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Side effects of hiccups. Understanding Hiccups: Causes, Side Effects, and When to Seek Medical Attention

by alexxlab

What are the common causes of hiccups. How can persistent hiccups impact your health. When should you be concerned about hiccups and seek medical care. What are effective methods to stop hiccups. How do hiccups relate to the nervous system.

The Physiology of Hiccups: Understanding the Mechanism

Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen. These contractions are followed by a sudden closure of the vocal cords, producing the characteristic “hic” sound. But what triggers this peculiar bodily function?

The spasm causing hiccups originates from the diaphragm or the nerves controlling it, primarily the phrenic and vagus nerves. These nerves are part of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary bodily functions like heart rate and breathing.

Common Triggers for Hiccups

  • Eating too quickly or excessively
  • Emotional states: excitement, nervousness, or fear
  • Consuming carbonated beverages or alcohol
  • Experiencing stress
  • Sudden temperature changes
  • Swallowing air while chewing gum or eating candy
  • Irritation of the esophagus

Esophageal reflux is a frequent culprit behind hiccups. However, it’s important to note that prolonged hiccups may have more serious underlying causes, which we’ll explore later in this article.

The Impact of Hiccups on Daily Life and Well-being

While most cases of hiccups are brief and harmless, they can be disruptive and embarrassing in social situations. How do hiccups affect our daily lives? For most people, hiccups are a minor inconvenience that passes quickly. However, persistent hiccups can have more significant impacts:

  • Disruption of sleep patterns
  • Difficulty eating or drinking
  • Interference with speech and communication
  • Emotional distress or anxiety
  • Reduced productivity at work or school

In rare cases of prolonged hiccups, individuals may experience physical exhaustion, weight loss, and even depression. These side effects underscore the importance of addressing persistent hiccups and seeking medical attention when necessary.

Effective Methods to Stop Hiccups: Separating Fact from Fiction

Over the years, numerous remedies for hiccups have been proposed, some backed by science, others purely anecdotal. Which methods are most effective for stopping hiccups?

Scientifically-Backed Methods

  1. Holding your breath: This technique disrupts the breathing pattern and may reset the diaphragm spasms.
  2. Valsalva maneuver: Attempt to exhale while keeping your mouth closed and pinching your nose shut. This stimulates the vagus nerve, potentially interrupting the hiccup reflex.
  3. Stimulating the vagus nerve: Techniques such as applying mild pressure to closed eyes or ingesting ice can trigger a vagal nerve response.

Popular Home Remedies

  • Consuming a spoonful of sugar
  • Eating peanut butter from a spoon
  • Biting into a lemon wedge

While these methods may work for some individuals, their effectiveness varies. It’s important to note that the traditional method of scaring someone to stop their hiccups is not recommended due to potential risks such as falls or adverse effects on underlying heart conditions.

When Hiccups Become a Concern: Recognizing Serious Symptoms

In most cases, hiccups are harmless and self-limiting. However, there are situations where hiccups may indicate a more serious underlying condition. When should you be concerned about hiccups?

Two primary scenarios warrant medical attention:

  1. Persistent hiccups lasting more than a couple of days
  2. Hiccups accompanied by additional symptoms

If hiccups persist for an extended period, particularly if they interfere with sleep, it’s advisable to consult a primary care provider. They can rule out underlying medical causes and may prescribe medications if traditional methods fail to stop the hiccups.

More critically, the onset of additional symptoms alongside hiccups may necessitate immediate medical care. These symptoms include:

  • Sudden numbness or coordination issues
  • Difficulty speaking or swallowing
  • Facial droop
  • Speech changes
  • Vision changes (partial loss of vision)
  • Weakness on one side of the body

These symptoms could indicate a stroke, which requires immediate medical intervention. Any cardiovascular symptoms accompanying hiccups should prompt an immediate visit to an emergency department.

The Connection Between Hiccups and Neurological Disorders

While most cases of hiccups are benign, persistent hiccups can sometimes be associated with neurological disorders. How are hiccups linked to the nervous system?

The phrenic and vagus nerves, which control the diaphragm, are part of the complex network of the nervous system. Disorders affecting these nerves or the brain itself can manifest as persistent hiccups. Some neurological conditions associated with hiccups include:

  • Brain tumors
  • Strokes
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Encephalitis
  • Meningitis

In these cases, hiccups may be accompanied by other neurological symptoms. This underscores the importance of paying attention to any additional symptoms that occur alongside persistent hiccups and seeking medical evaluation when necessary.

Hiccups as a Side Effect: Medications and Medical Procedures

In some instances, hiccups can be a side effect of certain medications or medical procedures. Which medications are known to cause hiccups?

Some medications that may trigger hiccups include:

  • Steroids
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Barbiturates
  • Certain chemotherapy drugs

Medical procedures, particularly those involving the chest or abdominal area, can also lead to hiccups. Post-surgical irritation of the phrenic or vagus nerves is a common cause of prolonged hiccups following certain operations.

If you experience persistent hiccups after starting a new medication or undergoing a medical procedure, it’s important to consult your healthcare provider. They can assess whether the hiccups are related to the treatment and suggest appropriate management strategies.

