well what it's like to have nightmarish health problems with no solution in sight. but try my cure, i have high hopes that it will work for you. it is in fact my fondest wish (well, one of my fondest wishes) that it work on every last one of you. as far as causes, i can't offer much there except to say 1) doctors, i have found, with regard to my own disastrous health, are pretty much useless, and 2) i don't much buy the stress theory. i believe stress can definitely aggravate, even trigger things like this, but it is not the root cause. i believe most root causes are physical. ok, i'm very anxious to help, so without any further delay, here it is: first, try to relax, you're going to be doing a little breathing thing. ("oh, another breathing thing..." i can hear you all thinking. i know, but this one's different. this one works.) *note: read the whole thing through before you actually start. it may sound complicated at first, but it's really simple. ok, your lips should be sortof extended out in like a kissy-face position, and you're going to make like an 'o-ring' with them. small but not too teeny. it should be just big enough to make the next step relatively comfortable. --be cool with the kissy-face o-ring. don't focus on that too much at all, and don't make it really stiff. just sortof normal like. now you're going to be breathing in through the narrow opening, almost (but not quite) as though you were whistling in reverse. (it's really more like a sipping/sucking than a whistling.) do this slowly. but not exceedingly slowly. -see, i wish i could do like a podcast, so you could see it exactly and get the timing of it right. but i guess you'll just have to experiment. let you intuition guide you. and if it doesn't work the first time, try adjusting the size of the o-ring and/or the timing of the breathing. do what feels right. ok, so inhale (rather, suck air in) very slowly and homogenously through the small opening. as you do this you will find that you will naturally be making like a 'blowing in reverse' sound. suck in all the way as far as you can, and then hold it for like about 2 or 3 seconds. then do the reverse: blow it out through the o-ring in the same manner you sucked in, until all the air is out of you. immediately --well, after a second or two-- start the sucking in again. you will do this a total of 3 times in a row. that's it. oh, i recommend you do this standing up. --but i dont know, try it different ways if you have to. you have no idea how much i hope this works for all of you. please let me know if it does. --and by all means feel free to shower me with gratitude and adulation. it will bring me much (albeit bittersweet) joy to know that i've helped you. also, frankly, i am very unappreciated and i need your love. good luck. --i'm going to say it again in brief, so it's not so confusing: 1) relax in exhaled mode 2) make kissy-face o-ring 3) suck air in slowly and homogenously, all the way in, and hold for about 3 seconds 4) blow air out in the same way until completely exhaled, and hold for about 2 seconds do this (a total of) 3 times ok then, i'll keep my fingers crossed, and will look forward to hearing from you on this blog if thats ok with erik. thanks erik for the opportunity to try to help everyone. and i know this was a long post; i apologize if i was a bloghogger. i hope you will all be released from your hell. smith (2006-07-12): doh! --forgot to sign in. the above cure was lovingly brought to you by me, smith Erik (2006-07-13): Smith, that sounds like a good, controlled diaphragm relaxation technique. Thanks for the tip! I can't tell you if it would work for me, because I'm not in the middle of one of my bouts, but others may try it. AC (2006-07-26): My grandfatehr has the hic's real bad, the last episode lasted for 13 days. It's so bad that his tounge sometimes sticks to the roof of his mouth, so when he gets them someone has to constantly monitor him while he sleeps and all the time really. He's in his late 70's and it's really exausting him. He has some other medical stuff going on right now too but I'm sure that the hiccups are not related but rather coinsidental in relation to time. Do you have any simple suggestion? I know that when my daughter was a baby and used to get the hiccups, someone told me to put a red piece of string on the center of her forehead, and it worked......maybe I should try that? jenny (2006-07-27): My Dad has had the hiccups since March of 2005. Had surgery to remove his bladder and started with the hiccups that very night. He goes for weeks and then he will stop any where from a fews minutes to as much as a week but then it starts back again. We have tried ear, nose and throat doctors, neurologists, hypnotist, and recently a pain clinic that injected novacane in his venus(?) nerve in his neck. Nothing has helped. He had to have a ostomy and now with all of the hiccups, that has begun to herniate due to constant pressure from the hiccups. I have contacted several research hospitals for any similar cases but no one can help. This has really taken a toll on my Dad as well as my Mom. Is there some smart doc out there who can give them there quality of life back? smith (2006-07-30): ok people, seriously, try my cure. it works. you'll find it 5 posts up from here. ron (2006-08-29): hiccups 10yrs need help jrm03 (2006-09-17): I have had the hiccups since 10/2004, the longest episode is currently what i am dealing with and that is 13 weeks straight...this episode is the worse of all because it has caused blood pressure to rise and i have actually blacked out even at times when i am not hiccuping...i have tried many of the home remedies and prescriptions that claim to work, well for me they didn't...now they are talking about surgery... Sue (2006-09-26): Ok, this may seem insignificant compared to all the above stories, but I have my own hiccup problem. When I hiccup it is never more than 3 single hiccups in a row but I easily hiccup 30-50 single hiccups per day. This started for me about 8 months ago, and I can't find any pattern to them. I get them sometimes after I eat or drink, but also when I've gone hours without eating or drinking. However, to the best of my knowledge I don't get them while I sleep. I'm confused and I'm not sure if this is important enough to go to a doc about. Any suggestions? Dana (2006-10-04): So glad I'm not alone! I have had hiccups every day since Jan 3 2000 (6 years, 9 months and 1 day). They were terribly embarrassing in undergrad, with the echoes in the large lecture theatres. I've seen gastroenterologists (who threw Nexium at me, which didn't help, nor did the other GERD med they tried me on, it just killed my appetite, which isn't a good thing when you're doing field work and you're eating everything in sight to keep your energy up), neurologists (who manically suggested that I had Tourette's, but an MRI proved that wrong), respirologists (who concluded, after an extensive study of my breathing.... in their sleep center that....wait for it.... I have the hiccups). My physiotherapist is at a loss, as is my family doc. However, my husband has noticed that my hiccups are less frequent in the past years (could have to do with no longer eating cafeteria food), and that there may be a correlation between a decrease in hiccup frequency and receiving acupuncture (my physio/acupuncturist does a 'centering' spot between my eyebrows, it does wonderful things) My hiccups aren't like what many of you describe. They are sporadic - meaning they happen in ones or twos, not strings, and can happen at any time of the day. Worst I remember was 80 in an hour during a lab! They seldom happen when I lay down, and they don't happen when I sleep. PRofessionally, they're a bit of an annoyance, because it's kind of embarrassing to be giving a research presentation, and have this enormous loud hiccup. Fortunately, they don't happen much when I'm in an exam, when I got married, when I'm giving presentations, when I'm dancing (although demonstrating steps sometimes find me hiccuping), and seldom (although more recently) when I ride my horse (that could have been for fear of startling my spooky horse). Frequency seems to be related to stress, overeating, and an unknown other number of variables that I haven't pinned down yet. I do get acid reflux, but the hiccups don't seem to be worse when I get the reflux. Anyone else's hiccups sound like this? Sporadic, varying frequency? Love to hear from someone else with the same problem. the_farm_girl (at) hotmail (dott) com Erik (2006-10-07): The only comment that I have, and I'm sure you've thought of this is: If they go away when you sleep, it's in your mind, and not your body. Same for me, so I know there is a way to cure it, and it has to come from inside, but I don't have any tips for you there. I'd bet the acupuncture helps more in your state of relaxation than any mystic magic. Sara (2006-10-11): For a few months now, I have been getting the hiccups every day, but it isn't an all day thing or even a lot thing. I just randomly get about ten hiccups once or twice a day. I never used to get the hiccups this much, so I was just looking for a medical reason of why. smith (2006-10-20): what am i, invisible? try my cure...you'll find it 12 posts up. Nicole (2006-10-22): So, I thought I was alone all this time, and apparently I'm not, I suffer from what a lot of you guys seem to be suffering from, the annoying hiccups that will last for 1 or 2 hiccups each time, and that happens anywhere from 5- probably 20 times a day. And maybe once a week, I'll get the hiccups that'll last for about 30 hiccups, if not more. I have yet to find a pattern, It doesn't seem to matter what I eat or drink, or what I'm doing, they just happen, the only time I don't notice them happening is when I'm sleeping. It's been going on this way for the last few months, if anyone has any idea of what's going on or what I can do, please let me know. I'm starting to worry myself about this whole thing, and I hate that I am, and I don't even know if it's serious enough to go to the doctors about. glittergal182@msn.com Manuel Morales (2006-10-24): I first experienced chronic hiccups back in 2001 which lasted 5 days, this last Sunday after a cup of coffee I started to hiccup. It's been 3 days now and it only allows me about 3 hours of sleep. My stess level is low at the moment - but I do suffer from high cholestorol and blood pressure. The hiccups come in 1-3 at a time and just continue like that all day. I have tried most of the known "cures" for hiccups w/o any success. They just come and go?!? I will try "smith"s suggestion above (why not) but most importantly I can see that this is more common then I had first realized and happens to both men and woman. I live in San Francisco and will contact UCSF to see if any study exists for this ailment. Well back to my spasms :-( sfmanuel@yahoo.com jrm03 (2006-10-27): I have officially been put on short term disablity from work due to the hiccups...i can't stand for longer then 5 minutes without feeling like all the blood has been drained from me and going in public is crazy people either want to laugh, give me a remedy or hold hands and pray (among those three i prefer the prayers)....i am now seeing my third neurologist, been to two gastro doctors, one chiro and one ENT....my primary doctor has lost hope on me seeing that i collapse if i over heat...my apartment stays at 68 degrees or lower and i am still breaking out in sweats....i am so tired but can't sleep....they have tried all the medications from thorazine to muscle relaxers, the hiccups continue i hiccup anywhere from 30 to 140 an hour all the time even during what little sleep i get....i am going on 4 straight months of hiccups no breaks...between this site and an episode of "Untold ER Stories" where a woman had chronic hiccups for 8 straight days; i don't feel like a freak sideshow.... if there are any discoveries on how to control or decease these hiccups please tell me.... markgb98 (2006-11-04): I finally went for the scope down the throat and they found the cause of my chronic hiccups is a hiatal hernia puting pressure on my diaphram. I am being treated for it and my hiccups are a lot less frequent. I wish they could have figured this out 9 years ago lol Dizzy (2006-11-05): Did you ever find a cure?? I myself have had the hiccups for almost 2yrs and haven't found a cure yet. Dizzy (2006-11-05): Markgb98 - I was scheduled for a scope and cancelled it thinking there's no way they could find anything...thanks to reading your blurb, I will now reschedule in hopes they find something to save me from the insanity! I developed the hiccups when I was 12 weeks pregnant and they haven't gone away. I get them all day every day every 3-5sec. It's amazing, most people think I don't have them anymore because I control them so well. I can't believe we can perform open heart surgery and separate conjoined twins but no one knows how to cure the hiccups. As for all the advice of try this technique...it doesn't work. When you've had the hiccups for this long, drinking from a glass upside down is far too simple. I must say reading the blurbs has been both depressing and promising - knowing I'm not the only one out there but also knowing people have had them for 10yrs and I'm only working on 2yrs. I will be checking back, praying that one person will have a cure. Lisa (2006-11-05): I tried the cure! it worked! thanks jrm03 (2006-11-06): I am going in to the hospital for a 3 day observation session; they feel that by keeping wired to all the machines they will find were the nerve glitch is...As soon as I get results back I will let you all know. I had the scope done, there was no hernia but they did find a stomache problem and it gotten take care of before it got as bad as the hiccups. I am happy for all those who have been cured! Hopefully one day I will be one of those too... I have also been contacted by a british producer, they are doing a documentary on people with chronic hiccups, I will be sure to let them know about this site and the support we give one another... Good Luck! Dizzy (2006-11-06): To: Jrm03 - Finally someone is making headway!!! I can't wait to hear your results, and hopefully this British producer will bring this condition to the forefront! We all need help and can't seem to find any. Erik (2006-11-07): Good luck Jrm03! Lunchbox (2006-11-07): Has anyone explored the surgery of cutting the phrenic nerve that leads to the diaphram? I've touched upon it with a Neurologist but he said you'd stop breathing... but why is it I keep seeing it mentioned?? Georgia (2006-11-07): OKAY!!! now, ever since I got my period in sixth grade (14 years ago)I have been having problems! I get the hiccups all through my cycle, and right when my period ends, the hiccups end! It was very embarrasing because in middle and high school, all of the boys would make fun of me because everyone would know it was my time of the month! I have been to many docs but none of them can help! this problem does not sound as bad as others, but when you have hiccups coming every 2 seconds (and hard) AND you have cramps, it is kind of hard to get through the day! jrm03 (2006-11-07): Georgia...trust me I sympathize with you...in the last 5 months of nonstop hiccupping my body is in constant cramp mode... I hope that one day people will quit laughing and take something as simple (NOT) as a hiccup more seriously... Lunchbox... I have asked 3 separate Neurologist if they will do the surgery since it has been done in the past and they mention it as an option, but they say it is to risky, I finally told them to quit mentioning it as a solution if it is to risky, because until they live a day with these form of hiccups they will not know the pain and annoyance that we on this site live through each hour and minute our body jolts with that hiccup....they will quit mentioning something that is not possible… Sorry I ramble, but I am tired of hiccupping and no one listening, except other hiccuppers… Dizzy (2006-11-08): I spoke with a Health Nurse at work today and she recommended seeing a Cardiologist...when I get to see my regular Doctor I'll ask for a referral. Has anybody seen a Cardiologist?? jrm03 (2006-11-08): I saw a Cardiologist 3 months ago...they were concerned at first when they heard my case, but I was fortunate that everything through their test came out on the good side....but I do say get checked....I am to go back in 2 months to make sure nothing has changed....I also went to a Gastro doctor...these lovely hiccups can be caused by so many different things, so please everyone be sure to get thoroughly checked… You all may think I am crazy, but I am tired of hiccupping all the time and I am on Short Term Disability from work so I have time to do research…I have also spoken to the producer I made a comment about earlier and he asked me to send him the links to this site, so I do hope that is ok with everyone…. Dizzy (2006-11-09): Hey jrm03 - I developed the hiccups when I was 12 weeks pregnant - thinking they'd go away when he was born - nope! They got worse!! At the end of December I'll have had them for 2yrs. Right now I hiccup all day every day every 3-5 seconds...I've gotten so good at supressing them that people think I don't have them anymore. I have a scope booked for December 18th and I may go to a Walk In Doctor to request a referral to a Cardiologist - my regular Doctor is away for the month of November. I am more then tired of hiccuping... thankfully I had one day break and got some solid sleep last night, but as faithful as they are - came back today!! I have really bad heartburn right now and of course these hiccups add to the misery. Just want to thank you for your advice and I have no problem giving that producer this site.. I hope he can help us!!! amy (2006-11-11): I have hiccups everyday ever since sophmore year started.Right now im in the middle of my sophmore year and im not sure how much longer i can deal with these hiccups. Im not sure why but they happen every single day in every single one of my classes. They just come randomly like 1-2. Morning, afternoon and night. I don't know what to do about them and I know that everyone is annoyed with them, but they don't go away by doing any of the things that you do to get rid of them.. if u have any advice or anything email- gtownchick3456@(at)Hotmail.com Zander (2006-11-14): DOCUMENTARY ON HICCUPPING? My name is Zander Levy and I work for a television production company called Raw TV. We’ve been asked by Channel 4, a major British broadcaster, to look into developing a sensitive 1-hour documentary about chronic hiccupping and the effect it has on sufferers. I have spoken with Jrm03 and this has enabled me to better understand the difficulty of living with the condition and I would be interested to learn more about other people’s experiences. If you would like to get in touch I could explain more to you about the documentary. I’m not sure that anybody on this forum is from the UK in which case it may be best if you give me a time and a number to call you (alternatively we could use MSN messenger). We feel this is an important programme to make - as it seems that that hiccups are considered innocuous by the majority of people who do not understand the condition. All my details are below and please look on our website if you would like to find out more about Raw TV: www.rawtelevision.co.uk Zander Raw TV T: + 44 (0) 207 284 6882 zander.levy@rawtelevision.co.uk jrm03 (2006-11-15): Hi all….I hope everyone is doing well even with the hiccups…I just received paperwork from my neurologist…they feel that the hiccups are an anxiety disorder…I hope it is that simple…but I guess I will find out soon enough…tomorrow I go to the psychiatrist and then on 11/20 I will be going in for observation…. I have a question for everyone when you hiccup do you keep your mouth shut or does your mouth automatically open and cause a loud noise? The doctor finds it odd that I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut…when I hiccup :o) Hope to get some insight on how you all handle the hiccups… Dizzy (2006-11-19): Hey jrm03 - let me know how the psychiatrist goes... I've been thinking for a while that these hiccups are stress related but I think it'll cost me a fortune in therapy to make them go away! I'm going to try and get in touch with your friend Zander. I live 45 minutes East of Toronto Canada..not sure where everyone else is from so there's no way I'll be able to meet him in person. Oh, and as for your question about the mouth automatically opening...nope, mine stays shut and I don't make a noise. Most of the time I just breathe thru them...that's why people think I don't have them anymore. As for handling them... do we have any other choice??!!! TallFatSue (2006-11-20): Gee whiz, I just found this site and I'm not alone! Hi, I'm Sue, and I've been a frequent hiccuper since I was a girl in high school. Usually I get the hiccups 2 or 3 times a day, 5 or 6 seconds apart, for 10 or 15 minutes. A few times a year my hiccups might last several hours. It was bad enough to be the big tall fat girl in my class, but add hiccups to the mix and it was an adolescent nightmare. We're not talking quiet feminine hiccups either. Mine are loud powerful hiccups that people can hear in the next county, but it hurts to keep my mouth closed for long. After trips to several doctors who can't find anything wrong, I pretty much accept hiccups as part of my life. Now I'm 49, so after 35 years (!) of thrice-daily hiccup attacks, it's probably nothing life-threatening. To be honest, my hiccups rarely bother me because I'm used to them, and they'll run their course before long, and they don't interfere too much with my breathing unless I'm in a hurry. At home I simply hiccup with my mouth open, and at work I close the door to my office until my hiccups subside. Some joker even made a sign to hang on my doorknob: "Caution: hiccups in progress." The usual hiccup cures don't work, so I don't even try; at best, they only delay my hiccups. Food allergies might be one culprit because generally I start to hiccup about an hour after meals. If I eat only the blandest foods imaginable, I just might avoid a hiccup attack. I also get the hiccups when I'm nervous or excited, or laugh too much, or for no apparent reason. Sometimes I can feel them about to start, and sometimes the "starter hiccup" takes me by surprise. My first hiccup attack of the day usually begins shortly after I get out of bed in the morning, so my shower sometimes sounds like an echo chamber. But my hiccups might have some redeeming qualities. I'll never forget my first date with a certain boy in college, I was so nervous I had the hiccups all evening. I was so embarrassed! Evidently those hiccups made me memorable, because we went steady and now we've been married almost 25 great years. And at family reunions all my little nieces and nephews love to sit on their big fat Aunt Sue's lap when I have the hiccups, so I may be the center of attention again on Thanksgiving. It's amazing some of the coping mechanisms I've developed. It pays to have a sense of humor, and to count my blessings. Thank goodness I never hiccup nonstop for days or weeks on end. jrm03 (2006-11-22): Hello and happy Thanksgiving to all…well I spent three days in the hospital hooked to an EEG (still washing the glue out of my hair)…they have determined that my hiccups are not cause by any brain irregularities but I am having non-epileptic seizures. They could not pinpoint the cause, but they do feel that they are stress related. So I am back at the beginning but at least they have eliminated some things such as brain malfunctions… I will keep you all posted…I hope everyone is doing good… anonymous (2006-11-22): I've been hiccupping 30 to 50 times a day for nine months now. I don't have them one after another just sprend out periodically throughout the day. I think it's time to get it checked out. yasmina (2006-11-24): Hi Erik I googled chronic hiccups and found this page and cant find any direst contacts although lisa from page http://www.erikburrows.com/index.php?node=Chronic+Hiccups says there is a cure. please help me out or at least give me some pointers, this hiccups is driving me insane. I swear its genetic too, my mum gets it like this, all her life, she is nearing 70 now. I will be superthrilled if u contact me at yasmina@cytanet.com.cy and drop me some hints. thanks!!! Yasmina TallFatSue (2006-11-27): Thanksgiving weekend is prime time for hiccups, and I got 5 separate cases on Thursday. Otherwise it was my usual 2 or 3 times a day. Certain combinations of foods seem to make my hiccups more or less intense, but don't affect the duration or interval between each hiccup. One case was so strong my hiccups sounded like a mule, but sure enough, after 10 or 15 minutes they were finished. Another case was pretty mild. My husband & I went to a wedding Saturday afternoon, so I was prepared to clamp my hand over my mouth during the ceremony if need be. For once I was lucky because I got the hiccups just before we left home, so I was in the clear for a few hours. My next case of hiccups came during the reception, but the music was so loud I could hiccup with my mouth open, which is much more comfy. I'm so used to getting the hiccups that they don't bother me. What does annoy me are well-meaning people who insist on helping me get rid of them, while I try to ex>HIC! TallFatSue (2006-11-27): explain between each hiccup that it's okay, I've been through it a hundred zillion times, and my hiccups really need to run their course. ;) jrm03 (2006-11-27): I think I could write a book "Hiccup Cures" they may work for you but after 6 months I think I tried it all...heehee... Sam (2006-11-30): I have hiccups since a week. I know how I am feeling now. I honour u people for the fact that you could put up with it for months. jrm03 (2006-11-30): Hello all… Well I went to the neurologist again today and since the observation showed that I had no brain irregularities but I am still hiccupping and the tremors on my right side are getting worse. He is sending me to a behavioral biofeedback specialist and a motion specialist (don’t remember the technical titles), but he is hoping that they will be able to help narrow down the cause and possibly find the resolution to my hiccups. So has anyone had any improvements or new issues due to the hiccups? yasmina (2006-12-04): I have been corresponding with Erik about my long-lasting, sleep-depriving hiccups and recently found a quick-fix that he suggested I write in about for all of you. This is perhaps not suitable for everyone, Im just targeting those who are ready to throw themselves off a building at 8am after a whole day (& night) of painful hiccups that wont go away with any of the usual methods. I certainly dont recommend it for daily use, being that its addictive in the longterm, and it would probably make your brain too mushy during working hours. I was prescribed this medication for my fear of flying, its a tranquilizer based on muscle relaxants, called Diazepam 5mg. It is meant to stop me displaying heart-attack-like symptoms during flights, which it does, without putting me to sleep. When I had a "Eureka" moment last week and took it for hiccups at around 7am after an all-nighter attack, I was hoping it would relax the diaphragm enough to stop spasms, which it did, and I was asleep within 1/2 an hour of taking just one tablet. Whether the tablet knocked me out or I was simply exhausted I'm not sure. Like I said before though, its probably not suitable for daily activities. It is, however, prescription only - so anyone considering it for hiccups should discuss symptoms with their doctor and probably emphasise the sleeplessness. It definitely worked for me though I will only be taking it for attacks before bedtime. Good luck to you all! jrm03 (2006-12-04): Yasmina….my doctor put me on Diazepam 10mg twice a day….unfortunately it no longer works for me….but I am happy to hear that they weren’t just experimenting with medication and it has done some one good, I have been sleep deprived from hiccups the longest I went was 60 hours of no sleep, it sucks…. Clay (2006-12-04): I can't tell you how happy I am to find this site - I have had (2) occasions with the hiccups. Once it last for three months and the second time lasted for two months and 24 days. Well as of Friday it's coming back - I went to the doctor and he is sending me to the gasto, neuro and a carto asap. My hands are falling a sleep and I am geting to they fall a sleep while using them - he thinks that the neuro is a must that all must be linked. I'm scared - I simply do not want them to start again or it's something bigger than I think. Any suggestions? I wish all of you the best and know your pain and frustration!!! Feel free to email me if I can help you or if you have any suggestions: burchemail@aol.com Erik (2006-12-05): I don't have any additional suggestions, but I wish you luck Clay! jrm03 (2006-12-05): Clay I have been to 3 different neurologist and finally found one who is willing to run test and send me to many specialist to eliminate or find the source of my hiccups. I am currently going