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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffMost cases of hiccups go away on their own, without medical treatment. If an underlying medical condition is causing your hiccups, treatment of that illness may eliminate the hiccups. The following treatments may be considered for hiccups that have lasted longer than two days.
Medications
Drugs commonly used to treat long-term hiccups include:
- Chlorpromazine, classified as an antipsychotic
- Metoclopramide (Reglan), an anti-nausea drug
- Baclofen (Lioresal), a muscle relaxant
Surgical and other procedures
If less invasive treatments aren't effective, your doctor may recommend an injection of an anesthetic to block your phrenic nerve to stop hiccups. Another option is to surgically implant a battery-operated device to deliver mild electrical stimulation to your vagus nerve. This procedure is most commonly used to treat epilepsy, but it has also helped control persistent hiccups.
- Bilotta F, et al. Hiccups. In: Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0986-5..C2009-0-38984-9--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-0986-5&about=true&uniqId=236797353-5. Accessed April 13, 2011.
- Smith HS. Hiccups. In: Walsh D. Palliative Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05674-8..50167-5&isbn=978-0-323-05674-8&type=bookPage§ionEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05674-8..50167-5&uniqId=239212396-6. Accessed April 13, 2011.
- Lembo AJ. Overview of hiccups. http://uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 13, 2011.
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