on 6 months straight of hiccups, but have had them sparadically for 2 years. Good luck and don't let them push medications on you without telling you all the effects they will have, I am on Thorazine and no one told me it can cause tremors so now with the hiccups my right side goes into seizure spasms through out the day. TallFatSue (2006-12-08): Nothing new to report here. After 35 years of getting the hiccups every day, they don't bother me because they don't usually last too long. The holiday season reminds me that my friends and relatives know I have the hiccups all the time, so they ignore them too. On the other hand, total strangers practically force remedies down my throat, which is more annoying than the actual hiccups. At least when I'm with family or friends I can just relax and hiccup naturally, without feeling self-conscious about it or trying to hold my mouth shut. I try to keep a positive attitude, because I could have far worse problems. It sounds goofy just to say "hiccup naturally", so thank goodness I found this web site. Sometimes a woman just has to sit back and hiccup for a while. Clay (2006-12-10): Thank you Erik, jrm03 and TallFatSue - I go to the neurologist and gastro next week - I have several test to take. My Neurologist thinks it could be MS. I am currently on metoclopramide. thanks for your support! smith (2006-12-18): hiccup cure! hiccup cure! attention! try my hiccup cure people, it works. you can find it about 50 posts up from here. please go there and try it. TallFatSue (2006-12-19): Thanx, I tried the hiccup cure but alas it was no more successful than any of the others. However the kissy-face o-ring breathing did change my hiccups from sounding like a mule braying, to sounding more like a seal barking. Oh well, worth a try. To be honest, after several decades I can live with my frequent hiccups and let them resolve on their own, because 2 or 3 cases a day for 10 or 15 minutes is reasonably manageable (not that I have much choice). However a few days ago I had the hiccups for 4 or 5 hours and they became very tiring. It's a great comfort to know from this web site that I'm not alone. I only wish society in general would treat chronic hiccups with more respect. Clay (2006-12-25): It will be three weeks straight on the 29th ... I wish they had a true cure! Mine get so fast that I can not breath. ashmie (2007-01-01): my hiccups are chronic, but at the same time, speraditc and random. normally they do not follow too closely to one another, and most of the time it's just a few in a row, and then 10 minutes later, i'll do another, and then 5 minutes later, maybe two more. from time to time, i get them where i hiccup for ten to fifteen minutes nonstop. i don't even notice them too much, until they hurt- and that happens every so often as well.. Dani (2007-01-10): :( ive had hiccups many times before but they have always gone away the same day even tho i get the regularly. But im om my fourth day now they are soo painfull and its driving me mad at times i cant even eat. SOMEONE HELP! Dee (2007-02-03): I've had the hiccups for 25months. For the past year and a half they've been all day every day every 3-5sec. I may get 1 days rest once a week, but that's even lessening. I almost got on the Doctor Phil show but because I don't make noise when I hiccup (due to the fact I've learned how to control them after this long) it wasn't t.v. worthy. Not too impressed. Anyway, I have gone to an Acupuncturist. They managed to stop them for 2 days. It was a bit of a relief, but something for you to consider... worth at shot jrm03 (2007-02-08): Dee how did you get a hold of Dr Phil....i unfortunately can not control the loud high pitch noise that echoes....i want it to be known that these are not a joke..... Dee (2007-02-10): I emailed the show twice - last time I emailed I stated how pathetic it was to have a show where someone didn't bake anything from scratch and yet I have a serious condition that they won't even acknowledge. They were going to do a showe on "Medical Mysteries". I never heard back from them and plan on writing a nasty gram to say how unprofessional it was to be contacted then left hanging. It's worth a shot - even send them a video tape to show how the noise you emit. It's so sad.. people always offer those silly home remedies and kinda giggle when they realize you still have the hiccups. No one realizes that there are alot of us out there with this condition. I even told the Executive Producer that... there wasn't just me. Anyway, give it a shot and let me know how it goes! julie (2007-02-15): Hi, I am so glad to find this site. I have an odd set of "hiccups" that sounds similar to those mentioned by SK, Rhiannon, and Dana. I don't even know if the noises I make are hiccups. They don't FEEL like hiccups. I don't feel my diaphragm contract, and I still get normal sounding hiccups. These noises that I have sort of sound like I am yelling. I don't have them constantly. They come on average anywhere from 4-10 times a day (hours apart from one another) - every day. There is no pattern to them. Sometimes I have just eaten, sometimes I haven't eaten in hours. They do not occur when I am stressed or nervous (I have had several interviews the past few years and did not hiccup once). They are really loud sometimes - they echo through hallways. I am going to be a librarian, so I have to get rid of this noise!! I have been doing this for four years, and it seems like it is getting worse little by little. I have seen my PCP, a gastroenterologist, a neurologist and an ENT doctor. Collectively, they have done a CT of my chest (with a focus on my diaphragm), an endoscopy, a CT of my sinuses and neck... They have also tried about 10 different medicines. Except for something slight odd in my sinus CT, I am perfectly healthy everywhere they have looked. The medicines don't help me one bit. The odd thing in my sinus CT was a bump in the back top part of my mouth. My ENT doctor wasn't sure what it was but didn't think it was the cause of my noises. He mentioned that it might be caused from a problem with my vocal chords. He feels very strongly that it is caused by passage of air somewhere in my throat, sinus, or a related body part. I recorded my noise on my cell phone, so he has heard the screaming noise. I mentioned above that the noises only happen 4-10 times a day. However, a couple of weeks ago, I had an odd occurrence. The noise started at 10:45 on a Saturday night and continued for several hours. I was doing it every three breaths. I went to the ER room, and they didn't help me one bit. They sent me back home with the noise still persisting. The noises continued through Sunday and Monday. I went to see the ENT doctor on Monday. Unfortunately, my regular doctor was out, so I had to see a doctor I hadn't met with previously. He saw my noise as it was occurring and still couldn't help me. Finally, late Monday, the noise stopped. My throat was tired by then. I am so frustrated because people give me incredibly weird looks. Most doctors don't seem to understand or care. No one seems to want to help me, or at least try to. julie (2007-02-15): I forgot to add -- they also did an MRI of my brain... completely normal. a concerned mother (2007-02-17): I came across this site after watching the new of a girl that had a sudden onset of chronic hiccuping that has lasted for 3 weeks now. I don't know if this will help anyone but I know that any help is welcomed when you are frustrated that no one seems to be able to find a solution to just make it go away. My son developed a tic 3 years ago. It started with clearing his throat. We took him to the allergist and they tested him for allergies and found that he was allergic to dust mites, cockroaches, ragweed, and other seasonal things. Anyhow, we put him on allergy medicine, but it did not help the clearing of the throat. This past fall, he developed asthma and around the same time his tic changed into a chirping/gasping noise. He was troubled by this because the kids at school didn't understand and found it easy to make fun of him. The tic would occur at least 50 times a minute. We were desperate in trying to find out what was happening to him. We took him to the neurologist, and he said that he thinks it is more of an obsessive compulsive disorder. He prescribed him on a medication to treat tourette syndrome(mild dose) only because the kids were constantly picking on him and we needed to try to eliminate the problem to reduce stress. Well, we started him on the meds. The tic didn't go away, they were worse. I took him off of it immediately. We went back to the allergist and he recommended that we start him on allergy shots. After 3 shots(3weeks) the chirping immediately stopped. The clearing of the throat is slowly going away as well. I wanted to share my story because I know how painful it can be to have a problem that you can't control and no body seems to take you seriously about it. They all think that it is only in the mind. Our bodies can react to allergies in different ways. I forgot to mention that I had also changed my son's diet. We slowly eliminated certain foods (dairy, wheat, sugars, dyes,etc.) We found that the tic would increase when eating anything with high fructose corn syrup in it. This site has been very helpful to my family. It offers information on natural remedies. I hope that it may help someone like it has helped our family. http://www.latitudes.org/articles/finding_triggers.htm Julie (2007-02-18): Thank you, concerned mother, for your comments. I am glad your son's chirping noise has ceased. Someone should really do a serious, in-depth study on hiccups and similar noises. I mean, Erik posted this message two years ago, and people are still replying to it. This may be a common problem, but it is one that needs a solution. I know some of you have hiccups so bad that it dominates your life - you can't do or focus on much else. Why doesn't anyone want to truly help us? The doctors all seem to think it is nothing. OK, so maybe the hiccups aren't the same as a broken neck or something really serious, but when something interferes with your daily functioning, it SHOULD be taken seriously. Anyway, I am done with my rant. :) Since my hiccup noise doesn't sound like a normal noise, I have posted a clip of it here: http://www.freewebs.com/hiccupmystery/ If anyone has an abnormal hiccup noise, please check out my clip and let me know if it sounds anything like mine! TallFatSue (2007-02-18): I can sure sympathize with that 15-year-old girl's predicament, because I began hiccuping when I was about her age, but my condition isn't too bad. Typically I get the hiccups 2 or 3 times a day for maybe 10 or 15 minutes, and my hiccups are 5 or 6 seconds apart. This has gone on since high school about 35 years ago, but I'm pretty accustomed to them, I know that they will end before long, and I have no obvious health issues. Considering all the far worse problems I don't have, hiccups don't usually annoy me too much. All the same, it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one with chronic hiccups, and I sure would like to know what causes hiccups in the first place. jrm03 (2007-02-21): I am so happy to have all of you to help me through this, not many people understand what it is like to live with something that is considered common every once in a while. I am going 8 months straight of painful, loud, high pitch (echoing) hiccups every 2 to 4 minutes and in the last 5 months I have also developed tremors and my body is weakening. Thank you all for understanding, my goal is to find the cause of CHRONIC HICCUPS..... Daisy (2007-02-24): I hope you all get better and I do agree that they need to find a cure to chronic hiccups. Shanterrica (2007-02-24): If they dont come up with a cure soon,I will pray even harder than before. Shuniece Moore (2007-02-24): I hope that you all feel better because god made this sickness because he knows you can go through this and he knows that you can make it through,so hold on to faith and god bless you. Julie (2007-02-25): A step closer!! I had another episode of my hiccup-like noises last night. They continued for several hours, so we called my ENT doctor. He actually had us come over to his house (wow!!!) so he could take a look at me since hadn't been able to examine me while the noise was occurring. He did a scope up through my noise and looked at my vocal chords. Whenever I make my hiccup-scream noise, my vocal chords slam shut. That is why there is a loud, high-pitched noise that doesn't sound like a normal hiccup. So, we are one step closer. We know what is making the noise but we don't know what is initiating the movement in my body. My doctor is wondering if it is caused by an irritation of my vagus nerve. I go to see another specialists in a week and a half, so maybe we will get somewhere! daniel (2007-03-02): I have developed what I call the "Row of Numbers" method. It has worked for me , my family and friends 100% of the time, every time... in about 30 seconds flat. It's an imaginary play game that's easy to do. I didn't get hiccups often. But when I did , they where impossible to get rid of ....I'd sometimes have them for hours (painful)...And nothing but the "When's the last time you saw a rabbit?" trick ever worked...And it only worked way...every now and then....but, since it did work occasionally......I started trying out different ideas based around the "distraction/concentration" thing...and came up with something that works for me...every single time... It is fast..you notice it immediately... No breath holding, No water, or meds...Just a short little imaginary game that's easy and fun...Your kids can do it...anyone. I've never shown it to anyone with chronic hiccups ...but I really think it can help a lot of the cases.I just finished my website about it. It's free. Nothing to buy or sign. I just wanted to help. http://www.geocities.com/vortexreturns/numbers_method.html Patti (2007-03-02): I saw a story on Untold stories of the ER on Discovery Health Channel someone came in with hiccups. They gave her a shot of something. Maybe there is some information on their website. Also it may be related to your environment. Start a journal when you get them, where you are, what your doing, see if you can narrow anything down. TallFatSue (2007-03-05): This board has given me great comfort just to know that I'm not the only woman with chronic hiccups. I've learned some good ways to cope with them in daily life, and it helps to swap perspectives with others. Mostly I just ignore my hiccups, because they don't bother me much anymore. It was nice to see chronic hiccups get some recognition in the news, but the general public still hasn't grasped that they can be a serious life-altering condition. I know people mean well, but after 35 years of my unsuccessfully trying every remedy known to man or beast, their "100% guaranteed" hiccup cure probably won't help me either. Why won't people believe me when I say it's really better just to let my hiccups run their course? People seem to understand allergies, but when it comes to hiccups, why do they try to convince me to stand on my head twirling a hula hoop and hold my breath while drinking from the wrong side of a cup? Luckily most of my friends, family and coworkers know I get the hiccups 2 or 3 times a day, so usually I hear a simple "Sounds like Sue has the hiccups again," and we all ignore them because everybody knows I'll stop hiccuping in 10 or 15 minutes. On the other hand, one odd advantage of getting the hiccups in the middle of a business meeting is that I have everyone's undivided attention when I speak. ;) DEBBIE (2007-03-08): I really do feel sorry for people with hiccups.GOOD LUCK jaime reid (2007-03-09): Hi all you chronic hiccupers i have had mine for 5 years now.My stomach is killing me.I am always depressed i can just about take breathes in between mine.I have had them on and off for years this is the longest. My family laught so i tend to keep myself to myself.At family gatherings it is the worst.I do not get enough sleep due to them.At times i feel suicidal as nothing helps.When i hiccup i make a loud noise and my chest rises up and aches. I have tried hiding them but people always know when they take hold and laugh at me.I think this should be taken serious as i have been to different dr's but no joy.PLEASE HELP ME.Even now i can not type as i am hiccuping violently GOOD LUCK Andrea (2007-03-09): I've been hiccuping at random times now for the past seven years; since I was twelve. Contrary to popular belief, water does not help, and in fact, makes mine worse. I've recently noticed that my hiccups are louder, more painful, and more frequent just after I've eaten, with increasing intensity and frequency after eating big meals or eating quickly. I've also noticed that I get a sort of "empty belly" hiccup when I'm hungry. I also get the hiccups at completely random times, though I have noticed that their occurance sometimes increases with stress. Does anyone else have something similar to this? *My friends and I have started saying "Snarf" (a random word a friend of mine thought up) after I (or others) hiccup as a sort of "bless you" or "excuse you." Please help it spread! Brandi (2007-03-18): Hiccups suck!!!!! marie (2007-03-18): Hello from another chronic hiccuper. I just get 1-4 hiccups at a time, usually just 1, but I get them several times an hour, all day, every day. Soon after I wake up, I hiccup. Before I go to sleep, I hiccup. I hiccup maybe a bit more after I eat, but then again (maybe like Andrea?) I also hiccup when I'm hungry. When I change position I hiccup. And then there are all the other hiccups that there's just no accounting for. It's been this way for maybe a year and a half - an now I'm pregnant, and that's made it worse! Maybe for me it's some esophageal problem. My hiccups aren't debilitating in any way, but they do get a bit embarassing. I'm sorry that there are those of you who have it so much worse.... Very best wishes to all of you. Daniel (2007-03-25): picture an imaginary row of numbers scrolling upwards in front of you. Picture the numbers as vivid and unusual as possible. Keep as many numbers in your field of vision as you can.control the speed as they scroll upwards. But mostly, just picture an imaginary row of numbers, scrolling upwards in front of you. Moni (2007-03-27): hey well i'm 17 and ive been having groups of hiccups everyday for a year and three months now. It's incredibly random, they dont happen at a specific time or for any reason, or even a specific amount. I counted 97 total one day.. and then next i counted 48. Some days are alot worse than others, but it doesnt happen when i sleep or while laying down. Doctors dont really believe me and they have no idea what to do for me. They think its comical or really outrageous, but i just want some real help. A neurologist told me my problem is stress after noticing that i bite my nails. He siad it's a vocal tic, but ive had vocal tics before and this is different because i cannot control it at all, and it doesnt happen when i am stressed or worried. It all sems so random, but very annoying. Its now effecting my breathing but, noone has any recomendations. I'd appreciate it if you did. My email is thankyousilence8@yahoo.com. Id appreciate it if you could help. Melissa (2007-03-31): hi there, I dont get hiccups that last very long at all, instead i get one or two hiccups at least three or four times a day everyday they're very strange and random, is this a sign of pregnancy or something? because that is the only thing i can possibly link it too that has changed within the past four weeks when this started! Jusin W (2007-03-31): This is a great place and i have been reading it on a off for the past three days.... i have had the hiccups for the part 10 days. This has happen before for me but they usually stopped after two or three days. This is very bad. The past two day i have had to got o the ER so they can help me breath.... what happens is the hiccups begins and never ends....my Diaphragm kicks up and doesnt' release. It happens a few times every half hour.... and usually for about 20 - 30 seconds. It hurts.... i am taking thorazine right now and ativan to help].. the doctors put me on that... and it doesnt' seem be working. I am at a loss... going to the cardiologtist soon and he should look at something. When i was in the ER they took an EKG and the docotors said that my reading were off... and it might be a thing called "Brugada Syndrome" but i have had none of the fainting and dizziness that come with that issue. But i will try to keep you posted on what is going on with me.... i just hate it and it hurts. I have only had it for 10 days and can't breath right but for those of you who have had it for a long time.. i say my prayers.......so far.. i have stopped breathing twice and have been sick in my pail here while writting this.... if someone out there can help..you would be my hero moni (2007-04-01): Justin.. that is horrible. i hope they cure you, sounds terrible. Could it be linked to something youre eating? A while ago I read something about hiccups occuring when you breathe shallow, so maybe you should try keeping your breathing normal, or take deep breathes. Well i wish i could help you, but i'll pray. GOOD LUCK! Justin w (2007-04-04): i just wanted to check back in.... since last... i have recieved a prescription for Thorizine and Ativan from the Doctors. The hiccups seem to have stopped for now....but i feel them every so often wanting to come back and i have to try to fight them... or just take a moment to relax and breath....still need to see the ENT doctor and the Cardiologist... i will let you all know what the finding are...if any...AHHH there better be findings...ha Stephen (2007-04-04): Hey, this is my first day with the hiccups, I've been getting them on and off all day. It's quite irritating and I hope they go away, if not I will go see a doctor. I've read some of your guy's posts, I hope you all get better. This type of sickness, in my opinion is the most annoying. It hurts my chest and the back of my neck. Justin, I feel pretty bad for you man, I really hope you get better man. TallFatSue (2007-04-05): Considering I get the hiccups 2 or 3 times a day, it's not altogether unusual for me to be hiccuping the same time someone else in my office has a "normal" case of hiccups. Another woman in my office said she rarely gets the hiccups, except once or twice a year she has hiccups all day, and this is one of those days. So when my regular morning hiccups kicked in, I went over to give her moral support. Hiccups annoy the dickens out of her, whereas I'm used to them. We probably sounded pretty funny chatting and hiccuping at the same time (my hiccups are really loud), but she sure appreciated it, just knowing she wasn't alone. jrm03 (2007-04-11): Well month 10 has arrived...i am tired of all the new medications they want to try...just do the surgery and get it over with....i would have never thought back in October 2004 that morning i woke up hiccuping would have such a dang impact on my life....i wouldn't mind if they were just hiccups but no they have to be loud and painful and wear out my body but yet i can't sleep....the tremors have calmed down that is a plus....ok i am done venting...i hope you all are suriving and staying positive....oh yeah i can't wait to go back to work, never thought i would say that...heehee aquarian (2007-04-11): My husband has been experiencing chronic hiccups. We came across this board and tried Daniel's method of scrolling numbers. Nothing else has worked for my husband but this did! 30 seconds later - no more hiccups! Try it! Here is his site: http://www.geocities.com/vortexreturns/numbers_method.html Julie (2007-04-26): I have some advice!! To those of you who haven't tried this yet - GO SEE AN ENT DOCTOR or a voice specialist! After seeing a gastroenterologist, a neurologist and a normal ENT doctor, I finally found answers when I went to a specialized ENT doctor. He injected my vocal chords with botox, and I have been hiccup-free for a month and a half so far! It is a temporary solution (botox only lasts 3 months), but it may help some of you! Anything is better than nothing. Check it out. Go see a specialist. Spend the extra money to see a doctor who actually cares and has state-of-the-art technology. If you want to know more about what I had done, e-mail me at propertyofgomer@yahoo.com. P.S. a recording of the noise I used to have is here: http://www.freewebs.com/hiccupmystery/ Amber (2007-04-27): Oh my goodess finally some other people who get hiccups. For me it has become the joke around the office. "Are you drinking on the job again." Mine started when I was little but I guess I never noticed. I get them everyday about 20 times a day but I will only get about three or four and then they go away but if that happens I am guarnteed to get them again throughout the day. It sucks!!!!!! They hurt so bad! THE (2007-04-29): My daily bouts of hiccups don't bother me (only 2-3 times a day), but I've been reading here about it being correlated with Epilepsy... and Epilepsy runs in my family. On top of that, I went to the doctor a few months ago and had what they called a "Psychogenic Seizure" because I panicked. They suggested I see a neurologist just in case for an MRI (to see if brain waves were spiked!) and I just brushed it off as no big deal because I had never had one before. Now I'm worried and will probably schedule an MRI soon. ellen (2007-05-04): I get hiccups between 5 and 10 times a day. They are not only annoying but they hurt. I have looked into so many avenues and nothing has seemed to work. I aksed my doctor and he said it was nothing...thanks for the great help doc! In the few last passages Ive read about Epilepsy and seizures but have not found any information on medical sites on the web. If anyone has any further commments or things to help please, PLEASE let me know...my hiccups disrupt my work day, while I am in classes, and even when I am at movies! Help Me If You Can, Thanks. Tiffany (2007-05-08): I have been suffering with chronic hiccups for awhile now and thought I was the only one! Actually I have been rather scared about it, because my uncle was suffering from hiccups for several months until he finally saw a specialist and was later diagnosed with a rare stomach cancer. At first the Dr's said the hiccups were normal, just annoying. Finally, he found a Dr to help him find the cause and that is when they found the cancer. Silver (2007-05-08): Wow! I found a whole community of hiccupers out there. Now i don't feel so alone. I am on my 6th month of hiccups now and am really starting to get annoyed. They began coming only once a week; i'd have about 7 in a row then be alright. then they stated coming every other day and now I have them all day long every single day. They used to feel like the regular hiccups I got when I was a little kid, but now theyve grown quite violent and they really effect my eating habbits. it really hurts when i eat and it is soooooooo difficult to hold a converstation now. At the office where I work, everyone has grown to hate me, I have become quite the disturbance and I'm afraid drinking water dosen't help. Holding my breath sometimes helps for about 30 minutes to an hour. Once a co worker suggested I push all of the air out my lungs and drink a glass of water to simmulate drowning. Well i gave it a try and as soon as I finished the glass I let out the most loudest hiccup Ive ever had and theyve pretty much been on protest since then. I'm going to be going to the doctor soon. I'll let everyone know the verdict. Mary (2007-05-11): Angry (2007-5-12) My son has had irretractable hic-cups for 4 years after an auto accident. While treating his pain from the accident (sevral months later), they noticed the opiates stopped the hic-cups. As a result of trying to live a normal life without hic-cups, he became addicted to pain pills. He is now in a treatment facility for the addiction, and suffering very badly from the hic-cups. He is so miserable and hurts so bad that nothing is working as far as his treatment. We have tried everything and lots of drugs from his Dr.s, nothing works. The pain never leaves and he has no life because of them. Someone mentioned a surgery---Will you please post any info on this? In the mean time, we will try a few of your suggestions. God bless and help all of you that suffer from this horrible disease. Alyson (2007-05-17): Hey, I've been expierencing chronic hiccups for almost a year and a half and I'm only 18. At first it was only once an hour, and then it got real random but now I don't know what's going on; I'll have a small cluster of hiccups every couple of hours, and right below my sternum in my upper abdomen I get this dull pain feeling, that hurts when I try to bend over or get up. Not only that, but in this sudden influx of more random hiccups, I've been feeling dizzy at times and thirsty. Yesterday I had made made up my mind to go to a doctor but then today I felt much better. I drank some sparkling apple juice in the afternoon and my hiccups tones down a lot and my chest stopped hurting. Nonetheless, I still get hiccups. Also, upon close analysis, my hiccup is sometimes a cross between a hiccup and a little bit of a burp. Has anyone else expierenced any other side effects? Santos (2007-05-26): Santos I have recently stopped hiccuping but had hiccups straight for 2 weeks. Went to the hospital 3 times but the doctors and nurses basically just laughed and put a paper bag over my head. They also gave me medication but nothing worked. I have also tried numerous home remedies but no luck. At times I could barely catch my breath and got very scared. My father passed away from hiccups. I have barely slept as the hiccups went on night and day. I hope they don't start again! But I am very scared- they are no joke. This is very serious stuff!! Leah (2007-05-28): It is nice to hear that other people have the same problem as me, though i dont wish this on anyone. I hiccup every day and they are all random just as most of you have said. I can hiccup as few as just 5 times a day or as many as 28 a day. Some of them are painful but mostly i get tired of everyone laughing and saying "that is so cute" well no it isn't or people say "what was that." I have had these for about 2 or 3 years now, time is running together. The doctors dont think there is anything really wrong or i would have seen more serious signs of something being wrong. I'm happy to hear that but i still wish they could tell me what causes me to do this and how to stop it. Drew (2007-05-28): I'm on Day 3, I went to an acupuncturist and got cupping and it helped so much. I just wanted to share with all you. He also gave me a herbal formula. It has helped so much. good luck!! Patito (2007-06-06): meeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!(to alyson) P McKenna (2007-06-07): i have the same problem as a lot of you. hiccups lat come 2 or 3 times a year, and last for many days becoming more and more painful as time goes on. i have been to my doctor about this and been told that it is all in my head.(it maybe, but since thats where the pain goes it still hursts like hell). i have just found this page http://www.cognitial.com/hiccups.asp and i have to say it has cured me, for about 20 mins now, which for me is a record. the guy doesnt even ask for money(some pages have asked). so i thought id share this with you, as i can relate to the horrible(and nevr cute), problem we all share. P McKenna (2007-06-07): Alyson: i am not a doctor, but u have described what my doctor specifically asked me about, so i would go see ur doctor as soon as possible. it may be nothing, but chest pains and dizzyness are never something to ignore. sonya (2007-06-20): hi my partner has chronic hiccups that last 5-7days at a time, morning noon and night. he had a second operation on 7th june this year, and has had hiccups ever since, doctor told him it was a side effect from morphine, obviously not!needless to say he is gutted after nine years of discomfort, two ops and now they are worse than before, surely there is something someone can do?help! Kris (2007-06-21): I've had chronic hiccups for eleven years now, and it truly is a pain, especially at work(I'm a nurse and draw blood alot), so I get lots of comments from patients. Mine are usually 3 hiccups in a row about 30 to 40 times a day, sometimes less, and some of them are very painful. The VA Dr's all said the same, its all in my head... Sarah (2007-06-28): I've had hiccups for a long time and they dont go away. and yesterday it hurt alot and today i still have just not as often but i've had them on and off for a very very long time and nothing makes them go away.. Matthew (2007-06-28): I've had chronic hiccups for a very long time. It's affecting my relationship, as well as my job. Every time I go into work, people say "Hey there's Mr. Hiccup pants!". As I'm having sex with my wife, I hiccup during orgasm, a rather comical ending. I can't stop hiccuping, it's ruining my life. It hurts so bad, someone make it stop. Eliza (2007-07-01): I don't have hiccups half as bad as any of you, but I get random hiccups about 4 times a day - one hiccup each time. They are extremely powerful. If I do get hiccups that occur more then one at a time, they can last for usually an hour and it really hurts (sometimes can last for hours). My hiccups are provoked by anything. It can be after I've eaten, I can go hours w/o eating - it happens under all sorts of situations so I can't pinpoint what is causing it. Any thoughts?? Bipin Parikh (2007-07-08): I have beem getting hickups now for the third day. My family Doctor saysI may have disturbed a specific nerve when I had my Bypass in may of 2006. But I have been getting this attacks often for last 6months. I like to see some remedy. My doctor says there is a medicine, but it has many bad side effects. Loi (2007-07-11): My husband experienced months of hiccups, then had an intestinal blockage surgically corrected...and the hiccups resolved. This was 2 years ago. Again, now, he seems to have experienced a blockage. The blockage resolved yesterday on its own, and again he has hiccups. It seems clear that there is pressure on his diaphram and the diaphram remains testy—maybe even inflammed—even after the pressure is gone. Although an antiinflammatory like aspirin has no effect. I just printed out the Row of Numbers for him. We shall see....One thing that did help last time was wasabi. He'd sneeze and his eyes would water and the hiccups would stop, sometimes for hours. Not a cure, but helpful if he needed to be hiccup-free to go out to dinner, etc. thanks for all your thoughts; it helps so much to hear from other sufferers. Carli (2007-07-15): I dont get that severe of hiccups...but I get them every time I eat. It doesn't matter what I eat, how much it eat, or how fast, I always get the hiccups. It all started when I got a stomach disorder about 1 year and 1/2 ago. The latest test on my stomach showed that I should be better, The doctors keep saying that I'll grow out of the hiccups, but I still haven't. I also feel nauseated almost every time I eat. My family and I have tried everything it seems like, but nothing works except, one remedy that has been in the family for years. that helps stop them, but only for a little while. My dad seems to have the same problem but not as bad, we've gone to many doctors but none have had any solutions that have helped. StacyKDuff (2007-07-15): I have not gone a day in two years without getting the hiccups. I usually hiccup 3 or 4 times in a row many times throughout the day. On good day's I hiccup about 20 times, but I've counted to as many as 150 hiccups in 24 hours. I'm in college, and all of my professors and classmates know me as the "hiccup girl." Although most people are sympathetic and amused by my hiccuping, it draws a lot of unwanted attention. When I was younger, I used to get very violent and painful hiccups every month or so. Now they are a little more mild, but they happen all day long. When I'm hungry, when I've eaten, when I'm thirsty, and just after drinking. Since they've become a daily problem, I've also began belching constantly. It's as if the hiccups just build up inside and finally explode with a burp. It's all rather disgusting, but trying to hold hiccups and burps in only results in pain and increasingly violent bouts. Also, how do you handle situations where people offer remedies? I've learned that I the tricks can temporarily stop a bout, but my goal is to prevent them in the first place. Early on, when people would offer "cures" for my hiccups, I'd explain that I've tried dozens of tricks and I appreciate the help, but that "eating a tablespoon of peanut butter followed by drinking a tall glass of cold water while plugging my ears" will have no effect. Long explanations are tiresome and sometimes people became offended that I rejected their well-intended suggestions. Now, whenever people offer tips (I've heard every one in the book) I thank them and say "I'll try that." However, I'm terribly offended when I hiccup and people say "excuse you." I've given up saying "excuse me" except for in the company of individuals new to my disorder. Also, when people insinuate that my hiccups are all in my head. It's very frustrating. TallFatSue (2007-07-23): Yep, around the office I'm known as the "Hiccup Lady", so I guess they're part of my identity. I've had maybe 5 days in the past 35 years without getting the hiccups -- usually it's 2 or 3 times a day. I simply carry on, because my hiccups normally resolve themselves in 10 or 15 minutes, and then I'm hiccup-free for 5 or 6 hours. Some people insist I try their family remedies, but cures simply won't work for me, or they actually prolong an attack. At best, cures only interrupt my hiccups, and then a few minutes later I start hiccuping again. If just let my hiccups run their course, they'll be over and done with. Naturally it's fun trying to *HIC* explain in between *HIC* hiccups that cures are usually *HIC* worse for me than *HIC* the hiccups themselves. So usually I just say hiccups don't bother me anymore. I just wish they weren't so loud. Janchie (2007-08-01): 2007-08-01 :I now exactley what it feels like to heve chronic hiccups. Peopele and friends make Jokes of you, they find it irritating , some try to bring solutions none of them helped.I had the hiccups every day for 1 year and 6 months. Doctors couldn't find the cause. The hiccups go away when i sleep as soon as i wake up they start again. Sometimes i lose my breath. I get very tired wwhen i got the Hiccups. Doctors gave me the a medicine called Nexium (stomach medicine ) because i used to fel my stomach burning acid. Little by little i noticed that when i ate it could stop for i while then later it started again. Also if i ate to much and with the hiccups i feel that i am to full and then i want to throw up. So i put my finger in my throath pull my tong forward and throw up then it stops again for a while. Right now it's a month that i don't get the hiccups. As soon as i feel that that it wants to start i put my finger in my throath ,i throw up a little mostley its like spit and then it stops. I am very HAPPY right now that i don't have the hiccups I feel like a normal person. Dee (2007-08-06): My daughter has had hiccupps for almost a year. She is now taking Valproic Acid. This drug seem to give her great relief. The hiccups arent as often ,as painful or as loud . Ask your doctors if you can try this medication. Please let me know if anyone has tried this drug. Kate (2007-08-07): Hi, my name is Kate and I work for a health and medical news television station. I'm doing a story on chronic hiccups and was wondering if any of you or anyone you know would be willing or available to do an interview with me about your experience. Please feel free to email me at kmchugh@ivanhoe.com if you have any questions or you're interested in helping me out. The story would be coming from a completely respectful, medical perspective, so please don't be afraid that it would be an embarassing or exploitive experience. Thanks so much and I wish you all the best of luck! Erik (2007-08-08): Kate, thanks for putting the effort into researching this topic and making it more known. Many of us with chronic hiccups face quite a bit of public ridicule, and making it a more widely acknowledged real problem would help. I no longer suffer from this problem, as I've reduced stress in my life, and have found a way to relax my diaphragm, but I suggest anyone else who is willing to discuss their problem do so with Kate. Beccy (2007-08-09): i know many people have said this before, but thank god it isnt only me!! though my case of hiccups if not as extreme as many of the others. Mine arnt long lasting (the days) but they go for about 10 minutes and i get them about 10 times a day. At first i just thought nothing of it, and that hey people get the hiccups all the time, who cares. but then eventually people would be talking to me about them, or at least noticing and make jokes or give me advice of how to get them, so i was like oh dont worry i get them about three times a day. Then i thought actually i dont know how often i get them, so i decided to count. i counted 15. (hey my age, though not at that time). im very good at ignoring them now, quite a few times i would just be standing and talking to people and they would mention me hiccuping (or laugh) and i would be like oh what i hiccuped? i was on an island with a club (and most of the people i just meet) and by the end of the two weeks they all new about my hiccuping and it was Always pointed out, and i would be walking to my campsite (hiccuping) and they would be oh yeah we heard you coming, oryeah we heard you hiccup past our tent last night. It really shows how often people who have posted on this hiccup, personally i think who would look for sites about chronic hiccuping and such if they didnt hiccup a million times themselves. Btw i love the humanity check, i already put in black but i want to see what will happen if i dont write anything, cya.. and im back, because it wouldnt let me go on unless i answered, so now i am going to put in a wrong answer.. same answer "please go back and answer humanity check, but what if you really where stupid and didnt realise it said it in the question? or if you sucked a spelling Sarah (2007-08-11): Hey fellow hiccupers! I get mine every day between 3pm and 5pm, and they usually last about 40 minutes. If they don't happen at that time, then they will inevitably at around 9 pm. Anyone else have these predictable, daily ones? markgb007 (2007-08-12): I have had the hiccups for the last 12 year. I get them from the time I wake up till I go to sleep. Just recently I a have had fainting spells. My doctor says it related to low blood pressure caused by my hiccups. Been waitin a year now to see a neurologist. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this??. I had to go on short term disability from my job and had my drivers license pulled. Hope someone has some insight for me. Thanks KELLY (2007-08-16): i ALWAYS get hiccups when im nevrous about something! Im live in california and Im moving to college in New York next week wednesday and im sure they will last ALL week LONG! AHHH....... eran (2007-08-17): Does anyone here live in Canada? My father's hiccups have lasted the last 5 days and he hasn't slept, further antagonizing his condition. The drugs in the US are different than here in Canada, and metoclotramide, prescribed to him, hasn't helped at all. I feel so bad for him, and the doctors don't seem to know what to do. (2007-08-22): my husband has had violent and severe hiccups for 6 days now..non-stop! even in his sleep, which he doesnt get much of lately! he has cancer and the dr. hospitalized him for his hiccups, gave him all sorts of drugs, and he still has hiccups just as bad! anybody out there have any help for this at all??? the doctors dont know what else to do for him and he is so miserable, in alot of pain from them, and nothing is helping him!! HELP?????? Andy (2007-08-27): Wow - I have just recently (over the past 3 days) developed what appears to be a chronic hiccup condition. Seems to happen after I eat. Have a Dr. appointment tomorrow, however, after reading the previous comments I am a little more concerned for my future with this condition. My hiccups last for about 60-90 minutes with hiccups occuring about every 2-3 seconds. Impossible to sleep when it happens at night, also. Somebody fix this!! If I get results that work I will post again. Allen (2007-08-28): I have had a bad case of hiccups since last Tuesday (just reached my 7 day anniversary) and they have been rather debiliating at times...I was admitted to hospital Friday night at 2 in the morning as the hiccups became so intense that they were keeping my wife and I up and causing me to feel nauseous. At the hospital they hooked me up to IV and gave me muscle relaxants. They took blood samples and did a chest x ray to determined if there were other problems such as liver or lung disease, etc. which could also cause chronic hiccups. The tests came back normal and they prescribed an anti-nausea/vomiting drug called Prochlorazine which also can stop hiccups. The downside is that the drug had little affect on me and it has side effects. I have had to cancel my work this week as it is difficult to do my work whether recording/singing or speaking at my business job when I am hiccuping so much. I have been begging God to take this away as it is really frustrating, affecting my finances and family life, and hindering my ability to function normally. Perhaps you know of someone who had this and how they overcame this...I am thinking the root must be something and after visiting three doctors I have discovered that none of them know how to deal with these. In fact, one of the doctors I saw said "hiccups are a big question mark and no one really knows how to deal with chronic hiccups" So, with sarcasm, I found that reassuring! (through research I have discovered other factors that could be the root of chronic hiccups are psycological disturbances, cancer, tumors, bower disorders, or ulcers, etc. the doctor at least ruled out bowel disorders but they are still perplexed by what is causing these hiccups.) Thanks for your thoughts and feel free to e-mail me at allen_froese@hotmail.com if you have any suggestions or testimonies of how you got rid of your hiccups! It is somewhat reassuring that this just isn't me dealing with this...let's get to the root of these blasted hiccups and find a cure...perhaps Oprah should do a show on us! Allen katie (2007-08-31): My daugther is only 2 and she gets the hiccpus it seems to me about once every month. During the "spell" she will have 6-8 bouts of hiccups in a 24 hr period and then gone until in happens in a month or so. I was researching to try and find the cause of this and this web site popped up. I am now nervous that she has a condition. I would love some insight as to when your bouts started and is 2 to young to think "chronic". Thanks! TallFatSue (2007-08-31): Some posts here mentioned something almost more annoying than chronic hiccups, and that's people who keep saying "excuse you." Believe it or not, I stumbled on a Miss Manners column about this. I never thought there was such a thing as hiccup ettiquette! Looks like I've been socially correct, because whenever I start hiccuping I just say "Excuse me, I have the hiccups again" and let it go at that. Dear Miss Manners, I have a simple question: is one supposed to excuse themselves after a hiccup? It seems almost anytime I hiccup, someone around me glares at me and says, "Excuse you", considering that I never say it. I mean, it is an involuntary action that is a reflex of my body. It is not a belch. Not to mention hiccup fits. Sometimes I have the hiccups almost nonstop for up to ten minutes. Am I supposed to sit there and keep trying to excuse myself between hiccups? I consider myself quite polite, but it has never struck me to excuse my hiccups. Thank you, I would appreciate your input. Gentle Reader, The trouble with hiccups is that they are inherently funny. Miss Manners is aware that some cases may be serious, but there is something about the gesture and the rhythm of them that is unfortunately amusing. One hic, as it were, should go unmentioned, but if you are going nonstop, it might be well for you to blurt out an excuse me when you are able. Excuses are not exclusively for purposeful actions, as you acknowledge when you mention belching. Those who most need to be excused here are the ones who chastise you with their coy "Excuse you" remarks. Correcting others is a rude action done on purpose. vicsal (2007-08-31): I'M CUUURED!!!!After searching for a cure for my chronic case of the hiccups, I came across something interesting. With this simple breathing excercise a got rid of my hiccups in under a minute. It's very simple but must be followed to the letter. While standing or sitting (not laying down) take a deep breath, hold it, while holding it swallow then sip a little more air in, swallow again and sip.. do not let any air out. When you can't possibly take another sip of air, swallow one more time then exhale. Repeat for 30 sec to a minute.It won't work for everyone but it should work for most of you. Hiccups are caused by the spontaneous depolarization of the phrenic nerve. This technique keeps the nerve busy (i.e. keeps the diaphragm contracted) and gives it time to relax and reset. I must also add that if you have any cardiovascular or pulmonary condition consult your physician before trying this. Rj (2007-09-02): Yeah I understand what all you guys aregoing through. Its nice to know I'm not alone. I have had hiccups for the past to years everyday, its really starting to bother me now. I'm just really tired of them, my friends always make fun of me saying I sound like brakes or a valasraptor or a pig because they can be loud an annoying. Sometimes they hurt because I try to hold them in so they wont be so loud. Its so embarssing I get them in church at the movies and I scare people because they are so loud. I just want some relief should I go see a doctor? Please help. TallFatSue (2007-09-14): Even though I get the hiccups every day, they don't bother me because they rarely last more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Well, this is one of those exceptions. This afternoon I've had the hiccups for 3 hours straight, and they're verrrry strong too. If I'm still hiccuping an hour from now when I go home from work, I'll probably cajole my husband into giving me a massage to see if he can soothe my nerves. Not that he needs much persuasion (hee hee). Sure glad it's Friday. TallFatSue (2007-09-14): Wow, today I had the hiccups for almost 9 hours, which is very unusual, even for me. These particular hiccups began just after lunch, and felt at first like my normal hiccups: a single loud HIC every 5 seconds. But after an hour my hiccups sounded more like HIIILLLK and were very deep, and I knew I'd be hiccuping for a long time today. After 4 hours my hiccups slowed to 10 seconds apart, and they were more like a rapid deep breath suddenly stopped with a loud HICK-UCK. I kept hiccuping like that for 3 more hours. Then about the 7-hour mark, my hiccups sped up to my usual 5 seconds apart, and sometimes they were HIC and sometimes HICCUP. Sometimes I had clusters of 2 or 3 hiccups only a second apart. After almost 9 hours, my hiccups finally slowed and then stopped about 10 minutes ago. Bizarre. Pretty tiring too. Tasha (2007-09-18): Oh my gosh - how did I stumble upon this site??? At last, I am not the only one with this problem....well, maybe at my college I am....oops, there was one just now.....I get hiccups almost every day - I tried to think back as to when I remember them starting....I am 24 now and I think I have had them for about 5 years now - they are getting worse - too bad....they don't last long; I usually just have 'single' or 'double' hiccups - sometimes up to 50 times a day....I am in graduate school and they are quite annoying in the professional setting - people around me just laugh, snicker and sometimes get annoyed....jeez - my heart goes out to those of you that have hiccups for long bouts of time and whose are painful. Truly, I am sorry. I think it is just a part of me now, but...I am a bit nervous thinking about how they could get worse - I am going into the helping profession - counseling - and I don't see this being a helpful tool....God bless us all! Ashack (2007-09-20): WOW!!! I thoguht I was being funny when I said I had chronic hiccups!! yikes, I dont have it as bad at all, kind of like tasha here. Im a nursing student and I will be in class and I'll hiccup. Never fails. I have about 2 every half hour. Only one, but I get about 2 every half an hour sometimes longer sometimes shorter. Then there is the noraml eating bread to fast, drinking to fast, tuna gets me, let me tell you, no matter how slow I eat a tuna sandwhich I hiccup. I havn't had one in a while because of that...I miss them... Anyway, I'm hoping this doesnt last my whole life, and if it does then im hoping it doesn't start to hurt!?!?! So is there anything I should do to prevent this?? I thought it was funny at first, and it has only been about 5 months; but when it happens when I'm talking with my professors, taking blood pressure, or working with a patient I just apologize and say, "sorry I have chronic hiccups" and keep working. Is there anything I should try to prevent these hiccups from becoming painful? Slash potentially lasting a long time!! oh man, I am glad I'm not alone in this one!! Good Luck to all!! smith (2007-09-26): HELLO??????? i understand your frustration, but if all of you would just take a moment to look at the post with my hiccup cure and try it, i'm sure at least some of you would benefit from it. scroll up and find the post from 'smith', and try it; it's very simple, and IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!! smith (2007-09-26): ok, i'm going to post it again. here it is...THE SMITH HICCUP CURE: *****TRY THIS CURE--IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! first, try to relax; you're going to be doing a little breathing technique. (i can hear you all thinking: "oh, another breathing technique..."; i know, you've tried a million of them; but this one is different, --this one works!) *note: read the whole thing through before you actually start. it may sound complicated at first, but it's very simple. ok, your lips should be sort of extended out in like a kissy-face position, and you're going to make a small 'o-ring' with them. small but not too tiny. it should be just big enough to make the next step relatively comfortable. --be cool with the kissy-face o-ring. don't focus too much on that, and don't make it really stiff. just sort of natural like. now you're going to be breathing in through the narrow opening, almost (but not quite) as though you were whistling in reverse. (it's really more like a sipping/sucking than a whistling.) do this slowly. but not exceedingly slowly. --i wish i could do a podcast, so you could see it exactly and get the timing of it right. but i guess you'll just have to experiment. let you intuition guide you. and if it doesn't work the first time, try adjusting the size of the o-ring and/or the timing of the breathing. do what feels right. ok, so inhale (rather, suck air in) very slowly and homogenously through the small opening. as you do this you will find that you will naturally be making like a 'blowing in reverse' sucking sound. suck in all the way as far as you can, and then hold it for about 2 or 3 seconds. then do the reverse: blow out through the o-ring in the same manner you sucked in, until all the air is out of you. after a second or two, start the sucking in again. you will do this a total of 3 times in a row. that's it. i recommend you do this standing up. --but i dont know, try it different ways if you have to. you have no idea how much i hope this works for all of you. please let me know if it does. it will bring me much joy to know that i've helped. good luck. --i'm going to say it again in brief, so it's not so confusing: 1) relax in exhaled mode 2) make kissy-face o-ring 3) suck air in slowly and homogenously--all the way in--and hold for about 3 seconds 4) blow air out in the same way until completely exhaled, and hold for about 2 seconds do this (a total of) 3 times ok then, i'll keep my fingers crossed, and will look forward to hearing from you on this blog. thank you again erik for the opportunity to post my cure here. i hope all of you are released from your hell. K-in-L.A. (2007-09-28): I know that this has all been about people BUT....... I have an elderly female German Shepherd that has had hiccups continually going on 3 weeks now. I've not been able to find a vet site that addresses this situation or allows opportunity to post the question. Just prior to these episodes she began to show signs of unquenchable thirst, but for the past couple of days won't eat. My own vet is on holiday thru the middle of next week. It came to mind that she might be showing signs of dibetes or heart problems. She's now experiencing involuntary muscle twitches in other parts of her body and is becoming noticbly weaker. I did manage to get some chicken broth down her a couple of times.... this seemed to help her perk up a little. No, this is not a joke. I'd really appreciate some help, if anyone out there has some useful thoughts, I'm all ears. Thanks and good luck to all the humans that are dealing with this nasty hiccup problem Dan (2007-09-29): I wanted to thank you, I was truly suffering! I have had 3 episodes like this: hiccup for 4 days straight, only interrupted if im concentrating on something else or sleeping. I got up this morning and ended up on the floor moaning in discomfort, then I tried your little breathing excersize and, after a minuter where i was sure I was going to vomit, it all stopped! I don't know if its a temporary fix o not but I don't care, it works. smith (2007-09-29): K-in-L.A. -- my advice is take her to the best alternate vet you can find IMMEDIATELY. this is an emergency situation...DO NOT wait until your regular vet gets back from vacation!!! smith (2007-10-02): thank you for that feedback, Dan! i'm elated that it worked for you! just do it again should you have another bout, and i'm sure you'll beat it! smith (2007-10-02): EVERYONE PLEASE TRY THE SMITH HICCUP CURE!!!!!!!! I WANT YOU ALL TO STOP SUFFERING WITH THESE DAMN HICCUPS!!!!!!!!!!! jrm03 (2007-10-04): Well my hiccups are still with me, it is sad but true to say that they have become part of my day to day world since i developed them in Oct 2004, they did go away at times, but came back June 2006 and won't go away again....i feel for all of you...if you find a solution let me know....i have been on man med's none work fully.... Just (2007-10-05): Hello, here is my story, 5 years ago i started what i thought was just your typical, everybody gets hiccups, how wrong i was, three weeks later they were still going strong, away for a few days, back for two weeks etc etc, when i did have them it was start as soon as i opened my eyes, and i went to sleep while hiccuping (that annoyed my wife who is not a good sleeper)after various visits to Doctor and various drugs tried, i had a particular rapid case one day while playing golf, one every half second or so, eventually my body gave up i think, for i suddenly could not breathe, my friend came to my aid and i got a gasp of air in, legged it back to car and off to hospital, various tests and still no results. Years 4-5 have not been to bad until recently. i was on Domperidon and Lansoprazole tablets everyday (well should have been, but when i didn't have them it was the furthest thing from my mind,and so were the tablets). At present i am on day 4 of this latest bout been 24hrs constant for the 4 days, but it is a mixture of hiccups and burping. Previously making myself sick was the only way to get a break from it, although not for to long. It is really annoying me now, painful, frustrating, just wish they would go. Anyone that has wonder cure please let everyone know, as there is clearly a lot of sufferers out there. smith (2007-10-06): Just --and everyone-- please try SMITH'S "WONDER CURE" for the hiccups; you can find it a few posts up. --IT WORKS!!! anonymous (2007-10-06): I have chronic hiccups they can last all day till bedtime.Mine are most annoying alright maybe they come every 15 seconds but i always get caught out when i am about to have a drink and open my mouth and wallop the drink is all down me.Being rather short doesnt help also has they are more noticable on me.I do try to hold them in and people see my neck go in and stomach rise up.When i am sitting down some very strong ones do intend to make me rise a little from my chair.So far i have had a break of 2 days which is goos going for me.I am the only one in my family to get them and feel that it isnt fair but then again what is. Erik (2007-10-08): Smith, take it easy, OK? Your cure is not a cure for everyone. It's definitely worth trying, but in essence, it is a relaxation technique. Relaxation is a great way to approach stress induced hiccups, but hiccups are caused by a huge range of causes, many of which can not be cured through relaxation. A neurological problem can not be completely cured this way, nor will it cancel out an allergic reaction. We need to keep in mind that there are a lot of causes, and a lot of possible cures. smith (2007-10-09): erik, i never said it would work for everyone, but it certainly can't hurt to try. as far as the "lot of possible cures" you mentioned, i don't see them working for anyone here. all i see is loads of people suffering beyond measure and not finding any help. --and i think this could help many of them, --regardless of the cause. sorry if i hogged your blog, dude; i was only trying to be of use. TallFatSue (2007-10-10): Well I tried Smith's cure -- again -- but no luck -- again -- and I don't need ALL CAPS and 47 exclamations points to say it. To be honest, getting the hiccups 2 or 3 times a day doesn't bother me nearly as much as people who insist I try their "foolproof" cures and refuse to believe me when I decline. Not to mention those who think hiccups are just plain hilarious. After all the doctors I've seen in my 50 years of life and 35 years of thrice-daily hiccups attacks, I've kinda determined that they are caused by a physiological irregularity which manifests itself about an hour after meals. Since I am otherwise in good health even at my weight, and I don't exactly relish the idea of surgery which may or may not correct my hiccups, I have learned to live with them because they don't usually last more than 10 or 15 minutes. Generally I can ignore my hiccups and go about my business just fine. Besides, I count my blessings when I consider all the problems in life I don't have. Erik (2007-10-10): Sue, It's good you've come to terms with your hiccups, but I'd encourage everybody to put their heads together to come up with patterns of illness, and working remedies. I think a good relaxation routine, such as smith's would help a large number of people. Maybe I could put together a kind of database of symptoms and remedies... Melissa (2007-10-12): This one usually works for me, although it may take two or three times, to actually get it right.. Try holding your nose and taking a deep breath in, now hold your breath for as long as you can, you will probably start to feel your ears pop, before you let your breath out swallow two or three times, if you are doing this correctly it should be difficult to swallow, kinda like you actually have to concentrate on swallowing, but it is VERY important do not let any breath in or out while you are doing this.. Hope this works for you Marco (2007-10-17): I am 15, I do not really get hiccups for long amount of time maybe only 1-5 minutes but I get them constantly, as in anything I eat no matter how slowly I eat or how much I chew I get the hiccups I have no idea why but they often get quite painful and it feels how I imagine a very minor heart attack might feel (2007-10-18): I am 37 and rarely get the hiccups. Let alone chronic cases. Although as I type this comment I have been hiccupping for over an hour; every few seconds a loud *HIC* or *HIC-CUP*. It's refreshing to see so many people come together on a common topic and share their experiences. For those who feel embarrassed or think they need to "excuse" themselves, please continue to hiccup loud, confident, and strong. Society has no right to silence those hiccups. sandra wright (2007-10-22): my son for weeks had constant hiccups, he could not even hold a conversation because of the hiccups, he died in his sleep of a heart attack so i have been told, there are drugs by way of muscle relaxers that can stop the hiccups, i really need a response on this for my own state of mind and to know. catherine (2007-10-24): hi,my name is catherine and ive had chronic hiccups for the past 3 years constantly even in my sleep.i cant eat cause its so uncomfortable afterwards and even when i do eat i vomit.ive been to various doctors and been to 2 different hospitals for endoscopys,this time finding stomach ulsers and an badly inflamed stomach which have been caused by the stress of having the hiccups.tried all different relaxer tablets,,even resolved to taking valium which haven,t worked either.feeln like im losing my mind,,cant even hold a conversation with anyone now and keep losing my breath.glad to see im not alone,according to doctors im a mystery to them and they dont know what to do with me. Roy (2007-10-30): Hi, Two days ago I started to have hic-cups they go away when I go to sleep but come back when I am awake I thought they were gone today but by noon they were back I tried the Smith cure did not work. I have a lot of heart burn with this.I tried not to eat because my stomach was blotted but here they are again. I was looking to see if there is something serious that causes hic-cups,I think it is time to see the doctor but as I read I see they don't help much. If I have to go longer with these I will go crazy. HElP Whew (2007-11-03): Thank you Smith, your breathing technique worked for me. Bea (2007-11-09): My daughter gets a single hiccup (several times a day) - very loud and embarrassing as she doesn't know when it's going to happen. Anyone else? So all the regular hiccups cures don't work as it's just the one at a time. The doctor has no idea and you can't make it happen in her office anyway to show her what it's like. Emma_Marie (2007-11-12): I have had the hiccups for 6months. It started on my way to New York, and they haven't stopped. They are quite painful, and the doctors have no idea what is going on. We are currently trying acupuncture. It is so annoying. Any suggestions? Zak (2007-11-14): Ya, Its wierd, Like I get it 4 or 5 times each day but they are spread out, I hiccuped in one teachers class and she asked " Drinking to many martini's?" But I'm not the only one I know, anothe girl has them about as frequently and randomly as I do. BlueSerenade (2007-11-19): I'm sorry if this has already been addressed and I have missed it, but I was hoping someone may be able to help me! I have been suffering from extremely painful and sudden hiccups for the past 2 years. They are not all at once usually, but come randomly and sporadically in sets of 1 to 2. The odd thing is that they sometimes seem to be connected to my burps - as though I was burping backwards! It is extremely painful, often throwing my head violently backwards so that I hurt my neck or hit my head on something, and causes a very painful tightening of my chest/sternum. Not to mention that the noise is incredibly embarrassing, as is the "Ow" that follows and the "What in the world was THAT??" which I am constantly asked. I'm planning on mentioning to my doctor at my next visit since it happens reliably every day, often times repeatedly, but maybe someone here knows what is going on?? Sonia J (2007-11-23): My 16 year old daughter also seems to get random hiccups with just 1 or 2 at a time, but through out the day. We also will be mentioning to her doctor this Friday. She's been doing this for years. will post back if we get anything worth sharing. I'm hoping to be referred out. Friend of hiccup-er (2007-11-25): I began researching chronic hiccup cures for my friend. I found an alternative solution that may be helpful to all of you severe sufferers…it is an electronic device that’s implanted in the chest cavity, called the ‘vagus nerve stimulator’. The device sends shocks to the brain via the vagus nerve. Apparently, it deters or extinguishes hiccups; however, it may also cause a change in one’s voice. It is costly ($20,000~), though insurance may cover the majority. Read this article to educate yourself about an alternative solution… http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/10/health/10hicc.html?pagewanted=1 Erik (2007-11-26): Friend, that is a fantastic article. The device is very interesting, and the discussion of the vagus nerve stimulation by folk-remedies. I've added the link to the top of this page. Thanks! Mark C (2007-11-30): Hey blueserenade and sonja j,my daughter has the same problem exactly as blueserenade..Please let us know if any relief is given to you by this doctors visit? My daughter is having a terrible time with this..Thanks arthasdeunholy@gmail.com (2007-12-06): Hi All The most common source of hiccups is an ongoing yeast infection eg excessive intake of alcohol or bread. The able are a few tablet that you get from your gp to clear yeast infection. It worked for me and I had a daily problem for a couple of years. Aaron (2007-12-15): My father has had the hiccups 3 years ago for 6 weeks and he just recently got them last sunday. He has them in his sleep and awake none stop. This last episode is going on his 6th day. What is my first step of action, if Dr. what kind. Please help, he has suffered enough from his diabetes for 40 years... Thanks to whom ever in advance. A.G Me (2007-12-25): I get persistent hiccups sometimes for days. I have yet to find a "foolproof" cure, but I did try one remedy that has about a 50/50 chance of working. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't...but the 2nd day I was desperate and followed my great aunt's advice of swallowing a large spoonful of vinegar. I guess it's the instant shock that makes them go away, but if you're anticipating it and just swallow it like no big deal, it doesn't work for me. Gotta just chug it down and it's worked for me before, but as I said before...not all the time. lizi (2007-12-30): erm i dont' know if it's as bad as yours, but i started hiccuping like 2 months ago but not as bad, only having random 10 or 15 every few hours but since i started i've been like.. more tired and run down i'm 15 and i play for a football team so i jog& bike etc a lot, so i need to be quite fit which is difficult 'cause these hiccups are annoying what should i do? thanks.. Erik (2007-12-30): My advice is to read the above articles, and think about what in your life changed about two months ago. Did you start eating something new, or plant some new flowers next to your house, or start getting stressed out by something? toadfrog (2008-01-01): I had sinus surgery in may 2007 and every since then i make this loud uncontrollable noise. It sounds like a quack or loud screech. I don't do it when i am sleeping. I had sinus surgery in hopes that it would cure my daily headaches. This did not work so i have now been suffering from persistent headaches. No medications have worked. I do still get the regular hiccups occasionally and they sound normal and go away. Are these loud sounds i make considered intractable hiccups or not? All suggestions welcome!!! lizi (2008-01-01): no, everything's just the same.. i've read all the articles about food alergies and yeast infections but nothing's changed i could have been stressed out about my mocks and things i don't know thanks toadfrog (2008-01-01): erik!!! Hurry up and respond this is urgent i need advice! PLEASE give me any tips you have!!!! Erik (2008-01-01): Lizi and Toadfrog, I'm sorry, but I don't have any more ideas or articles for you. My only suggestion now is to see your doctor, and work up the chain of neurologists... toadfrog (2008-01-02): thank you erik! i am currently seeing a neurologist for the headaches and next time i see him i will ask him! i will let you know how it goes Katie (2008-01-09): Hey there Erik and everyone who comments here, I don't have chronic hiccups, but I just want to say I feel a huge huge amount of sympathy for you, as I know that hiccups are frustrating and from the sounds of it, very draining and painful. I really hope you each can find something to relieve your suffering with this. Keep searching for remedies. God bless, Katie. Tracey (2008-01-21): I'm 27 weeks pregnant and I have been getting the hiccups every day during the pregnancy. It's not fetal hiccups, it's me hiccuping. I get them at least once a day, but usually two or three times and they last about a half hour or more each time. Has anyone else experienced daily hiccups while pregnant? My doctor doesn't seem to have the answer. carolynncassie (2008-01-22): My 14 year old daughter is on month 14 with hiccups identical to BlueSerenade, sonja and mark C. We have run a hge battery of tests and tried all the drugs and nothing stops them. Anywhere between 1 and 15 an hour (unless a rapid firing jag hits.) She is also having intense pain at the sternem. Hve you found ANYTHING yet??? Wendy (2008-01-26): My daughter had frequent fetal hiccups, and has regularly had bouts of hiccups ever since. She is now 10, and it seems to be more frequent recently, or perhaps it just bothers her more now. They are regular bouts that last up to an hour, not particularly painful but very annoying. Any suggestions? edanomel (2008-01-30): oneword: lemonade. it stops hiccups anonymous (2008-02-02): hi just a quick word my sister suffered with hiccups for the last three years she was refered to hospital where they kept on saying they were at a loss and in the end put her on antidepressents three weeks ago she had eneough couldnt eat for the last year hiccuped constantly couldnt breath and couldnt sleep to make a long story short she asked the doctor last week for a brain scan where they discovered she had a brain tumour and all the hiccups, vomiting everything was from the tumour theat was lying on all her nerves not to make any one worry but if yer case is as severe as hers you should ask for a brain scan when shes recovered she will come on herself and let ye know alot more Cody Bear (2008-02-10): I have had them twice and this is day two so i got on to see if besides the many tactics already used there could be a "FoulProof" way to get rid of these things. I have read over the articles and unlike most of you, I cannot sleep with these. I can get rid of them for maybe an hour and it really is aggeravating. I see a trend whenever i get really sick with the flu or a cold this occurs any connection between the two?? John Davison (2008-02-16): I am going to see a cranial osteopath on Monday. His assistant tells me he will fix the problem. Greg (2008-02-29): I had them one time for 18 days and then another time for 13 days and now i'm on the 4th day and counting please can anyone HELP! carolynncassie (2008-03-05): I have a sore throt and still have the hiccups. PLEASE help, they hurt soooooo bad you have no idea! I would really like some ideas cause I'm in so much pain when i hiccup. PLEASE someone post something helpful. : carolynncassie (2008-03-05): I have a sore throt and still have the hiccups. PLEASE help, they hurt soooooo bad you have no idea! I would really like some ideas cause I'm in so much pain when i hiccup. PLEASE someone post something helpful. : Suzanne (2008-03-05): Carolynncassie, I am so sorry to hear about your sore throat and how the hiccups are making it worse. Try peanut butter or sugar, that usually, but not always, cures mine. 3 (2008-03-09): this is my one week anniversary. i'm age 50. last week right about this time i was at my computer like now and hiccups started. i'd never before had them for more than a few seconds . they've barely stopped since and sometimes during the day they get violent, like spasms. of course i went to a doctor ( the day after they started ) and he took a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia, but really didn't address the hiccups. if i lay on two slightly raised pillows, on my back and remain still they go away for awhile and i can sleep. when i wake up in the morning they have stopped, but i know that as soon as i move they will start back and they do. they begin faint in the morning and as i progress through my busy day they become more violent. i haven't tried any home remedies other than a few breathing exercises. i've read you can have acid reflux and not know it, that some people handle the acid coming up differently, and i feel like there is some possibility i could have acid reflux so i'm trying nexium. ( I don't have heartburn or feel like people describe as acid feflux) when i read about all the people who have had hiccups for so many years, can't believe i didn't know about this until i got them so bad. and i am a news addict so it tells me that other than putting someone on the good morning show as a novelty, there's not a lot of seriousness being given to this problem by the media. and, from some of the posts i've read, too many health care people don't take this serious enough either. Today mine have changed to add the sensation of wanting to burp but not, and it happens at same time i'm trying to hiccup so it causes my body to stutter and struggle to take the next breath. here's hoping we all find the reason and get better. 3 (2008-03-12): Hello I'm back a few days later with an update. Although mine have not completely subsided, they are better. For example they are not present throughout the whole night, and in the early morning they are not present at all. They will usually start up faint in the late morning and persist throughout the day. They are worse in the evening. I am guessing - merely a guess - that the one purple pill a day might be responsible, and/or the antibiotic I have been taking for over a week. One possibility - again just guess work here - is that the case of prolonged post-nasal drip I had which also caused much dry coughing, irritated my esophagus to the point of causing the hiccups. The Nexium might be healing the esophagus and therefore the hiccups are subsiding. Of course as I said this is all speculation - and hopefulness - on my part and they could flare back up at any time, but I am trying to keep some positive perspective in this picture. I will say this also, I have read every post on this site and I have a profound respect for people who have chronic hiccups. If mine do go away I will not fade away from supporting research and help for this illness. I am a writer and will write about my experience and come back here with a link to post. So, even if you don't have signs of GERD or acid reflux, you may still have it and if you can get Nexium it might be worth a try for you. And, if you suspect an infection of some sort, antibiotics might clear that problem and therefore clear or reduce the hiccups. Thank you all for sharing your experiences, and Erik for starting and maintaining the site. I'll be back soon with another update. I am also interested in reading updated posts from others here, on your progress. I'd love to hear that some people are cured of the hiccups! Peace, love and bless you all. And don't forget - a black cat is black! Georges Garon (2008-03-15): I feel what you are going through. One day in April 2007, I started to get the hiccups. Since then it has not stoped. When I do have the hiccups its hard, so my thoat, and chest hurts. Not only that, my stomach gets so bloaded I can't eat. When I get the hiccups it goes on for 2 to 3 days straight non stop. Then I go 3 sometimes 4 days without having it. I have been through many tests such as a CT Scan, MRI, chest xray, and a abdominal scan. All the tests showed negative, that there is nothing wrong. I'm baffled that the doctors don't have any answers why I have the hiccups or how to cure it. 3 (2008-03-16): I'm going on day four without a single hiccup and if it wasn't the preacher in my neighborhood who put his hand on my shoulder and said "You are healed," then it has to be either the Nexium I have been taking ( one a day) or the Amoxicillin, or a combination of both or all? I'm not a real church-goer but I was walking my dogs and stopped to tell this neighbor whom I know fairly well about my hiccups. I knew that he had once been a practicing preacher but we had never talked about it, so I don't know any details about that. But he did put his hand firmly on my shoulder and say that I was healed and did I believe it. Of course I said yes, but I wasn't even sure what he was doing until I walked away. The next morning my hiccups were gone, but they came back slightly for the remainder of the day. That night I had them violently and then in the morning - gone and not back since. I have been burping a bit and I really feel that my hiccups are gastro-related, even though I've never had a history with that. Since I had recently and for over a month had a very bad dry cough, maybe I irritated my esophagus or that region, and the Nexium healed it. Or maybe I had an infection of some type and the antibiotic fixed that and therefore my hiccups. Or maybe . . . . George, you say your stomach bloats - that sounds like food and liquid are not being processed quickly, i.e., remaining in your stomach too long and pushing up your throat and may be causing the hiccups. That may also explain why you can go several days without hiccups, until your stomach begins to react again. Have you tried Nexium ( I would imagine you have.) I am also assuming you went through an antibiotic treatment in case of bacterial infection was involved. The other thing is diet. You have changed your diet and you are not drinking alcohol? And you have limited the amount of food intake with each meal? Well, I hope you find the answer, bless & luck . vj (2008-03-16): hi guys m vijay i also hv same prblm of hik ups it lasts for many days n increase at time i sleep so if any 1 knws any solution plz let me knw thx. 3 (2008-03-18): Hi vj, what I did was read every post on this site to make comparisons to my situation, and then take the best course of action based on that and a little help from my general doctor. So, antibiotics and Nexium is what I tried and so far I've been hiccup-free for over a week. When you say yours increases at night it sounds like exertion may cause this, which means it could be hernia or other physical irritation that becomes more irritable as the day wears on. Just a guess but maybe a chest x-ray would shed more light. brookelyn (2008-03-18): i've had this one problem for about three months now . i have the hiccups every single day , but its not like regular hiccups. i hiccup once and they are gone for either a min or up to 5 minutes and then it happens again, some of them are painful. any information? contact asap, @ brooklyn-x0@hotmail.com thanks. 3 (2008-03-19): brookelyn -pain associated with hiccups could mean there's internal friction involved. x-rays, a visit to a doctor would be in order just to be safe. if you don't have health insurance, find a doctor who allows walk-ins for a set fee courtney (2008-03-24): alright so i dont have constant hiccups but i usually cant go ten minutes without hiccuping once. ella (2008-04-07): i keep getting them, there not painfull but are embarrassing, i sound like drunken sailor and am now the but of office jokes. in meetings, dates and even during sex theare so dam loud. im beginning to worry something could be wrong propertyofgomer (2008-04-07): Hello everyone. I would just like to report that I have been FREE of my hiccup noises (or whatever they were) since May 25, 2007. I had a couple of botox injections in my vocal chords... and for some reason, it fixed my problem!! The doctors were surprised - they didn't think the injections would fix the problem; they only thought the injections would decrease the loudness of the noises. Cora (2008-04-12): Dana! i have the same thing but no where near as long. its been about two months and i just went to my doctor and was prescribed nexium but it does not seem to be working. Let me know if you find the cure! Tiffany (2008-04-17): Oh my gosh!! I'm so happy I found this site! I can't believe there's so many other people with this problem, and a lot of people much worse off than me. I get bouts of hiccups about 3 times a day and then just random single hiccups here and there all throughout the day as well. The bouts never last long though so I'm thankful for that. Only like 5 min or less usually. But they are really annoying and they sometimes hurt me but I'm afraid if I go to the doctor about this he will just laugh. I can deal with them if I have to but I'm just scared that it could be a symptom of something worse. I thought everyone got the hiccups at least a few times a week, if not everyday, but then my husband said he only gets them once every few MONTHS, and then, only if he's been drinking. Paul Hurley (2008-04-21): Hi everyone, I'm sorry to hear about your condition. I am producing a tv show to go on ITV (British TV) and am looking for a long term sufferer of Chronic Hiccups. I would love to hear from anyone who may be interested in coming on the show. My e-mail is: p.t.hurley@hotmail.co.uk Please feel free to contact m e with any questions. My best to you all. Jenny (2008-04-23): wow, this thread has been going for 4 years!!! I've had mine for 8, only once or twice every few hours when im awake. Sometimes i get full on bouts that last around an hour, but who doesnt? I've just looked into it tonight, cos i got a new job (in a call centre...lol) and had to go through the usual "yeah, it happens all the time, but stops straight away, get used to hearing it" lines with all my new colleagues. Dont really want to get it checked out, as all those tests sound too scary when it's prob just stress, but i am a very laid back person... Has anyone had a medical cause for occasional hiccups or shall i just forget about it again? Erik (2008-04-29): Do your occurrences correspond to your eating patterns? Do you have acid reflux problems? How about allergies? Lucy (2008-04-30): Hi, everyone I am so happy to have found this site. I'm still bit concearned with my hiccups, but at least I know im not the only one. I have had my hiccups for about 8 years. I have them everyday. I get a bout of the hiccups every 5-10 minutes, it usually comes in 1-5 hiccups. I never get them while sleeping but its still an emberassing concearn. Does anyone have any suggestions? Like I said, I have had the hiccups for so many years now and relief would be a great gift. (2008-05-09): I learned years ago that taking one spoonful of sugar will stop hiccups 90% of the time. In the rare cases where it doesn't, take a second spoonful of sugar, which again is effective 90% of the time. Add the two percentages, and you'll note that 2 spoonfuls of sugar will stop hiccups 99% of the time. Good Luck! emms (2008-05-09): Hello all, I'm quite shocked to read some of these posts as I've never heard of someone having hiccups for more than a few minutes at a time. However, I figured I'd do some research on my own because for the past month or so, I've had on average about 1 hiccup every twenty minutes to an hour.. Its strange to me, do you think its the same sort of thing as those with chronic hiccups? or maybe its something else? /= I could be eating, talking, or just sitting around idle, and the single hiccup comes almost as clockwork. They haven't been painful, but I'd still like to know if its cause for concern? jessica (2008-05-17): i know how you guys feel. im only 14 & i get the hiccups 5-7 times a day. and they can last for 30 minutes. absolutely nothing stops them. it's really starting to effect me in class and such. Daniela (2008-05-19): Hello, I don't speak very well english (I am roumanian)...I think your site is great. My father has suffered a stroke and after that he has hiccups every 2-3 seconds. They stop about a half an hour and they come again...more disturbing. They are allready painfull...it's been a week allready. I have to say that he had 2 weeks ago a very bad pneumonia. We don't know why those hiccups started ...he is very tired because of them (he has 53 years old). Now the doctors make him a lot of medical tests. We hope that we find the reason. Erik (2008-05-19): Daniela, that's terrible. The stroke could have caused the hiccups, and be very difficult to treat. It could also be the stress of having had a stroke, or possibly a reaction to medication given to him after the stroke. Good luck! Daniela (2008-05-19): I was thinking exactly like you. He is in medication now...it may be because of some medication ( I read that Benzodiazepin can give hiccups and he is taking Diazepam...so...it may be because of it...at least I hope that). It could be because of the stroke he had, but the doctors doesn't say that...they even deny it. Anyway...talking to people who has the same problem helps a lot. Thank you for existing Erik...you are one of a kind. I didn't even hoped to get a response so quick. Thank you Scott (2008-05-21): I have had the hiccups off and on for the past 6 days. I'm having an emotionally difficult time. I'm afraid I'll end up having them forever. I'm 34 now. I'm able to go all night and most of the day without them, but, while awake, I feel like I'm constantly fighting them off. Then when I eat, fighting them off becomes more difficult until eventually they take over. Once they start, I have a very difficult time getting them to stop. Can anyone tell me if this sounds like persistant hiccups? My doctor put me on an acid reflux medication that I started this morning, and gave me a prescription for something that I currently cannot remember the name off. Scott (2008-05-21): The prescription my doctor gave me is for prochlorperazine. TallFatSue (2008-05-26): I haven't posted in a while, but I check in once or twice a week. I still get the hiccups 2 or 3 times a day for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. I've been like this since I was 16 and I'm almost 51 now. To the best of my knowledge I have no medical issues, so I just accept my hiccups as a fact of life, and it's a real comfort to know I'm not the only regular hiccuper. Last time we had a new hire at work, I had another bout of hiccups when personnel introduced her to everyone, "This is Sue, she's our office manager and she gets the hiccups all the time, so don't worry when you hear them." "Pleased to *HIC* meet you." Ms.Beebee (2008-05-28): This is my 1st time getting hiccups like crazy, I've tried to hold my breath in as long as I could .. drink lots of water.. but still ..it has not stop yet and Im only 17. Does anybody know the reason why ? Ernieinlosangeles (2008-06-03): Okay everyone...listen to this...I have had the hiccups now for the past 6 years and counting....what doctors at county USC hospital believe is this... I have gastroparesis, h-pylori, and pyloris stenosis...just to name a few... my believe is that is is caused by several if not all of the elements...mix in high acid reflux, depression and stess and you have the perfect recipe for intractible hissups...mine are so severe that in conjunction with the pyloric muscle neuropathy, this does not allow food to pass from the stomach into the upper intestinal tract...this cuaese extreme bloating followed by severe painful hiccups that if allowed to run there course....results in vomitting of all contents in my stomach...Here is what has been tried to ease my suffering....All anitacids, muscle relaxers , anti spasmodics, anti stress , antin depression , and any other med you could possible imagine...we have tried , phrenic nerve stimulation , phrenic nerve block , pyloric EGD botox injection , g- feeding tube....the next scheduled procedure ( sched for 06/15/08 ) is a pyloric stint implant...I hope and pray that this works...I am running out of medical options to relieve me of this conditon....one of the last possible options still on the table would be a toatl gastrorectomy...I hope that my posting can help any of you out there....If you want to communicate with me directly Weholatino2000@yahoo.com or 323-935 1046 ernie ...You can also reference my hospitals gi clinic and reference my name ernie sevilla patient id # 629 19 46 Good Luck Kees (2008-06-03): Great site. Also pleased to have found it and have read all of your remarks. First I would like to take Erik up on his suggestion to start a data base with causes and cures and relevant information. Secondly I may have a solution for some of you. I have had continuous and strong hiccups for 2 weeks now. I met someone last night who had had chronic hiccups and a Chinese doctor advised to take pills which are used against travel thickness. Brand names Marzine or Nausicalm with the active ingredient Cyclizine Hydrochloride. These pills are cheap and obtainable over the counter. And my hick-ups stopped after taking them, hope they stay away. damm they just come back again!! kees (2008-06-04): I am hic FREE and had a great night sleep. The pills in the previous posting did the job. And I have discovered something by accident and it worked instantaneous. I woke up and had the hiccups like all nights before. I took a small piece of Grapefruit and the hiccups stopped immediately and have not returned. The Grapefruit variety is a wheeny Not a sweet grapefruit very sour.Please let me know if this works for anybody else. keesdevochtatmacdotcom Danny (2008-06-06): I've had non-stop hiccups for 3 days now and only stop when I am asleep (which is hardly ever due to hiccuping all the time). friend reckons its stress related. Anyone else think this? I've tried every cure there is with no luck. Donnie (2008-06-15): They will now laugh at you, go to the doctor, they will proscribe you Thorazine, it is a medicine for hiccups, last july I had them for 4 days, finally went to the doctor, they are so bad that I would kill myself, now I have them again almost a year later working on 3 days, I just started my Thorazine again, so I am hoping they will work, also eat peanut better and drink milk, it calms them down for a while. Your chest will hurt so bad after the second day that it hurts tobreath. I hope everything works out for everyone. Lee (2008-06-16): Ever since I can remember I have had random hiccups every single day. It is usually just one at a time but it continues throughout the day, around three or four times. I'm 19 years old. What the hell is going on with me?? Bonnie (2008-06-20): I stated getting the hiccups in December 2003. It's about 20 times a day. Doctors don't seem to believe me when I tell them. It really has become fustrating. Ann (2008-06-24): few years back my husband got the hiccups really bad all the time...he was told to cut out caffeine...that meant coffee, tea, soda ( 7 up is alright, no caffeine),CHOCOLATE(yes it has caffeine), lose weight if needed and do not lay down for at least an hour after eating (longer is best) Sabrina :) (2008-07-02): WOW . . . I thought I was the only one that got hiccups everyday. . . 1 or 2 at a time every couple hours . . . glad to know I am not alone Kim (2008-07-04): My daughter has hiccups for years that are loud and a high squeak,I started giving her Pancreatin (digestive supplement, a Twin Labs product from the health food store,) when she eats and either she wont have them or only 2 may pop out! This is a great improvement she has gotten into a lot of trouble at school and a lot of embarrasing looks and comments! rachel (2008-08-03): LEE AND SABRINA.. im so glad you two posted. im in the same position. im also nineteen but it has been an issue for three years now. i just get one hiccup every few hours. i have no idea why.. any suggestions?? Woodsy (2008-08-13): I also have hiccups every single day of my life. Not continuously, just the odd one, two or three after pretty much everything I eat or drink. They accompany a need to burp! I also get strong ones after really cold drinks. They don't really bother me, think they annoy my housemates and colleagues somewhat though! I can remember when they started as well, was around 3 years ago and they've not stopped since. Engr. Ronaldo B. Robles (2008-08-17): I experienced hiccups during office hours and 3 hours during dawn. It really affects my sleep and health. What our Filipino doctor advised was to swallow at least 2 teaspoon of refined sugar and immediately drink water. Tremendous! it works immediately after few minutes. Try this...It really works! You can contact me at my e-mail: engr_ron220@yahoo.com Darin (2008-08-18): I may be the newest member of the hicclub, but I hope not. 5 days now and counting (having a violent case right now). Tried all the home remedies I could find. A sugar cube was an instant cure the first time I tried it, but they came back the following morning and it didn't work again. Went to lunch and our waitress recommended putting a lemon slice under the tongue. That too worked the first time, but only the first time. Bitters, nope. Peanut butter, nope. Holding breath, drinking water (including upside down) is also ineffective. It is SO frustrating -- and painful -- but I understand that I have a long ways to go before I'll get sympathy from this crowd. I'm intrigued with the grapefruit suggestion and will try it first thing in the morning...unless these things drive me to go to the store tonight. Thanks and best of luck to all sufferers of this annoyance. Lisa (2008-08-21): I was googling around to see to see if i could find a reason why i hiccup one at a time every few hours. its really cool to see that i am not alone.. still searching for a answer.. Michael (2008-08-30): I've had the hiccups for about 36 hourse straight now, with short reprieves of about one - two hours... but only if I am successful at one of the hiccup tricks. So far, holding my breath worked twice. Drinking a glass of water upside down did not work. Standing on my head worked the first time, but not since. I just tried the two teaspoons of sugar (water to rince) and it worked. Fingers are crossed that it will work more than once. Maybe help me escape from this pit of despair I'm sinking into... jenni (2008-08-31): i'm 15 now and i've been hiccuping for about 2 and a half years maybe a bit longer. They used to really really annoy me but now i don't get annoyed by them that much, but they annoy everyone else. I have to be in a seperate room to do exams because they can be so loud and when i get loads of them together it can be really painful but the thing that i find worst no one seems to hav because sometimes i don't expect the hiccups but somtimes they feel like they're stuck and thats what i hate the most that REALLY hurts. I only really get probably between 50-100 hiccups a day but they're totally random theres no rhyme or reason to when or why i get them and i only get about 1-5 at a time but i do sometimes get them constantly just every so often. Hiccups are often linked to excess acid in the stomach irritating your oesophagus and that can make the diaphram contract so ask the doctor to prescribe a strong ant-acid tablet or try something like rennie that you can buy in most supermarkets. good look everyone and as for people commenting on your hiccups ask them how they'd like to hiccup like you do, because its NOT nice!!!! Dudley (2008-09-22): Had knee surgery, scoped on Friday. The hiccups started that night and have continued for the last 2 days. They cease when I sleep and for brief periods. The acid level in my stomach seems to be increased as as soon as I eat or drink anything the hiccups get worse almost immediately. asdfghjkl; (2008-09-23): i hiccup a lot. every hour of the day, i have a few hiccups. they're REALLY awkward sounding and i've had them for 3 years and counting. it used to bother me but i ignore it now. people laugh and sometimes i do too but it just gets annoying. i can live with it but i was just really curious as to how many other people had this problem. i don't know anyone else who gets them as much as i do. they're loud and awkward. they sound like i'm saying 'hello'. :) N.R (2008-10-01): my husband had a surgery last friday and he's been hiccuping all day since then. he cant sleep because of them but if he falls asleep he doesnt have them I read Dudley's post and I think this is happening to you and my husband because he had a tube down his throat to breath during the surgery and that caused it to happen. He went to the emergency room yesterday and they xrayed his stomach and there was an irritation in there so they gave him some medications that none have worked at all. I will tell him about the grapefruit I hope it works. good luck to all Joanna (2008-10-01): I get the hiccups about every two hours, and then I hiccup about twice every ten minutes for that hour. My housemate says "bless you" and laughs every time but I'm annoyed with it. I don't know if this is serious at all or doctor-worthy...what's going on?!? tdr (2008-10-08): my poor 8 yr old daughter started getting hiccups as she was recovering from a stomach virus about 3 weeks ago. they got significantly worse 2 nights ago -- her pediatrician said it was psychosomatic. my question -- what kind of doctor to seek out? gastroenterologist or neurologist? she had them almost continuously yesterday and late into last night and they started again as soon as she woke up. i may call the pediatrician again as he is usually pretty good once he realizes the parent is truly alarmed. tdr (2008-10-08): One more thing. I came across this somewhat weird web page, but the "hiccup cure" seems plausible. I will try it with her when I get home later. http://www.mastersweep.com/curehiccups.htm It's the "hold your breath" cure but supposedly done Correctly. Please post feedback you hiccupers who try this. Erik (2008-10-08): tdr, The "cure" you reference is a good start. Breath holding has been the most effective technique for me. Good luck! Jez (2008-10-17): i get the random hiccups... just one at a time completely random... it sucks, been called an attention seeker quite often :( when i do get a full on dose of hiccups the only thing that works for me is drinking water with someone blocking my ears (rather hard, but not painfully). now i have no idea how this works, but it does. Oh just a word of warning don't trust people with giving you the water, it often ends badly :P Pamela (2008-10-18): I also get the giant loud hiccup, just 1 or 2 at a time, 50 times a day. It does shock people, almost sounds like a parrot screech. I've had it for about 7 or 8 years now. isabel (2008-10-27): I also get giant loud hiccups, 1 or 2 at a time, multiple times a day. Everyone tells me I sound like a squeak toy or a mouse. They don't hurt and are very loud. I've had it for about 6 years now. My grandma also has a similar condition and she told me her dad had the same hiccup. The doctors say I'm fine. It's just really weird. I'm glad to know there are others that have odd hiccups. Vangogh (2008-10-30): Marijuana. period. it works. BRANDAY (2008-11-07): ok..so i have had chronic hiccuping for two years...i went to my local urgent care when i was having a serious case of them...like hiccuping every two seconds..no joke...and they gave me a prescription for them...that helps a lot when i am hiccuping constantly...they told me that they can be stress induced...which i can tell every single time I'm stressed b.c i hiccup at least 5 times in a minute period AND what really sucks is that i can feel them coming on so i can say im going to hiccup...and then i hiccup...and everyone in the room either laughs b.c they know that it is me...or there like "What the heck was that" and im just like ugh... its not really funny though b.c they hurt really badly..it seriously feels like someone is punching my in my chest and my friend described the sound as "someone being punched in the stomach while inhaling a burp" AND one thing that really makes me mad is when people are like "excuse me" after i do it..and im like WHAT its a chronic hiccup i cant do anything about it lol roxana (2008-11-12): HEre we go it might sound crazy and nasty but it really helps out a lot proved it with 2 different people!!!! A LIMON WITH KETCHUP IT REALLY WORKS! Lue (2008-11-12): Guys I feel so bad for yah all. I hope something works out for everyone. Rocken Randall (2008-11-14): I can stop hiccups almost as soon as they start.A friend had them and others watch me as I showed him how to do it.Here is the trick.Stare at something where other movement will not take your stare away from that object or shut your eyes.Hold your breath but NOT completely only breathing through your nose the least amout as possible.Take a small intake of air just every now and then while you focus on the object.You MUST keep your mind clear of thinking trying to draw a total blank except for the stare and the air rythem.once you master this you can stop hiccups almost as soon as they start.The best time to start is right when the hiccups are starting.If you have chronic hiccups keep the object focus ,blank thought and nose air intake rythem going until you have mastered this.It gives you control over the nerve that is the direct line to the problem. Meeps Megan (2008-11-14): I've had the "meeps", as my friends call it, since February. It's not too bad, they're sprinkled throughout my day and I only get a bad case of them every so often. The worst case was nearly two hours straight, several a minute while I was on-stand at work this summer. Let me tell you, trying to lifeguard with the hiccups is distracting! Holding my breath and tightening my stomach muscles helps. . . most of the time. Other people commenting on them or giving me "tips" while I have them only makes it worse. :) Kristen (2008-11-19): I've had chronic hiccups for 20 years now. At least a couple of times a day, I 'eep'... sometimes they are non-stop and go on for hours ... sometimes it's just one every few hours. Over the past couple of days, the bouts have become more frequent and violent. I know from my experience with them, 'this too shall pass'. Sorry I don’t have any magic cures to share with you, but I have certainly heard some very strange remedies over the years and even stranger inflictions of remedies without my prior consent. I know it could be worse... I am fortunate mine sound 'cute' according to those that have to put up with them daily. “Like a puppy” is what I typically hear. I was even chased down in a store because the sales person was convinced I had snuck a puppy in with me. One time I had a cashier yell to the back of the line where I was waiting, “I know what you have been doing”, as though I had been drinking, of course everyone had to turn around and look. Another cashier told me my credit card was declined and he was going to have to cut it up. I was in shock, and then he started laughing and said “your hiccups went away”. Another time I was shopping in a grocery store going down every isle and noticed another customer crisscrossing me on the same isles. Every time we passed each other he stared when I hiccupped. About 4 isles down, he jumped at me and screamed… he was so proud of himself because my hiccups went away; I was actually scared because some wacko stranger just jumped at me and screamed. Two isles later, the hiccups were back, I was still a little scared of him but mostly mad at this point and he was confused because the hiccups were back. At least I have some good stories because of the hiccups. Best of luck and enjoy your hiccups and the strange encounters you will have because of them if you can! dave s (2008-11-26): I've had chronic hiccups for 3 days & I've just cured them using a hypnotherapy breathing exercise cd. With me it was def stress triggered and this simple relaxation cd seems to have done the trick. Think it is self perpepuatiing as you worry about it going on forever and the worry keeps them going! the proph (2008-12-10): Yeah mary jane, wrks everytime, I've had these chronic hiccups for 2 days, and they only go away when I get high, Ragan (2008-12-12): My brother has hiccups for 1 week straight, evry other week I just found this, we are going to try it maybe it can help someone else too! Introduction: Pharmacologic control of severe hiccups is a difficult problem in cancer patients, specially when continuous phrenic nerve or diaphragmatic irritation from mediastinal or abdominal tumors happens. The preferred approach for treating hiccups is the systemic administration of dopaminergic blockers or antagonists or anti-arrhythmic drugs, which produce considerable side effects and are not always successful. We evaluated the feasibility, tolerance and efficacy of cervical phrenic nerve block in this situation. Methods: Five metastatic cancer patients (pancreas -2-, lung -1-, stomach -1-, merkel cell-1-) with intractable hiccups resistant to standard therapy were treated with local administration of 4 cc 1%lidocaine plus 40 mg depot-triamcinolone, at the level of the cervical phrenic nerve. Under ecographic control, the medication was injected at a point 1 inch above the clavicle, at the groove between the posterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the anterior scalene muscle, with a slightly anterior trajectory. After inserting the needle to a depth of approximately 1 inch, gentle aspiration was carried out to identify blood or elicitation of brachial plexus paresthesia; if negative, the solution was slowly injected. Results: Hiccups stopped within five minute in all the five patients. No recurrence of hiccups were appreciated in three patients. In the other patients, hiccups recurred within 4 days, but with a decreased frequency and forcefulness. Phrenic nerve block was repeated in both patients (once and twice, respectively) and hiccups did not appear again. No side effects were recorded. Conclusions: The use of cervical phrenic nerve block for intractable hiccups is of great value to cancer patients with this distressing problem for whom pharmacologic management has failed. Since this is a very simple, well tolerated, and efficient technique, it should be evaluated as an alternative to systemic treatments with anti-dopaminergic or anti-arrhythmic drugs. fdgjjsdnja (2008-12-13): I've been having random hiccups for the past week or so... They're loud and annoying. I get them at least a couple times an hour.. Is there any way to make them stop? Sophie (2009-01-03): I noticed several bouts of hiccups (each lasting at least half a day up to 3 days) over the past 2-3 years, and have more or less isolated the cause. For my case, the hiccups come when I've seen several days of irregular meals. I spend a lot of time in front of the computer, sometimes work and often on computer games. I've noticed when there's several days of consistently irregular meals (skipped breakfasts, delayed meals, substituting of meals with snacks), the hiccups come. They go away after I resume normal eating schedules. These hiccups come and hit me for hours to days, the usual remedies doesn't work (holding breath, drinking lots of water, etc), with the exception of holding my breath till the sensation of drowning (i read this remedy online, something to do with the body re-adjusting itself for emergencies). It may sound dangerous, but at the point of this sensation it feels so terrible that you'd wanna just stop holding. Be careful if you're gonna try this, don't push yourself beyond. *i will not hold responsibility for any incident* The hiccups will come back after several hours anyway. Admittedly, the occasional lifestyle which I lead that causes those hiccups is not advised. I have a tendency to get addicted to games or engrossed in what I'm doing that I neglect to find proper food. As they say, you are what you eat, I'm sharing this so that it may help anyone out there who are encountering persistent hiccups due to poor diet habits. Eat well and eat properly, and exercise regularly. Good luck! Sophie (2009-01-03): PS: I've just encountered yet another round of hiccups. I've been staying at home for the past few days (holiday seasons and all), sitting in front of the screen yet again. I skipped several meals, and the hiccups arrived yesterday. I found this page by googling "hiccups" "irregular meals". I really hope this would benefit any other similar individuals who may be having hiccups like mine. Zoseph (2009-01-20): I am on my sixth month of hiccups... varies, sometimes only a few times a day, sometimes several times an hour, sometimes every few seconds - really hard, painful ones. For the last month it has been more like a big bubble coming up my throat, and then the hiccup feels more like gasping for breath. George (2009-01-29): I had a sore throat for about 5 days, so I decided to go to the doctor. The doctor perscribed amoxcillin and ibuprofen for the pain. But I also received a steroid shot that supposedly quicken the process. The next morning, I took the amoxcillin and ibuprofen and I have had uncontrollable hiccups for 6 days now. My chest aches constantly. Unlike the many cases I've read here. My hiccups only stop when I eat, but start back about 30 minutes afterwards. I have only gotten 4 to 5 hours of sleep, since this a lll started. It's definitely affecting my job, more importantly. I went to my doctor and explained my symptoms. Believing it to be acid reflux or the ibuprofen. I feel that it is stress related, triggering some can up gas build up. It's to the point, that I'm gasping to breath and cause making me breath irregularly. I feel a strain on my chest so unbearable and I know it must be putting quite a strain on my heart as well. If, any on has any advice, on the matter. PLease let me know. I really do miss having at least a good night rest. Erik (2009-02-02): George, what did your doctor say when you went back? Catz5z (2009-03-03): hey, I get the hiccups every day since 4th grade and i am in the 8th grade 14yrs. It hurstand is embarrassing and annoying.(sorry I am not a great speller.) They leave me very tired andworn out. They occur every day 4-8 times a day. I am on my 7th and am going to bed. The hiccups wole me at 3 AM and Iwas awake the rest of the night! nexttime I see my Doc. I willask then I will tell you guys what she says! Erik (2009-03-03): Good luck Catz5z Kyle (2009-03-10): Ive had hiccups for about 12 days now. I get them every 10 - 15 seconds from when i wake up until i go to bed. The past few days my chest has actually sarted to hurt lol. Ive tried everything from breathing exercises to the same old tricks that people give to me. I was wondering if there is anything else that anybody knows of? It's bugging me and sometimes I have sleepless nights because I cant fall asleep!!! ugh!! Harry (2009-03-19): I have the same thing as 'Branday' has said they have. for the last 3 years i have hiccuped around 10times an hour..they are very loud and sound like im being punched or cant breathe. and like im trying to inhale. I can sometimes tell when a hiccup is coming and an be very sore on my diaghpram and throat. Ive have every test possible done.. domperidone tablets help reduce them if anyone is intrested. other than that there is no cure sorry.. just got to live with them :) its somthing different anyway. DeAnna (2009-03-26): WOW, I was looking for something about hiccups and stumbled upon your site. I feel awful for those with severe hiccups. Mine aren't severe but I do have strange deep sporadic hiccups. I'm not sure if I should mention it to doctors since I don't have much faith in them. I will be checking out the articles posted. Thank you! For the most part, I tend to forget about them until my co-workers point it out! I have about 10-15 sets of one to two hiccups per day. This has been going on since I can remember and I've tried to link them to certain things that are going on and I can never really figure it out. Thanks Erik; I will be following up! Vicki (2009-03-26): For about two years now I have hiccupped once and only once a day. Very odd. It usually happens sometime before 3pm, but not always. Sometimes I think it's a breathing thing, like a sigh, just a way for my body to change up my breathing to get more air? It is annoying in that since I only hiccup once people tend to think it's a burp and they make some comment like "nice one" and I have to explain that it's a hiccup. I've never mentioned it to a doctor mostly because I never think of it when I'm there and also because it's not really a big deal. It doesn't interfere with my day and it isn't painful. I do always wonder why it happens and how long it will go on for. Rachel (2009-04-02): I get hiccups at least 4-5 days a week but I get them more then once a day and they last about 20 minutes. Does this sound like a chronic conditon? Brian (2009-04-03): I interned at a hospital in Beijing China and there was an older gentleman who had 24/7 chronic hiccups non-stop. He took all types of medications for over 1 year without improvement. So they finally sent him to the acupuncture department. The second treatment of scalp acupuncture with e-stimulation, his chronic hiccups were cured. He was unbelievably happy since it was the first time he stopped hiccuping for over 2 years. Why'd he wait a year before going to the hospital? That's my question. Stewart (2009-04-15): I've had hiccups for the last 10 days and it's hell. Decided not to wear contact lenses today as I wondered if I was allergic to the new cleaning solution I'm using. So far so good!! Kay (2009-04-16): My boyfriend has been having hiccups for 7 days now. He is miserable. He went to his family doctor on Monday and she prescribed Thorazine, it's now Thursday and he has 2 pills left and it doesn't seem to be working. He took a sleeping pill last night and did get a good nights sleep, but the hiccups were back again this morning. We are not sure what type of doctor that he should try going to. If anyone has any suggestions please help!!!!!!!! Jerri (2009-04-25): I'm 19 and I've had the hiccups at least once an hour for as long as I can remember. Every day of my life I get to wake up knowing I'm going to hiccup all day. Lately the've gotten to the point that I do them in my sleep. So beat that! URG mike (2009-05-03): I have had hiccups non-stop for so long that I can't even remember being without them.........it is hell. Is there no cure? Victoria (2009-05-10): Okay..so..for the past week..*im 14* ive been hiccuping nonstop..i mean ..it stops for about 20minutes..but than...it just comes right back! what is this..? Imad (2009-05-21): I am having this problem which started with acid reflux. I think stress is another cause as I work full time and go to school over weekends. I went to a Gastroentrologist and he did an EGD (for acid reflux). After EGD hiccups started again probably because they touched esophagus. Anyways, thorazine works for me but it's not recommended because its anti psychotic drug mainly used for schizophrenia patients. I think mine is strongly related to diet and stress. I have stopped coffee and chocolates as it stimulates stomach acid. PreciousXO (2009-05-24): I got the hiccups on my wedding day 04-07-07. I thought nothing of it, but now it has been over two years and I have had them everyday since and they last anywhere from 1-45minutes. A few months ago they started to get very painful so I looked it up online. I had no idea others were going through the same thing! What do I need to do? I have tried all the home remedies many times and nothing. Mike (2009-06-04): I konw a cure for the hiccups Is true add me my e-mail is sk8erboi_181@hotmal.com Rose (2009-06-13): My father as had the hiccups now for 14 days, every 2-3 seconds, 24/7. The worst part is that he also has 4 broken ribs. Have tried every home remedy known to man. Doctors have no idea what to do. Thinking we may have to give acupuncture a try. Why not? Nothing else works. cupcake (2009-06-13): i've been having hiccups quite often since i was a child and they last longer compared to other people's hiccups. i know a few cures that work at different times for me: 1) take in big gulps of water one gulp at a time without stopping, and feel your pulse with your fingers at your wrist while at it. 2) this i just learnt a few minutes ago from someone on the internet: take 9 tiny sips of water without stopping, after that breathe normally the 2nd method worked really really well after the first method didnt work this time! anonymous (2009-06-16): reguarding the comments by Jusin W (2007-03-31): and Stewart (2009-04-15 MY FATHER IS HAVING HICCUPS FOR MORE THAN 2 YEARS.IT COMES IN A 10 DAY CYCLE...LIKE IN YOUR INSTANCES.DID EVERYTHING FOR A CURE BUT NOTHING WAS SUCCED.WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THERES A CURE...PLEASE CONTACT ME... isuranga@gmail.com thank you!!! Olivia (2009-06-17): When my mom was pregnant with me, I had the hiccups every single day. Even to this day, I get hiccups every day several times a day, and they are so loud. Everyone thinks I fake it because they are soo much louder than everyone else haha. I've never not had the hiccups during the day, so I guess I dont know what its like to live without them ;) Shelley (2009-06-18): As of about a month ago now I have been having hiccups everyday anywhere from once to more than ten times a day. Sometimes it is just one hiccup other times they last for two to three hours. Jessica (2009-06-19): Well, for the last half a year I guess I just get attacked by this random ONE hiccup then it's gone. I'll be sitting and then BAM hiccup. Just one. It doesn't continue on but within the next half hour or so there it goes again. I HICCUP. Something is seriously wrong with me. D:< Shelley (2009-06-27): My doctor told me to try taking prilosec 20mg once a day. I asked the pharmacist about it, he said studies have showed that it helps with hiccups. I have tried it 2 days in a row and so far it has not helpped at all. I'm having over 200 hiccups a day and sometime hiccup in my sleep. Nadia (2009-07-07): I think you're misunderstanding the term Psychogenic. Just because something is "in your head" doesn't mean you have control over it. Compare to fibromyalgia, for example, where your brain THINKS you are in pain when you're not. Or depression, when your brain THINKS you're sad for no reason. It's not something you can control, or make go away by thinking. It just means it's not a physical problem - there's not tissue damage or something causing the hiccups. (I have hiccups every day, a few times a day. It's so much fun.) Erik (2009-07-11): Nadia, I agree. However, because the problem is mental, that means it can be changed. Not by just wanting it changed, but by doing something about it, ie. changing surroundings, changing patterns, etc. If chronic hiccups are caused by stress (as I believe they are in my case), then reducing stress can make them go away. Karen (2009-07-18): I have had the hiccups once every 20 minutes or less for the past month, even in my sleep. They are very loud and sometimes almost sounds like a gasp. My doctor can not figure it out and so far took blood tests (all normal) and a chest x-ray, I'm just glad I'm not the only one Madison (2009-07-31): My boy friend has had constant hiccups for the past three days. When we have tried the common at home cures they will work for a little bit, like 20 min to 2 hours, but they keep coming back. We went to the DR this morning and he was perscribed a muscle relaxer. but the hiccups are back. I=Could there be something medically wrong with him? He needs to be able to communicate for his job and he could be fired.....we need help. hayesmadison@yahoo.com Fara (2009-08-03): Im 30+ and have head them everyday for like ever. They just come & go here and there, sometimes one, sometimes several. But, i also have issues where like I feel like I dont get enough oxygen or like seomtimes I have to "remember" to breathe. I sleep 8 hours a night and wake up exhaasted anyway. I could easily nap any time of day. lately Ive wondered if this isnt all tied together somehow......? who knows. San (2009-08-06): My father also has this problem but the solution which works for him is to drink a glass of plain SODA Jeff (2009-08-08): WHY WONT THEY STOP JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!OUCH numbness (2009-08-13): I've had the hiccups for four days now on and off. What's been working for me is gulps of any liquid or I'll drink a little but take big gulps as if I'm drinking. Lynnea (2009-08-15): You all should see your local homeopath. Samy (2009-08-16): ive had the hick-ups for the past 26 years they havent gone away ever. even when i eat sleep drink nothing. ive tried every trick in the book to get rid of them but nothing works ive lost a total of about 100 pounds a year. my doctors have me eating alteast 8,000 cals a day to stay alive. im 30 and 101 pounds. all of the hospitals and doctors ive had them since i was 4 they say ill have them for the rest of my life with out treatment. ive been to 16 hospitals and 40+ doctors if anybody can help please do! christina (2009-08-19): i am 17 years old and i have had the hiccups since before i can remember, for over 10 years. i never actually get the hiccups consecutively, i randomly hiccup once at a time every couple of hours around 10 or more times a day every single day. i've never even thought to ask a doctor about it because it's become so normal to me i forget it even happens but when it does it usually feels like it really huts my heart and chest. when i Do get the hiccups consecutively it does last hours, sometimes days but that generally only happens about once every couple of years. i do not see how breathing can work when my hiccups are not consecutive anyways and are hours apart and i do not understand why it happens Darren (2009-08-27): My hiccups are chronic at the mo,mine start after eating something,then as they come i can predict when they will go,which is usually 3 days approx,its like a pattern,every 3 weeks they srart for 3 days. They seem to go when im doing something to take my mind off them,and they get so bad that i jerk continual for a about 5 seconds...Do you think its stress related then? Please help with ideas,thanks. tired of hiccups (2009-09-02): it has happened everyday for i dont even know how long . i will get these hiccups that will last like 20 minutes and if i hold my breath about 4 or 5 times that will work and i get these hiccups 8 to 10 times a day . and after the 4th time during the day i feel like im having horrible heartburn and it gets hard to do daily functions or even breath . maybe its stress ?? but not even my own parents believe there is anything wrong with me . i dont know what else to do and im really starting to give up :( Hiccups for over 3 months (2009-09-06): I have been hiccuping 200+ times a day for a little over 3 months. I have been to a couple of doctors and had multiple tests done. I have gastritis, acid reflux, a hiatal hernia, and Barrett's esophalgitis. I'm not sure if the hiccups caused the health problems or if it is the other way around. Either way I'm on 3 different medications which I take mulitple times a day along with a very strict diet and I still have 100+ hiccups a day. I thought it was stressed related, so I have tried working out along with yoga and it hasn't helpped either. anonymous (2009-10-08): I have the temporary relief product!!!! Go buy some Milk Chocolate M&M's (Mars brand). I don't know if it is the caffine or what! This is the second straight day with constant hiccups and they stopped immediately while eating a handful of M&M's(between 10-15). It may sound silly but a victory is a victory where I'm from! If you just need a break; to talk, sleep, relax, etc.... Eat the M&M's!! It holds them off for approx. 1-2 hours. Enjoy! Marissa (2009-10-11): For over a year now I've had random hiccuping. I don't even know how often I hiccup a day. In the beginning it used to be just a random hiccup here and there but it gradually got worse. Now they don't even resemble hiccups most of the time. Sometimes they're really loud squeaks, sometimes they're really really high-pitched squeaks and sometimes my body will just shake. It's getting really annoying that after almost two years people are still looking at me as if I clucked like a chicken. I'm really sick of getting strange looks at school. Danni (2009-10-12): For the last 4 years I have had these chronic hiccups that sound like dog barking ,loud squeaks and they can happen rapidly. I can have about 30-40 in one sitting rapidly. It sucks cuz then if it doesnt stop my head hurts afterwards. i know this is a psychological thing because it started after i watched a dog fight. However, I do have the normal hiccups as well... Merritt (2009-10-22): I've had one single hiccup/burp thing almost every day for at least 30 years. Since I recently found out I have LPR, the kind of acid reflux that results from BOTH sphincters in the esophagus being weak, so the acid gets up in the throat and burns like h*ll on earth. Thought I had sore throats & earaches from allergies till I found out it's one of the symptoms........ I'm thinking maybe the hiccups have something to do with it. Annoying........ I really feel for those of you who have it lots more often. Monica (2009-10-28): I've always had regular hiccups. I had an uncle who had them permanently, like they never stopped. I find that my best way to get rid of them is to drink something carbonated. Just a few gulps usually do it for me, but nothing else in the world gets rid of them. I hold my breath, and hiccup while I'm not breathing (which hurts). I recently got diagnosed with a kidney stone, and for some reason the past week or two I've had hiccups about every ten minutes. They usually last about five minutes, so I'll have more than 25 bouts of hiccups a day, even in my sleep. Does anyone really understand why this happens? amanda (2009-10-31): i know ya'll are all people with very serious problems with the hiccups but listen to this bless my littles dogs heart it has had the hiccups for over a year she has them 24/7 she has them in her sleep they NEVER leave i just want to hold her in my arms there is nothing i can do i jut feel very bad about it i wish i could do something a have taken her to many vets and they all say she is fine and that there is nothing we can do about them but i know that there is more too it no body or no thing should have to go through this. just thought i could share my dogs story Marissa (2009-11-01): Just because it's a dog story doesn't make it any less serious or upsetting. Niki (2009-11-11): I have had the hiccups for at least 2 weeks now.. they are very loud and annoying ones. there is normally a pause in between them and sometimes i have about 4 or 5 at a time. I am going to a GI dr. in a few days because i work with a bunch of doctors. they all have their differend opinions about what it is. Ive heard gall bladder, abcess, hiatal hernia, nerve issues, etc. i just hope that they will go away because i am tired of having them!! Marissa (2009-11-13): One of my friends has started saying I have Tourette's everytime I hiccup. I'm getting very very annoyed. Corrine (2009-11-13): I am 22 years old and I have been getting the hiccups 20-30 times every day for the past 2 years. Mostly during the day when I am working or when I am just sitting in class it really doesnt matter what I am doing anymore. I have noticed that they are getting stronger and stronger and they really hurt like they are coming from way down deep in my stomach. Im sitting here reading all of your stories and I am shocked at how many other people have the same problem. I haven't gone to the doctors yet because i feel that they are looking at me like i dont have a problem and that I am making these things up. I just want to know what is causing them. If anyone ever finds out why these are happening like this please let me know and I hope that everyone with this problem gets it resolved. Because this is something that I wish no one had to go through. It is embarrasing when people stare and laugh and make jokes. Niki (2009-11-24): So it has been a month of hiccups for me now!! i am sooo frustrated. The GI dr that i have been going to did some blood work, it all came back fine. He then did an EGD, that came back fine. He did some biopsies of my stomach and small intestin, that came back fine. He now wants me to do a gastric emptying scan. Unfortunatly i have to wait over a week to get that done. I do know that there is a medication, called Thorazine, that is used to stop hiccups. My dr. however is not recommending it for me because he wants to find out what is causeing them. I feel like i am just a little project for him. If the Gastric emptying scan comes back normal then i have to get a ct scan of my abdomen and chest. I dont know if i am going to be able to afford getting rid of the hiccups! sometimes i feel like i am doing too much, but at the same time, i dont know how much more of this i can take!! im about ready to lose my mind! xsammileighx (2009-11-29): I have had the hiccups for a good 6 months now, they come on worse when i eat, but they happen about once an hour all day long. They have got less and less but now they have stayed at about once every three or four hours, they arent usual hiccups though, these are very squeeky very high pitched hiccups, and most people dont even identify them with a hiccup they just look at me funny. Even though i'm a girl im 17 and they are VERY annoying. Marissa (2009-11-29): Sammileigh, that's exactly what mine are. Not really hiccups, just high pitched squeaks. I'm seventeen too. chris (2009-12-07): My hiccups started my freshman year in high school (a little over four years ago). I would get them once everyday in the same class. It was my English class and my teacher would simply say "if you can hiccup again, I will give you 5 extra credit points on the next quiz." Unfortunately i could never hiccup after he said that. Since then the hiccups progressively got worse. Currently i hiccup at random times during the day for random amounts of hiccups. I would say i hiccup close to a hundred times a day. ...I am yet to read anything on the internet that would suggest a health hazard but it is really annoying and a nuisance . If anyone has any information please let me (us) know. Chelsea (2009-12-12): wow ithought i was the only one with weird hiccup poblems, i started hiccuping about 5 years ago. mine arent constant. i hiccup randomly throughout the day at least a hundred times a day. Mine are extrmely loud and they hurt my chest.. I went to the dr and she gave me some meds that didnt help. anybody have any answers? Mercedes (2009-12-15): okay i have had the hickups for like 5 months it kills my stoach. it stared with maybe 4 hiccups a day but its gottin a lott worse.. like i have hiccupin fits adn i just wanna cry because i wont stop and it shakes my whole bodyy anyone wanna help me.? please. Bianca (2010-01-10): I dont know if what I "have" would be considerd "chronic hiccups". I have had random hiccups throughout the day, every day for as long as i can remember #im 32#. Its just one or two at a time, never more than 4 in a row, ever. Maybe a total of 20+ times a day, thats the highest I counted one day 'til i forgot and lost count. Sometimes the hiccup is followed by a small burp. They are never painfull or bothersom. Its been soo long that most time I dont notice them until someone looks at me after I do it. They dont really bother me at all and this is the very first time i even googled "chronic hiccup". #Just hiccuped twice#. I never even knew that people had it that bad or that long 'til I read here. Does anyone else have it this way also? Would this be considerd "mild" chronic hiccups? interested (2010-01-15): i have always wondered about this dont have my self know people who do mo (2010-01-20): I recently developed hiccups that last for days. They come and go but, they really hurt now. I started taking ibuprofren for the pain and they disappered. I went to see a chiropractor as I started to suspect it was due to posture or back problems, eureka!!! swelling in my back has been triggering the nerve which controls the diaphragm. I do some carpentry . I always attribute mild back pain to working. The doc believes one side of my pelvis is higher than the other meaning , my spine is sitting on a crooked foundation causing inflammation irritating the nerve. I don't know if that helps anyone but, icing my back sure is helping right now . Angelique (2010-01-22): Bianca, I have hiccups like that! Maybe once or twice a day and like 4 hiccups tops, typically 1 or 2. They are super loud and sound like a duck quacking, sometimes they hurt a little but really they don't bother me, but it happens every single day. It doesn't seem that serious to me, but from reading online I've heard it can be an indication of more serious things? I don't have much money so I'm really hesitant to go to a doctor. Kimberly (2010-01-25): marissa- i have the same problem as you, have you found a cure? Megan (2010-02-01): I have the same thing as Bianca and Angelique! Same thing, only 1, sometimes 2 or 3 hiccups, sometimes followed by a small burp because i will swallow air while hiccuping. Also, sometime i feel like i am about to burp and i hiccup instead. They are usually very loud and squak like, and i get one every 1 - 4 hours or so. I really don't think i hiccup in my sleep. All my friends laugh and say 'bless you,' after i hiccup, haha. It's not too bothersome but after 3 years of this (I'm 17 now) I'm beginning to wonder if something is wrong. Chris (2010-02-10): I posted awhile ago describing my situation and I have since gone to the doctor and the general consensus was that my hiccups are stress related. The reasoning behind this conclusion was that i don't hiccup nearly as much during the summer as i do during school. Also, my hiccups are at its worse come exams and finals. As far as the doctor knows there is no harm that can come from me hiccuping. Abby (2010-02-12): They started 1 year, 3 months, and 26 days ago. I was 13, now I'm almost 15. I can't even run anymore my acid reflux is so bad. My teacher moved me to the back of the room because of them. People laugh at me and stare at me all of the time. And they aren't evem funny or cute anymore, they just hurt. I am finally going to a GI because they were under control for a while when I started the omeprazole but they havee only gotten worse. Jennuh (2010-02-15): I get hiccups at least once a day, if not more. Sometimes I hiccup once, really, really loud. And then I don't hiccup until later... it's weird. Lani (2010-02-16): Wow, it's good to know I'm not alone. I've had hiccups for about 4 years now (I'm 23). When I told my doctor during a check up he told me it's because I forget to breath but nothing serious. It seems that they go into patterns. For a few months I will get them about once every half hour, other times I'll only get them about once a day. Sometimes they will be big and heavy and move my whole body with them (my brother says those ones sound like pterodactyl cries) and othertimes they'll be small and mouse-like. I always forget about them myself until I see people give me weird faces as they think of whether to say "excuse you" or "bless you." They do get pretty annoying though. But I've had friends say they were able to find me in stores because they heard it. Marissa (2010-02-18): Kimberly- sorry no cure. It's slightly less lately though. It's like they are worse in the summer and fall and not so much in the winter. Odd. My current problem is that I've had a headache since Monday afternoon. Hasn't gone away at all. It dulls during the day and gets worse at night. Sigh, why do I have to have all these odd symptoms that are just going to be chalked up to "nothing really"? Anne (2010-03-01): My daughter has this too. She had it back in 2005 in the summer. The doctors tried all sorts of stuff. Baclofen, Ativan for example. No effect. On a hunch our PCP tried an anti nausea drug called phenergen ( they used to give it to kids to prevent travel sickness years ago). Anyway it worked! She kept it handy for the next 4and a half years and any time they started up she would take the phenergen and it would work. Until last August when the phenergen started to have a side effect of sudden intense drowsiness. I mean like dangerously drowsy! She would have to pull over if she was driving and just wait it out. They cut the dose but that just meant the hiccups didn't go away as well as they did before. In about the middle of October, the phenergen just flat out quit working at all and she has had the hiccups ever since. We have been to all sorts of doctors too. she has had a CTscan of her brain, one of her abdomen, an MRI and an EGD. she has had all sorts of blood tests. these showed a Vitamin D deficiency and also hypothyroidism ( probably both due to the stress on her body) which are both under treatment with supplements. Here is the interesting part though; none of the other posters have mentioned any hair-loss. My daughter has been losing her hair since about the same time this began. We saw a dermatologist who did a biopsy of her scalp. The conclusion was clear; the hair loss is due to the physical stress on her body caused by these hiccups. He said if we could only find and treat the underlying cause, her hair would just grow back by itself. There is no point whatever in trying any topical treatments, so if anyone else is suffering this symptom, don't waste your money on miracle hair growth products! Here is another dimension to my daughters stiuation; she is almost 24 and still on our insurance b/c she is a full time student. However, often she is really wiped out, either with the drugs they keep trying or just plain exhausted with the hiccups. We are scared stiff she will lose her coverage because she is sometimes too sick to go to her classes. Also she can't do her job because she is employed in a cosy coffee shop environment and her boss does not like her massive loud echoing hiccups disturbing the ambience so she is on medical leave right now. The social implications of this condition are massive! How is a person supposed to cope with this? How is my daughter supposed to finsih school and get a career started when any day now her coverage could get cut because she is sick? I am about at my wits end! Did anything come of that documentary that the British producer was making? Maybe someone should make one about how to deal with this from a social and insurance point of view as well as the flat out medical puzzle that it is. Sorry, y'all I am British living in the US and I can't wait for your people to wake up and understand that universal health care is not a communist plot; it is a basic moral duty of society. Please forgive my little soap box rant, but think about it; aren't some of you in similar situations? It isn't your fault and you shouldn't be penalised for being sick! It should not be allowed to ruin your life any more than just having the damned hiccups is doing already. It is bad enough no-one seems to know how to fix the medical problem without having sufferers dropping off the map because they run out of coverage. Nicole (2010-03-01): I'm really glad I'm not the only one. I have been hiccuping since I was 17 (I'm 25 now, so that's 8 years!). It's not like continuous hiccuping, but like one isolated hiccup, everyday, and several times a day. Although, at times, I can have more than one hiccup at a time. Strangely enough also, I'll have a "normal" hiccuping session, where I'll hiccup continuously for a minute or so. I say "normal" hiccups cause they seem closest to what "normal" hiccups were (hiccuping several times, one after another, for a minute or so) before I started my, well "weird" hiccups. The "normal" hiccups sometimes hurt a little bit, but my "weird" hiccups don't hurt at all. Anyhow, the random isolated hiccups that I have now (the "weird" ones) I make this high pitched schwell- some folks say I sound like a little bird, or like a cute mouse or a puppy or whatev. Its different every time. Sometimes I can feel like a little bit of something in my stomach, as if it were acid? Although I'm not sure, and it dosen't happen every time. It really dosen't ever hurt. I'm not even sure these are hiccups really. I started them when I was 17. I got them right after I started taking Paxil for Social Anxiety Disorder. I'm pretty sure that has something to do with me having them...has anyone else taken Paxil or an antidepressant just before getting them? People always tell me that I should go get it checked out, as it could prove dangerous for your later health. Although, after reading everyones comments I don't see anyone having a life threatening illness cause of these "hiccups" so I'm uncertain if I should be alarmed. Has anyone had a chronic illness cause of their "hiccups"? I think, if anything, that they could turn out to be a case of acid reflux, or if it got real real bad, something like stomach cancer. Do any of you have the misfortune of having these diseases? People also tell me that I should be concerned about my later job situation and career, as they think that having these "hiccups" will make my employers not take me so seriously. I haven't seen people treat me any different by having them as far as I can tell. I don't have a top position in my job, so I can't say that they hinder me. I am concerned that they would though as I get farther along in my career. Do you think employers will take me less seriously cause my "hiccups?" In my experience my "hiccups" have been anything but socially debilitating. Most folks think they are cute. In fact its sorta like a social lubricant, and people feel invited to talk to me afterwards, "what was THAT" they'll say, or "Aww that was so cute" or even "Is there a bird in the room." I never get any negetive vibes from people when they say that- like I've never gotten a negetive response, well unless lots and lots of people were lieing to me. The only negetive response I've EVER gotten, in my 8 years, was from a famous person (who shall go unnamed) who made fun of me. Bastard. Anyhow, I've found that these "hiccups" are a way to start a conversation when meeting new people. But really that's the only good things about having "hiccups." They are annoying and I wish they would go away. chelsea (2010-03-02): Nicole, Ive had hiccups for 3.5 years now and they are exactly like yours. I have "normal" hiccups as well and then these loud high pitched noise that is unexplainable. You said you haven't been to the doctor to figure anything out? This makes me nervous because your hiccups my hiccups sound exactly like yours and you have had them for 8 years! Caitlin (2010-03-04): After ten months of 50-100 a day of the same weird sounding ones (duck quacks, dinosaur screetches, stepping on a dogs tail) everyone else has, I went to the doctor yesterday. He put me on baclofen, a muscle relaxer usually used for MS patients. So far today, I'm still hiccuping, but I am doing it a little less. I feel completely out of it though. I'm not sure it's worth all this. They weren't really bothering me in the first place. I only went to the doctor because my coworkers were annoyed. For the record, I'm a 24 year old female in good health otherwise. They just sort of started out of nowhere last May. Amanda (2010-03-05): This is my one week anniversary of having the hiccups. They don't bother me at all, just a bit of acid reflux. People keep asking me if I still have them, though. Right after I hiccup. I mean, obviously I still have them, or else you wouldn't have heard that squawk. Someone said his hiccups sound like pterodactyl cries. Mine, too! Except they're cute. Sometimes bird-like. I've noticed that when things are calm and I'm alone that they slow down or stop altogether. I'm a senior in high school, so they're worst when I'm walking the crowded halls when we're changing classes. Maybe mine are related to social anxiety. I'm also having a burping issue, which I'm guessing is related to the acid reflux. Anyway, I'm going to see a doctor soon just in case. I don't really care about making them go away or anything; I'd just like to know if there's anything I should be concerned about. I'm glad to read all of this. I wonder if I'll end up having them for years like some of you guys... Guess we'll see. Katie (2010-03-07): I have these too! I am 20 now and I have had them about 2 years now. Mine sound like really really high pitched squeaks. Kind of like the sound of if you step on a small dog. I get about 40-100 a day. And it is so weird because I can tell the difference between them. The squeaks just feel like they come from a different part of your body. And the normal hiccups hurt bad for me. They are kinda embarassing tho if your around people who don't know you. And I was wondering if it is a form of tourrettes, maybe? Technically I would consider these things tics. Well Idk. Alanna (2010-03-09): I thought I was the only one! I have never bothered counting how many I get a day, but I must get them at least between 40-50 times a day. They are at random points in the day and at times I may only have 1 hiccup, whereas other times it might go into 3 or 4 in a row. I've become known in my band as the girl who hiccups during performances. From reading the stories and things from yahoo answers it seems like doctors have said it is nothing to really worry about. And it seems like its caused by stress? That seems to make sense for me since mine started in high school. (Senior now). Mine are usually a high pitched noise too and all I know is my friends all find it really cute, but it annoys me. Oh well, it's good to see that I'm not alone in this! I've had so many people ask me at school if something was wrong because I am the only person that I KNOW who has this problem. Kirsty (2010-03-20): I am 17 years old and developed hiccups starting two years ago. i think they are not chronic hiccups but they are continuous every hour or so. i have recently started counting them and over the past few days have ranged between 35-70, they stop when i am asleep. i am continuing to record how many i get a day. my plan is to cut out certain foods at a time to see if thats a factor causing my hiccups. the only thing i have every single day is bread. tell me what you think :) x Marissa (2010-03-26): I've realized that when I'm sick my hiccups seem to stop. I have a cold right now and what actually worries me is that I can't remember the last time I hiccuped. They've become such a part of my life that when they aren't persistent I feel strange. Kelsey (2010-03-29): Oh my goodness I thought I was the only one!!! I have had hiccups for about a year 1/2 now. All day long, every single day. not constantly, but at least a few times an hour. It's VERY annoying. My manager at work gets frustrated with me. People tend to think it's cute...but the "drinking already?" jokes are beyond old!!! I'm thinking of seeing my doctor this week.....it was suggested that my hiccups were the result of nerve damage from past bulimia. Sounds accurate. But I've stopped vomiting. So what's going on with my hiccups? Just curious as to what it really is...if it IS nerve damage or something else(I have a thyroid problem too) Steve (2010-04-02): So glad i'm not the only one. Ive had these for a few years now, and have never got them checked out. When i meet new people, I also get the weird looks. Like if someone new starts at work, i just have to say "your'll get used these noises". shame i cant justify what they are. People tell me to get them checked out, but im not sure my doctor will have a remedy going by these other comments. I have had other symptoms in the past which link to Social Anxiety, so i was interested to read Nicole's comments. I am used to them, however some do cause an acid reflux, which can get irritating. Mine too also sound indifferent. Tara (2010-04-02): i get two to three hiccups everyday then every couple of weeks i have them all day then the cycle continues. Kelly (2010-04-12): I think I have you all beat. 15 years now I've been hiccuping. It started when I was 13, I'm now 28. Everyday totally random and out of the blue, sometimes it's just 1 at a time sometimes theres a couple at a time, always after I eat, otherwise 1 every our or 2. They are so loud and I have no control over them. They've become so normal to me I sometimes have no idea why people are looking at me like some sort of crazy person. When I was in school I actually got kicked out of class because my teacher thaught I was intentionally trying to disrupt class. My mother had to send me to school with a note for all of my teachers, with the inconclusive test results from doctors. Now that I'm older it's the daily "drinking already", I sware my boss is starting to think I really am a drunk. They did however subside for a year or 2 into like 1 or 2 a week, but there back full force. Uggh. Dana (2010-04-13): My son and I both of the weird 1 hiccup. I've hiccuped this way for as long as I can remember. Occassionly may have hiccups that last for several minutes and are extremly painful. Like others most people think its cute, luckily my coworkers are accepting, I work in communications and fear the day one will slip when I'm on the radio. Seems to have gotten worse in the past month. Think it really could be related to stress. I'm in my 30's. Really don't expect to every stop. Mary (2010-04-16): I have had hiccups for many years I'm also in my 30's. I also have gotten so used to them that I don't realize I just hiccuped till someone comments. I hiccup several times a day, I've never counted. I heard people say that when children hiccup that means their healthy. I believe thay are stress related. MIKE (2010-04-23): I CANT GET RID OF MY HICCUPS. HAD THE FOR OVER A WEEK THE LAST TIME. IVE HAD THEM NOW FOR ALMOST 3 DAYS. THEY KEEP ME UP ALL NIGHT.. MY MOUTH GETS ALL WATERYAND MAKES ME PUKE ALL DAY Rachel (2010-04-25): I've had the hiccups since last August, and Nicole's discription of hers is most like mine. It's weird, and my mom wants me to go to the doctor, but I don't know what they can do. =/ Hattie (2010-04-26): I've been getting hiccups for a while now, i get them every day every hour, i usually only get one or two but sometimes they dont stop and they hurt quite a bit. My mum thinks its got something to do with stress but im not that stressed, nothing seems to get rid of them and their quite annoying, im not sure what to do about it. Help would be appreciated :-) Katie (2010-04-30): Wow, to repeat a broken record, I've had hiccups for about 5 years (21 now) they come evey hour or so, sometimes I get 2 in a row, but never any more. My friends also go "hehehe how cute" but it's pretty much just annoying. I've never got it checked out, but I mean if it's not a big deal, why bother? I just tell everyone, 'rather have one at a time then all together!' but definatly glad I foun I'm not the only one :-) Lacey (2010-05-01): Hi, ive been getting the hiccups for about 10 yrs now...sometimes not for a while but sometimes i get them like 4 or 5 times a day and they last at least an hour. One week ill get them every day a few times then the next week i wont get them at all... its very weird! I have to say i have never had anyone make fun of me really but every one laughs hysterically at me! i dont mind really but after reading all your posts im thinking it may be chronic!!??? (2010-05-06): I started on a sunday taking Azithromycn 250 mg. Tuesday I had constant hiccups day and night ever 5 seconds. It's Thrusday and I need to finidh the last pill. I assume that this drug as well as other may be the cuase of hiccups. If by sunday it has not gone away then I will assume it was from something else. I have had cronic hiccups for days before. Nothing helps. (2010-05-06): I started on a sunday taking Azithromycn 250 mg. Tuesday I had constant hiccups day and night ever 5 seconds. It's Thursday and I need to finish the last pill. I assume that this drug as well as other may be the cuase of hiccups. If by sunday it has not gone away then I will assume it was from something else. I have had cronic hiccups for days before. Nothing helps. I believe Medeications and certain foods and drinks can trigger bouts of this. Daniel (2010-05-07): I'm 16 years old, haven't had them as long as everyone here. It will be at completely random times and I will get hiccups for 1-3 days. I'm in good shape, eat the right foods, get enough sleep. I don't know what's causing them but it certainly gets annoying. I have tried some home remedies the only one that seems to work is holding my breath. It will stop them for about an hour but they always come back. I hope some doctor somewhere finds the reason for hiccups and fixes us all. Daniel (2010-05-07): Me again, I don't know if you still all have hiccups but if so, try this http://www.cognitial.com/hiccups.asp#jump_cure it worked for me! TallFatSue (2010-05-14): I love it when I hiccup and my boobs jiggle because then every man in the tri-state area stops what he's doing to give me the wicked once-over. Sally (2010-05-23): I am in my late 40s and a frequent hiccupper. I get full-blown cases of the hiccups several times a week. My hiccups usually last between 20 minutes to over an hour. Each hiccup is always followed by the next about 3-5 seconds later. I have a love/hate relationship with my hiccups. When I am alone I actually enjoy them because they feel like a stress release and can be quite entertaining. However, I absloutely hate hiccupping in public. My hiccups are not ladylike. My hiccups are quite loud, throaty and gulpy sounding and are powerful enough to make my body jerk and bounce. In other words, I can't hide them or pretend I don't have them. I get very embarrassed. Especially when I get stares and the occassional rude comment. Can't society just accept hiccupping as a part a life and move on? I try to avoid triggers that give me hiccups such as eating and drinking too much and too fast, laughing too much, but what kind of life would that be lol? I've tried the home remedies and doctor visits but nothing has resulted in a permanent cure. Thanks for listening. Ashley (2010-05-31): I feel a little relieved to see i'm not the only one. I have had hicups every hour of every day for about 4 to 5 months. They are not always constant sometimes it's just 1 to 4 of them each time but mulitple times an hour. Sometimes they hurt and it's weird because i'm a junior soon to be senior in highschool and it happens all the time in class, and people think it's cute but it actually is very frustrating. I don't know what to do to get it to go away. Yasell (2010-06-02): Well it just started yesterday afternoon for me and its been on and off all day long for me, i thing its digestive related because every time a get it i have heartburn. At least I'm not the only one I was starting to get woried. Shanyn (2010-06-03): Hey everybody, I too am relieved to know I am not the only one out there. I've had hiccups for basically everyday (maybe a break one day out of the month) for going to 3.5 to 4 years now. They are mostly a singular, loud, head-jerking, un-ladylike (I liked Sally's comment), sound. They normally only occur several times a day but sometimes there are dozens. I don't know what else to call it but a hiccup, but it sounds sort of what BAAAAAAAAAHH may translate to (some sound you might think a goose would make over a human). I then get "normal" sounding hiccups like the average people and the occasionally the "hiccup attack" most people have experienced. But what comes more into question are these cross-situational, chronic, bouts of sound I create that is pretty much a hiccup on steroids. They are over before I can cover my mouth or react to and I would have no clue where to begin to try and censor them. I probably should seek a doctor eventually, but this is a nice start to see there are others out there with a hiccup spectrum disturbance hehe Namewithheld (2010-06-03): My son has hiccups throughout the day, very random. It started last year, very little random hiccups, stopped for awhile and have been back for 7 months. He's been on Depakote, it hasn't worked. We're going to see the doc tomorrow to try something different. Susan (2010-06-06): I also have ha the hiccups for a long, long time. Can range from 1 a day to 4 a minute. Got to say though, im glad I have never had it as bad as the guy on the BBC show. He couldn't work, or sleep because of his. Have attached the link for a few clips of it, but unfortunately the show is no longer online. I anyone finds it, please let me know. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pzch7 Susan (2010-06-06): Forgot to say, he landed up having a brain tumour (i think, didn't manage to see the show) so if anyone is extremley bad like him, get checked out. Show was called The Man Who Can't Stop Hiccupping. Sally (2010-06-06): I managed to last three days without a case of hiccups, but today I made up for lost time. While grocery shopping in the bread aisle, I suddenly let out a giant, loud, "Hick-urrk." Since I am not one to hiccup only once or twice, I knew I had a case of hiccups coming on. Every few seconds I would hiccup and each one was a loud "double" meaning they sounded lik "Hic-Kulk" or something similar. I quickly raced around the store with my cart as fast as I could and continued to hiccup. I received a few looks from other customers but no one said anything until I was checking out. I was releived I didn't have to wait in line and thought I made it through my shopping without attracting attention from anyone. However, the checker seemed to be quite fascinated with my hiccups and seemed to take extra time scanning and bagging my items. She initially asked probably the most stupid yet obvious question, "Do you have the hiccups?" She asked how long I'v had them, how I got them, and mentioned a few common cures I should try. I thanked her and left. I had those hiccups for about 30 minutes and they went away on their own. I lasted about 3 hours hiccup-free until I just got them again and still have them now. These are all "doubles" again but at least I am home and can relax and enjoy my hiccups in private. greenthumbsally@hotmail.com Marissa (2010-07-11): I've come to notice that I won't get my hiccups if I'm sick like with a cold or something. Right now I have an ear infection and it feels wierd not getting my hiccups. They've become like a part of me so much that it's as if part of me is missing. melissa (2010-07-24): I get hiccups everyday too! I thought it was something wrong with me, but I've noticed more and more people have the same complaint. My doc attributes mine to the fact that I have Fibromyalgia, which is a chronic muscle disorder that causes pain and spasms. Well your diaphram is a muscle and I guess when the fibromyalgia gets aggravated it sets off hiccups...and they hurt too. Sometimes I only get one or two and sometimes they last for hours. I've just learned to deal with it I guess =( Louie (2010-09-12): I\\\'ve been having hiccups i think once a month and it strikes randomly.I wonder if it is chronic because I\\\'ve been having it even when I\\\'m asleep and the worst part of it is my abdomen hurts when my hiccups occurs for a long period of time and sometimes i\\\'m having some chest pain and by the time the hiccups first strikes i feel difficulties in breathing. Shelley (2010-09-12): I have had hiccups everyday for 16 months now. I have seen a number of different doctors and had a number of different tests done. Still no solutions it never fails I hiccup EVERYDAY! They have decreased from about 250 hiccups a day to 50+ hiccups a day which is nice. I would really like to get rid of them for good. Let me know if you have any solutions. jpay513 (2010-09-13): ive been getting hiccups every single day multiple times a day for 5 months now it doesnt hurt or anything its just soo annoying and they randomly started one day and never stoppeed why am i getting these?! Jai (2010-09-20): I am going on 2wks of having the hiccups. It seems to happen when i go to work from 7am-7pm & they come back to back where its hard to breathe at times. when i leave i dnt hve it nor on the wknds. i had this b4 but the longest they have ever lasted was 4days & werent bck to bck. HELP Erik (2010-09-22): Jai, I do not have any advice for you beyond what has already been said here. Check for allergens, stress, etc., and go see a doctor! candie (2010-09-30): I have had hiccups every day for the past 6 years, they are not constant but about every 30 min to a few hrs i will get 1-3 very loud hiccups in a row. I have been to numerous dr.'s and they can't anything wrong with me. Some have attributed it to me not getting enough oxygen but I've had test run that say other wise. None have been able to pin point a problem, they say that it is just my body's way of getting my breating normal. I have been tested for tumors and all kinds of sicknesses like the flu and phnumonia. It gets kinda frustrating when people give you dirty looks in a crowed place like your belched in their face...It's just a hiccup! Chris Sands (2010-10-01): Hi I had the hiccups for three years I was on the BBC and on the news about it, I used to come to this site to find new cures, but my hiccups ended up being a brain tumour, I don't want to alarm anyone but upon seeing my surgeon about it he said I should have been sent for an MRI scan within the first week of having them or at least after my other test had shown no abnormalities, I hope that none of you have to go through what I went through to find out what is wrong and I know some of you have had it much worse than me so please pursue it with your doctors google my name and take a print out if it will convince them to do the scan. Most of all good luck and thank you. Chris Sands (2010-10-01): I kept a diary of events on my myspace blog if anyone is interested plus here are links to me on the BBC http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=45026477&blogId=271657797 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/8449582.stm me in the SUN newspaper with a really bad photo! http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/real_life/2803984/I-had-hiccups-for-three-years-but-it-saved-my-life.html Erik (2010-10-03): Yikes! Glad you're alright now Chris! wyn evans (2010-10-12): I have intracable hiccups which last every 2 days ive suffered now for 3 years ive had a vaagus nerve block a phrenic nerve block vagus nerve stimulator all to no avail it all started first i had menengitus which led to a stroke ,infarction of the cerebellum tried all the medication available,any body out there who can help me i would really appreciate it yours hopefully.wyn evans jon (2010-10-30): well if this is any help my brother would get a severe case of the hiccups once in awhile and the only way to get rid of them was to make him self throw up ....this might not be the case for everyone but i feal its possible to work ...... Tiffany (2010-11-06): Wow I really never thought much into my hiccups i have had them my whole life usually one or two very loud ones but through out the day its maybe about 8-10 every day of my life i didn't even thing it to be cronic hiccups till today my friend asked if i ever noticed that i hiccup all the time i told her that i know.that there there its just like a background noise to me now they never hurt but now im worried after seeing this im absoultly going to get my self checked for any illnesses thank you for everyones comments Suzie (2010-11-15): I have had the hiccups every single day for 5 years. Knowing I am not the only one suffering with this makes me feel even more crazy. They are sometimes very painful and frustrating. I ordered my own MRI and found nothing. I pray for the day they go away. Doctors won't even see me. Having a bad hiccup day and need to vent. Jessica (2010-11-24): i have had the hiccups for 1year and 89days today...i have done every remedy i have drinken water in every direction possible...and nuthing...my hiccups also sound like they are on steroids...i have had surgery, the doc thought maybe my acid reflux was causing the hiccups but i guess its not..everyone keeps telling me its all in my head but i know its not!! i was put on several different medications and nuthing...i had a brain scan to check for a tumor, there wasnt one...i dont know what else to do...i have kinda given up on the doctors for now..im just sick of hearing "i have no idea what to do next"...im 18 years old i dont want to live my whole life with the hiccups!! Aurora (2010-11-26): I have had off and on hiccups for about 2 years. They seem to get more frequent when I drink coffee and when I'm stressed or excited. I don't have them constantly, but I hiccup for a few hours a few times a day it seems. I tried seeing a doctor about it, but I was told it wasn't a problem because I'm not hiccuping constantly. My friends think they are cute, but I find them extremely annoying! Debster (2010-12-05): I have had chronic hiccups for about 5 years. They happen every day as well as many times a day. If they happen consistantly in one time span (such as an hour) My chest hurts, i get a headache and feel dizzy. I have gone to the doctor, and she said i can take anti depressants, go to a psychiatrist, or i like attention... i took offense to this. Anyone have some insight? Dana (2010-12-30): Debster, try to go to another doctor. A doctor that gives you such an unappropriated answer without checking everything else (for instance a gastroscopy to see if everything is in the right place and working properly), does not deserve the name doctor. First he has to check that there is evrything ok from the physical point of view (diaphragm, stomach, brain) and then he can say you should go to a psychiatrist. And also in this case, it does not mean you like attention(how stupid to be to say sth like that), it might simply be that you are very stressed in the last time or something similar. I do not get very often hiccups but when I do they last very long and they are painful. I usually get them when I chew a lot of gum, when I am really stressed(so I eat too fast, without chewing properly or drink fast and get also air inside my stomach)or when I force myself not to burp for a long time. What it works for me pretty fast and almost always is to breath in a bag (without holes)till the oxigen is gone (when you breath you feel like having no air and you start breathing more often and get a bit tired). When this happens, stop breathing in the bag and breath very slow outside the bag and try to be calm for a while. The carbon dioxide will relax he diaphragm and the hiccup will go away (at least in my case it does). Susan (2011-01-08): Chris, is there any chance of getting a link to the actual show? Or know if it will ever be on again? I know it's doubtful as it's the BBC, but just incase. Wouldn't want to miss it again! =) Dan S (2011-01-08): After dealing with chronic hiccups similar to what most of you have described above (starting in the early 1990's), I have graduated from it happening every few years to now every few weeks. What I HAVE noticed of late is that the first hiccup is often a fairly violent and repetitive combination of burping and sucking air - when then gets the cycle going. One doctor prescribed Chlorpromazine, something actually used to treat Schizophrenia, but also recognized to help with hiccups. That used to have some affect, but less so now. I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia years ago, but had little-to-no acid reflux despite a diet of spicy food, so no action taken. I now suspect that I need to revisit that hiatal hernia since the hiccups have gotten worse and more frequent. Will keep you posted - for those in the mild/infrequent range, you might ask your doctor about Chlorpromazine, which is dirt cheap. It might be at least a short term solution. Don't take this wrong, but I'm glad I'm not the only one!!! Christine (2011-02-22): AND TO THINK, I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE. I hope I find a PERMANENT cure for this,(or even just a cause) then maybe some sunny day I can look back at this and laugh. Without hiccuping. Marky (2011-04-06): I'm a 15 year old boy. I have on and off hiccups for 2 days it started since i chocked and drink water. do someone knows a cure? i dont want it to get it longer. please help me :) gardner (2011-04-30): I would get hiccups for about 15 or 20 minutes then an hour or 2 later there back and this has been happening now for more than 2 weeks.Can anyone help. Peter (2011-05-19): I'm 51 years old and in great shape. Hipcups just starting happening to where they last for days. I can't even finish a sentence without hiccuping. They only stop at night then they come back in the morning when I wake. Getting really hard tired of this. Could it be we're eating to fast? Erik (2011-05-19): Hi Peter. Obviously, I'm not a doctor, but I think that if your hiccups go away while you're asleep, then it's probably not a biological problem like overeating or an allergy. Maybe take a look at the stress in your life? I think that is what it was for me. Peter (2011-05-19): My friend just told me to handstand or head stand or hang upside down for at least 1 min and it work! You guys might try it. I don't know how long this releif will last, but I keep you guys informed. It's now Thursday May 19, 6pm PCT. Peter (2011-05-19): Thx Eric. You might have a point, I am going through a really stressfull time, and that's when this all started. Francisco (2011-05-19): I am a 34 year old that has had the hiccups off and on for 3 years, i have gone to the emergency room cause i have trouble breathing. It seems like i get them bad like once a year for a good mounth then they go away. Does anyone have any ideas what kind of tests i should have or any special Dr's i should see? Erik (2011-05-20): Francisco, start with your family doctor, and go from there. If you're having trouble breathing, it's SERIOUS! Christa (2011-06-30): try a Reiki Practioner or someone that is certified in BIOCRANIAL ADJUSTMENT!!!!!!! Katie (2011-07-01): I am 19 and have had the hickups everyday for the last three months. they get worse when I get stressed out and I end up getting light headed almost to the point of passing out durring those fits. I don't know what I can do to get them to stop. Hannah (2011-07-12): Now, I don't have chronic hiccups, and luckily I never have. But my mum gets them all the time, so I told her, for some reason, to drink a large large glass of fizzy water, with no breaths in between. By some miracle, it worked, and it has worked ever since.. Try it, it won't hurt.. I hope it works for you. xx Liliana (2011-07-13): I have niceties almost all day for the last two days. They are starting to hurt when I hiccup and a friend told me that it could be because of some medical issue .. M (2011-07-21): I've had the hiccups for the past 23 years. Mine are only painful when I try to hold them in. People will look at you like you're crazy the first few times it happens, but if you're able to release some of the tension either by allowing your body to jerk around or some other way of letting the force out constructively, some of the pain may be alleviated for you. cal (2011-07-23): I get hiccups atleast once a day. Sometimes its one random loud hiccup and im done! It started maybe 6 months ago out of the blue. Sometimes I feel like im going to hiccup and i just dont. Sometimes they are really loud and obnoxious and sometimes they just are normal. Once in a while they are so powerful it kinda hurts my stomach, its not a fun feeling. I dont understand why i hiccup everyday. Its getting pretty annoying, and all my friends know i get them everyday. I feel like theres no point in seeing a doctor cause they wont do anything. UHG glad im not the only one with these problems. sammie (2011-08-01): i have had hiccups everyday for the past year and a half. from the moment i wake up, until i fall asleep and sometime wake in the middle of the night, hiccup, then fall back asleep. they have gotten to the poin where i cant eat as much because i feel like my food is getting stuck and i have to breath heavier. i was told by my MA teacher to see a Gasteroenterologist an that i could have a serious problem. should i look into seeing a doctor or is there another way i can try and get rid of these hiccups. gary (2011-08-03): by all means u should see a dr malnutrition may become an issue. I have had them this time for 6 days with mabye couple hours break. I am not coping well their making me insane and also difficult to eat, i go to have ct tommorow to find possible cause tyler (2011-08-15): I get the hiccups every 3 hours for 45 minutes and they hurt SOOOOOO bad. Any advice? the dude (2011-09-02): When you suffer from persistent hiccups you get desperate enough to try anything. I know because I'm suffering from my second bout of persistent hiccups. I've tried all the home remedies, even the silly ones that seem like a joke. The few that seemed to work only worked the first time I tried it. I wasn'nt able to reproduce their efficacy once the hiccups came back (eg. drinking straight vinegar). Of all the home remedies, I've found the most effective thing that temporarily retards the hiccups with 30-50% success rate is drinking a very large and cold glass of water in one shot. Please, don't bother throwing your money away at a "Reiki Practioner" for that "BIOCRANIAL ADJUSTMENT." Science has studied reiki, and aside from having no plausibility whatsoever, it always fails to work under randomized clinical trials. Because there's really nothing to it. It's simply placebo for subjective ailments like aches and pain. It's probably important to know the underlying cause of the hiccups though, that will help with the treatment. Nick (2011-10-02): Ive been having these for about 2 years now and they happen atleast 10 or 15 times an hour and they really begin to hurt my chest after a while and they also have a very odd high pitched screech to them. Im thinking about going to a doctor about them and see if they have any suggestions Kye (2011-10-10): I get the hiccups everyday but only for a minute or two. I hiccup at least once every two hours. I have for the past 45 days. What can i do? Do i have a problem? Chynna (2011-10-11): I've had hiccups everyday since the sixth grade...I'm now a freshmanin college. It's just become something that in used to...I've been to the doctor's office and they've said that they can't really do anything about it. I've just become so accustomed..lol. samantha (2011-10-11): Want to hear s strange one,but I promise it's true,I will get the hiccups for a couple of days off and on,they are the deep kind,like from ur toes, but they stop and within a few days I get the flu or sorethroat or messed of stomach.It has been this way since I was a kid..If anyone has experienced this please e-mail me..Moodysammy@msn.com as I feel all alone in this.. pratap (2011-10-12): what is the treatment is given if the hiccups last for more than a week, for a person who is sufferring from brain nerves problem, what might be the main cause for this problem, how could it be cured, already related medicines are provided.......... then what next have to be done. Steph (2011-10-12): I have had hiccups every single day of my life for as long as I remember. They are not bouts of hiccups but just 1 or 2 in a row, every now and then throughout the day. Averaging about 20 in total a day, my highest is about 50. Any Ideas? Sheree (2011-10-17): OMG!!! I can NOT stand it any more!!! I have the hiccups EVERY hour or two that last anywhere from 5 mins, to an entier HOUR, with only a few minutes of peace before they start up again! This has been going on for almost a year at this point and I have NO more stress in my life NOW than I did BEFORE this amazingly annoying hicciping started! I typed in "why do I get hiccups all day, every day?" into google search and this page is one of the pages I was directed to. I was PRAYING that the diegnosis and/or a cure would be on this page somewhere. Doen't seem to be the case. =( Anyway... If there is ANYONE out there that KNOWS what is causing this to happen to me and/or how to cure it PLEASE email me @ sheree.shattuck@gmail.com, PLEASE!!! I REALLY need these to go away ASAP!! I am trying to find a job to support my 3 AMAZING kids, and these damn hiccups are making me look bad!!! How am I suppose to get through a job interview that is for a job where I will be answering phones and speaking to clients on the phone and in person, when I hiccup evry other minute???!!!! PLEASE HELP, PLEASE!!!! THANK YOU IN ADVANCE TO WHOM EVER CAN HELP ME, IN ADVANCE! GhostBat92 (2011-10-27): Idk what my problem is but I have had hiccups every day for a year now. I think they started out as stress, but now they're related to the weather, when it's about to rain or the rain is clearing I hiccup more and louder, when it's dry I still hiccup just not as much and their more of a squeek... Weird isn't it? Møllÿ (2011-11-02): When I get hiccups they come back 10-15 times in the same day. Then they disappear for a month. I'm in the midst of a hiccup session right now. My shoulders are starting to hurt and my head is throbbing. Its only 9 am :| jen (2011-11-04): I hiccup 1 or 2 times every half hour to and hour everyday going on four months now. I dont do it when im sleeping. What could this be?? Jeff (2011-11-07): For the past 3 days I have had the hiccups consistently. I have to sleep on the coach now because they are so powerful they move the bed, allowing my wife no sleep at all. One person wrote that the home remedies my work for a while, but these babies come back stronger than ever. I am breaking Down and seeking medical attention as this has begun to effect my job and my health because it feels like I am going to through up when I have 4-6 in Kim (2011-11-08): so does anyone know what it is that causes the hiccups.... like another girl on here, i get the hiccups everyday but only at 14:30 YES 14:30 (give or take 5 minutes) EVERYDAY!!! dont get me wrong... its great for letting me know i only have half an hour left of work, but sometimes they are VERY painful and last for up to 4 hours. i saw one doctor and he said that there were some antipsychosis drugs available that relax the nerve that actually pulls your diaphragm, but I'm a nurse and i treat enough zombies at work. Jeff (2011-11-12): I posted earlier that I would being seeking medical advice to solve this, and did. I was prescribed a drug named CHLORPROMAZINE. It is technically an antipsychotic, but is administered for the hiccups to "calm down" the nerve that caused the diaphragm to spasm so much. It was 2 days of hell with the medication causing me dizziness and disorientation without affecting the hiccups, but then just like that, they went away, and have stayed away. Hope this helps. Jimmy (2011-11-22): God my hicupps're finally gone after 4 days in a row, twice a minute. My family all said I am weird. when I have throut infection, I tend to hiccup a lot. And it stops when the infection is near cured or recovered. Jimmy (2011-11-25): I meant throat infection is an important causing factor in hiccuping. Selva (2011-11-27): my father has had hiccups for the past 5 days...on his 2nd day he went to the Emergency. They gave him Thorazine, compazine i think..and even tried pepcid with maalox. nothing has stopped the hiccups. the hiccups come and go with belches. his throat hurts also with his ears everytime there is a hiccup. He just took a ct scan yesterday and waiting for results. He got so bloated of all the hiccups they gave him intravenous protonix..i think its slightly better now..but the hiccups havn't gone away fully. Selva (2011-11-28): CT scan was negative....dad still has the hiccups..they want to do a MRI today and mayb check with ENT Dr as well. Madie (2011-12-08): Ive had hiccups for about 7 months, about 30 a day, spaced out. The most Ive had in an hour is 7. My hiccups dont really sound like normal hiccups. It's like a squeekish noise. I was really worried about this, but now I'm just glad I'm not the only one:) ciera (2011-12-12): Its so crazy but ever since i was 13 i've been getting hiccups. Its only a few every couple minutes but they re-occur like ever hour or 2. i am now 16 and have no more patience for this. K&T (2011-12-16): Omg like i do this all day long and it aggravates people at school. what can i do to stop this ? Barnhouse (2011-12-17): I get hiccups when I get the flu (and instead of vomiting like the rest of my family) - I'll have them for several days. I just tried what I read on this website and it worked! http://www.cognitial.com/hiccups.shtml Squill (2011-12-19): I am almost done with my 6th day of hiccups and my stomach is really starting to get sore charlotte (2011-12-27): my husband had a vagul nerve stimulator implanted in june of 2011. his neurosurgeon fought with our insurance carrier for months to plead his case after all the gastro drs, the phernic nerve blocks and drug therapies were exhausted. unfortunately, this implant, which eases the symptoms in epileptics has not given him the results we were hoping for. they are still tweeking the intensity and the duration of the impulses, but all for naught to this point. we are attempting to set an appointment with an allergists for the new year. our life has been completely consumed with his symptoms and are praying for a diagnosis in the new year. we wish you all the best of luck in 2012 and will keep you all posted in the event of any success. John B. (2011-12-28): Temporary solutions: (1) drink water from glass upside-down (usually works but is harder), (2) swallow repeatedly until you need breath (often works), (3) suck on sugar cube or spoon of honey (best for me but has failed). I think that anxiety/stress causes stomach/esophagus acid and pH imbalances that irritate some people’s (we are all different) diaphragm to have spasmodic reflexes that are hiccups. Chronic hiccups are continuous (like mine today and yesterday) occurring every 5-10 seconds for several hours, or are occasional a few times every few minutes for a long time. Coughs and burps can induce the period of hiccups if you have an irritated stomach (which you may not feel as I don’t). Food allergies can induce stomach irritation and cause hiccups. I’ve only had hiccups today but they have been going most of day except when I stop them for a few hours at most with one of the three methods above. I hope I am better tomorrow. namron (2012-01-08): hey ive got the hics kinda real bad and its kinda pissing me off now. thanks for all the tips and i hope you're all getting some kind of relief from hic cup hell. tall fat girl whats your email and whatever happened to smiths wonder cure! namron (2012-01-08): the girl with the horse with the hicks....what happened....and the guy with the german sheperd...any news? meeps megan.... i like that term for the hics..... how you doing? namron (2012-01-08): i was wondering... what would happen if all the people of the world hiccupped at once? namron (2012-01-08): i meeped and farted once at the same time....wont be doing that again in a hurry! xsammileighx (2012-01-12): Hey guys. I been having the hiccups for over a year. I been to seven different doctors and they still dnt know what causes them. They prescribed me chlorpramazine also known as thorazine but that still didnt wrk. They prescribed me muscle relaxers...no luck with that also. Now my hiccups come off and on every two weeks. It has messed up my life completely. School and work and my social life have been very stressful due to the none stop hiccups. I hate them I just wanna shoot my stomech sometime. I'm only 23 I'm healthy dnt smoke nd I wrk out. I dnt know why I get them I tried every thing to make it go away. But I'm looking forward to this surgery where they remove the nerve for ur diaphragm its like 20,000 dollars Iono where Ima get that from with no insurance on my side... Kat (2012-01-28): I am 17 yrs old and have been having chronic hiccups for as long as I can remember. Lately though, they have gotten worse. My mom is calling a doctor on Monday as she is getting concerned as I hiccup constantly. Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. Izzy (2012-01-28): Hey, I'm 16 and finishing school this year. I have had hiccups pretty much every day for the past year or so. They start off feeling fairly 'shallow' if you know what I mean and then they get 'deeper' and more painful, In the end I jerk around loads and make really loud noises. By this time there is nothing I can do to get rid of them apart from waiting for them to go(which is a pain). However if I can get them soon enough I can lean over a sink and drink water straight from the tap. Drinking it from anywhere else will not work. If anyone knows why this is or has anything similar please email me at izzyct@gmail.com John Marion Golik (2012-02-04): I have hiccups Biccup (2012-02-04): I just started hiccuping a few days ago. Ive always had hiccups but only after i ate too much or just outta the blue. But these have continued for the past 48 hours and just wont go away. WHAT THE HELL!! there's gotta be an answer why... Haley (2012-02-15): Izzy I've noticed that sink thing too.. It's wierd. But what's also wierd is that I've been getting hiccups like everyother hour for almost a week now. The hiccups aren't that bad or loud or anything but they're soooooo annoying! I just want them to stop. And like none of the remidies ever work! Gahhhh it's sooo frustrating. MEee (2012-03-07): A family memeber has been hiccuping for a couple of days hes nearly 70!! what should we do?? Billy (2012-03-23): I have had hiccups every day since 2004, they come and go as they please but when it started out they were worse but now after I have seen a doctor and the doctor told me it was an ulcer under my diaphragm hard to see but it is there and when the ulcer gets irratated it causes me to have hiccups. The doctor prescribed me Antibiotics(2 different kinds)and Nexium to calm down the stomach acids so that the antibiotics would work, the antibiotics will not work if you dont take some form of medication to stop the stomach acids from over reacting. My hiccups are still with me but have resided tremendously, now I only have them a few times a day and they don't hurt as much anymore. Take yourself to see a doctor about it if you havent because having so many hiccups a day are not normal they are a sign from your body that something is wrong and you need to see about it. I hope this helps someone releave the pain and suffering as it did for me. Larry (2012-03-27): I went to the er today because every since yesterday I have been having hiccups that won't stop at all and it is causing me to have really bad acid reflex and all they did was tell me to take acid reflex mess and sent me on my way Larry (2012-03-27): And now I got really bad burps too Erik (2012-03-27): Larry, sorry to hear you're in such bad shape. My first suggestion is to see a different doctor. Suggestion number two is: Try to relax. Meditate. Concentrate on your breathing. Take deep breaths, and concentrate on relaxing your diaphragm. Ivan R (2012-04-08): I appreciate your post Billy I've had hiccups for a lil over a week. Their not painful but annoying as hell. I'm goin to make a Dr. appt. asap. I have all the symptoms of an ulcer so that may be the cause. Jamie (2012-05-14): I don't have chronic hiccups or anything, but I do get them A LOT!!! So much so, that friends and family have noticed. My trick is to get a large glass of water, a straw, and plug both my ears. While holding my breath, I lean over and drink as much of the water as fast as I can. Then continue to hold my breath for just a few seconds longer!! It works EVERY time.. annette (2012-06-11): HUSBAND HAS THE HICCUPS OF AND ON FOR THREE WEEKS WHAT IS WRONG AND IS THEYRE A REMEDY Carly (2012-06-15): My sister hets them every day and every hour almost 5 times and hour shes been to a doctor but they say its normal.Shes been doing this over 2 months.I just wanna say you guys are no diffrent no matter what, i know its hard to deal with but just know that you are not alone.And no matter how long you have to deal with this that you have some one who cares.Now take a deep breath because you have a long way ahead of you,but even though you think its embarassing in front of your friends.If they laugh i pretty sure they are laughing AT you but they just thinks its funny.And if you know that there laughing AT then dont tell them to stop because that will get yo know.just avoid the people who do.Sorry if i was no help to u guys.Stay strong! Chema (2012-06-17): I had hiccups about 8 times yesterday. I've been diagnosed recently with bronquitis and I'm taking antibiotic (amoxiciling) and "Flutox" (an expectorant found in pharmacies in Spain) since two days ago. I think the drugs are interfering with my lungs and producing the hiccups. Though it would be useful info. Before taking the drugs I was coughing like a dg every daya but no hiccups. After the drugs the cough reduce but the hiccups started. No hiccups today yet (Santander, Spain) and the bronquitos going away. kristian (2012-07-21): I'm 17 years old and i have had hiccups every day for over two years now. They are driving me crazy. I went to a doctor and got test run and all they told was they have never seen anything like it. There is surgery for ut but you have to get it done every 6 months and I they said it could damage my vocal cords and i can't risk that bc i lead worship at my church so if there is anything I can do please tell! Melissa (2012-07-25): I have been getting the hiccups everyday at least 5-6 times a day sometimes up to 10-12 times a day. I try everything to get them gone. I find a lot of days they come when I am smoking.. I go to inhale and there they are. I find them very painful and interrupting my life. Kelly (2012-08-09): Hi all. I’m writing from a TV company and we are making a science documentary for PBS about human anatomy. We are looking for someone with chronic hic-ups to be interviewed in our film. If you are interested in getting involved please send an e-mail to contributers@windfallfilms.com. Please let me know in the e-mail where in the world you are and the details of your hic-ups (e.g. how long you have been hi-upping for and how often you hic-up). If you don’t mind it would also be good if you could tell me your age. Kelly (2012-08-09): Sorry - that is contributors@windfallfilms.com Erivn (2012-08-11): I had the hiccups for a 1 year an it don;t hurt i just want them to go away...is there anything that can be done Tom (2012-08-14): Well now I'm having strong hiccups every ten seconds--for 5 hours. Sneezed once and they abated, but only until I swallowed a bite of food. Then the damned things returned. Can't sleep. My wife has had them off and on for years, and has neurological issues. I'm developing them too. But the doctors are worthless. When I mention the symptoms all I get is a vacant stare, then a changed subject. The "family practitioner" knows just enough to fill out the Rx, which is about all they're good for if you know what meds you need. The specialists aren't much better, all they want to do is explain away your malady with boiler-plate BS. It's up to the research scientists to discover why there are so many neurological disorders these days, birth defects and developmental disorders, and cancers too. But they only research what is paid for by someone else, and neurological disorders are on the bottom of their list apparently. Prayer doesn't help. What am I to do? Alexa (2012-09-15): Ive had the hiccups for the past 5 months, but I only hiccup like 10 times an hour, and they dont hurt. They're really loud and disrupt my life, do I have chronic hiccups, or is it just my chest spaziming? James (2012-10-01): Chronic hiccups are a serious condition. Though not fatal on their own (one person even lived nearly seventy years with them), they can seriously affect your life. If you have had hiccups for more than 48 hours, seek medical attention. Read more about it here Sarah (2012-10-21): I have had hiccups for 16 months, approximately 30-80 a day occurring randomly, not seemed to be triggered by anything in particular. I am in good health otherwise. However I also can get eye twitches regularly and bad charlie horses occasionally. Any ideas on this one? Ryan (2012-11-02): I have had hiccups every day for the past 21 days now. Id say for about 16 of those days it has been from when I woke up, until I fell asleep every like 10 seconds. My brother has even told me hes heard it in my sleep. Ive eaten so many tums to stop the heartburn it gives me. Im going to the doctors on Monday. todays friday. It is making it really hard to sleep, but im eating fine. Talking is kind of obnoxious sometimes though. Melanie (2012-11-27): A week ago I started getting hiccups in an unusual way. I only hiccup like every 10 to 20 minutes, but I always hiccup twice together. Melanie (2012-11-27): I'm 13. A week ago I started getting hiccups in an unusual way. I only hiccup like every 10 to 20 minutes, but I always hiccup twice together. Also, I can feel them coming, they aren't normal Maggie (2012-12-02): I get hiccups about 5 times every day and sometimes they cause a lot of pain in my chest. They are so irritating. What should I do!? Dana (2013-02-08): I have been getting hiccups twenty to thirty times a day, that last about five to ten minutes, for as long as I remember...I am 45 years old now. I didn't care for a long time cause I stayed drunk and high for most every day. Now 6 years sober....They are driving me nuts and they hurt. I literally envision doing myself harm I get so frustrated! That is just to illustrate the degree of desperation and annoyance. I am sane enough not to do anything to myself. Same way when I was a teen and got such severe migraines I wished my self dead to stop the pain. Agony. This is a terrible way to live. I am gonna see a doctor as soobn as I can. She'll probably say "chew slower...." or some such nonsense. Anyone know a practical cure? daz (2013-03-03): i have hiccups since 1998 on and off , symptoms include jerking for 2 to 3 days plus acid reflux, multiple jerking to the point where windpipe closes i have to put fingers down my throat to wrench to realise the tension.when i get transfixed on something they seem to wear off but then come back with vengeance . Been to see my doctor and to the hospital to no avail .. Has any one got any answers for me please katherine (2013-04-28): ive been getting hiccups every day for just over 6 years, 3-4 times a day, sometimes just one, other times they last for about 3-5 minutes, holding my breath doesnt always work and water it starting to lose its ability to stop them, pls can someone help me, my boyfriend said one time i hiccuped in my sleep, i need help, ho fast i eat isnt the cause because i get them while im at work as well. Antonio (2013-07-30): I been getting hiccups since 2009 right after two bypasses where done i try to talk to the doctor who did the surgery and the secretary told me that the doctor say that hiccups has nothing to do with the surgery,then i start going from family doctor who send me to gastroenterologist,who did an Angiogram he said he did not find anything,then i was refer to a neurologist who told me that when the bypasses surgery where done my phrenic nerve was left sensible then he refer me to the pain clinic for a phrenic nerve injection i wait for nine months to get the appointment in this clinic after this time the clinic send me a 17 pages form to be fill up i did it when i went to the clinic to drop the form they told me that they don't do that kind of treatment and recommend me to talk back to the neurologist who refer me to them wish i did then he said that there is nothing he can do and that was all. I still the same with hiccup every day hiccuping every two seconds the only way i stop it for 20 to 30 minutes is provoking vomit with a plastic spoon pushing it thru my throat. by the way i have got ct scan of my chest ultrasound of my stomach X-rays, blood-test. I like to try the phrenic nerve injection to see what happen but i don't know how to get information where this treatment is done here in Canada i was told by the the pain clinic this practise is not done.I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to cure this hiccup.I'am ready to take any risk that i have to take whatever happen could be better that living with this problem that has affected my family life, social life,financial life because i had to stop working for a mistake that irresponsible hearth surgeon did and now say that hiccup has nothing to do with the surgery. Judianne (2013-08-03): I have been researching about hiccups 3-4 or more every day. I have a hiatal hernia and read that can cause diaphramic spasms. Also, do to a broken hip for which the only healing was resting the hip/leg for about 7 mo. using only a walker. I gained quite a bit of weight, as I couldn't exercise. I have read that being overweight also can contribute to the frequent hiccups, as well as the stress I have been under for over a yr due to great demands on my physical & mental being. So, reflux complicated by a hiatal hernia, being overweight and a lot of stress. I think this sums it up for me. I may need a seizure med for a while to stop this cycle. Glad you all shared so that I can know it isn't extremely rare. Makes me feel better. Emily (2013-10-11): I have had chronic hiccups for about six months, now this wouldn't be so odd to me if it wouldn't have been for my sister. My older sister has had chronic hiccups for about 4 years now. She got her hiccups at the same age as I got mine as well. Nothing worry some, just think it's peculiar. Gary (2013-11-13): I really believe some of you have a hiatal hernia. Large hiatal hernias can cause chronic hiccups, as well as several other symptons that may mimmick something else. My advice would be to drink a pint of warm water every morning and then stand on your toes and drop down really hard to your heals. this sounds crazy, but the warm water relaxes the stomach and diaphram, and the weight helps to bring the stomach back down from the diaphram. Here is the link that seemed to help me: http://www.drrtannenbaum.com/index.php?p=162678 DEBRA (2013-12-11): My brother had hiccups for 4 years and now after not having them for 2 years, they are back again with a vengeance. He will be going to a gastroenterologist, I pray that they can bring some relief, he gets drastically sick , throwing up, headaches, stomach pains, he also was diagnosed with acid reflux. Louisville, ky. Julia (2014-10-29): I get hiccups everyday. However, it's not one after another... I get one single hiccup and then another later. Sometimes it will be 5 minutes later, sometimes it takes half an hour, and then sometimes it will be an hour later till I get a hiccup. I also get really harsh hiccups that are frequent, loud, and squeaky. They can be extremely painful. Cathy (2015-03-29): I have a homeopathic remedy that will hit the market this year. I works 100% of the time. If anyone is interested in testing this drug-free, convenient, easy to carry and use please email me @ mrsastorwv@yahoo.com Geoff (2015-09-11): I had a flu like illness and 3 days into it, my hiccups started. I have now had them for 8 days straight, with each hiccup occurring every 2-3 seconds. They don't stop so during the day l have between 20,000-25,000 over a time frame of say 15 hours. When l eventually fall to sleep, and l wake up, they have stopped. But, shortly after waking, a cough or a swallow will trigger them off again. By the end of the day l feel sick because of this. Kelly (2015-12-22): I've had the hiccups since yesterday non-stop. permalink |