Rare Causes of Hiccups: Exploring Unusual Triggers

While common causes of hiccups are well-known, there are some rare and unusual triggers that may surprise you. What are some uncommon causes of hiccups?

  • Hair touching the eardrum: In rare cases, a hair or other foreign object touching the eardrum can trigger the hiccup reflex.
  • Psychogenic factors: Hiccups can sometimes be a manifestation of psychological stress or anxiety disorders.
  • Electrolyte imbalances: Severe disruptions in the body’s electrolyte balance, particularly involving calcium or sodium, can lead to hiccups.
  • Certain infections: Some infections, such as pneumonia or pericarditis, can irritate the diaphragm and cause hiccups.
  • Abdominal surgeries: Procedures that manipulate abdominal organs can sometimes lead to persistent hiccups.

These unusual causes highlight the complex nature of hiccups and the importance of considering a wide range of factors when persistent hiccups occur. If you experience recurrent or prolonged hiccups without an apparent cause, it’s advisable to consult a healthcare professional for a thorough evaluation.

Managing Chronic Hiccups: Treatment Options and Coping Strategies

For individuals experiencing chronic hiccups, defined as episodes lasting more than 48 hours, managing the condition becomes crucial. What treatment options are available for chronic hiccups?

Medical Treatments

  1. Medications: Drugs such as baclofen, gabapentin, or chlorpromazine may be prescribed to suppress hiccups.
  2. Nerve blocks: In some cases, blocking the phrenic nerve can provide relief from persistent hiccups.
  3. Surgical interventions: For severe cases unresponsive to other treatments, surgical procedures targeting the phrenic nerve may be considered.

Complementary Therapies

  • Acupuncture: Some studies suggest acupuncture may help alleviate chronic hiccups.
  • Hypnosis: This technique has shown promise in managing psychogenic hiccups.
  • Breathing exercises: Techniques like diaphragmatic breathing may help regulate diaphragm contractions.

Coping with chronic hiccups can be challenging. Patients may benefit from support groups or counseling to manage the emotional and social impacts of the condition. It’s important to work closely with healthcare providers to develop a comprehensive management plan tailored to individual needs.

Understanding the underlying causes, potential complications, and available treatments for hiccups can help individuals make informed decisions about their health. While most cases of hiccups are harmless and self-limiting, being aware of warning signs and knowing when to seek medical attention is crucial for overall well-being.

When are hiccups serious? | Ohio State Medical Center


Topics:

  • Health and Wellness

  • Neurological Institute

Hiccups. They can be annoying or embarrassing, but we typically don’t think of them as concerning. They’re usually short-lived, although in rare cases, they can persist. When they last more than a of couple days, or if other symptoms occur at their onset, they can be a sign of a more serious medical condition.

What causes hiccups?

Hiccups seem to come from the chest–a quick influx of air that hits your vocal cords and causes a little sound. The spasm that causes a hiccup is really coming from your diaphragm or the nerves that control it. Some common causes include:

  • Eating too much or too fast
  • Feeling excited, nervous or scared
  • Drinking carbonated beverages or too much alcohol (sometimes in excess)
  • Stress
  • A sudden change in temperature
  • Swallowing air while chewing gum or sucking on candy
  • Irritation of the esophagus

Esophageal reflux is a common cause of hiccups. Prolonged hiccups, though, could be caused by direct post-surgical irritation of the phrenic or vagus nerves. Irritation can also be caused by cancers of the chest or neck. Rarely, hiccups can be associated with disorders of the brain–including tumors and strokes, among others—or cardiovascular disease. Some medications can trigger long-term hiccups, too.

Finally, hiccups can also persist without an apparent cause.

What really gets rid of hiccups?

Before we worry too much about serious conditions, let’s consider some of the many recommendations to get rid of your hiccups. One of the most common is temporarily holding your breath to disrupt your breathing pattern. It can be helpful, and it doesn’t carry much risk to try.

As mentioned, the vagus and phrenic nerves affect your diaphragm. They’re part of your autonomic nervous system, which controls your heart rate and breathing.

Maneuvers that affect the nerve reflex may knock out your hiccups. The Valsalva maneuver is performed by attempting to exhale while closing your mouth and pinching your nose shut at the same time. You’ll bear down a bit as well, trying to (unsuccessfully) expel air, as if blowing up a balloon.

This motion stimulates the vagus nerve, called a vagal nerve response, and it can interrupt the hiccups. I like to think of it as rebooting your nervous system; sort of a reset for the irritated nerves.

Ingesting ice or applying mild pressure to your closed eye might also reboot this nervous system response.

You also may get rid of hiccups with a spoonful of sugar to stimulate the back of your throat (which also might cause a vagal nerve response). Eating peanut butter from a spoon might relax the back of your throat and could help. Interestingly, some patients have had success getting rid of hiccups by eating a lemon wedge.

The one common recommendation to be cautioned against is the tradition of scaring someone to rid them of hiccups. While the gasp of fright may induce a vagal nerve response that interrupts the spasm, it also risks dangerous side effects: If you scare someone, they could lose their balance and fall, and being startled may also negatively impact an underlying heart condition.

When should you seek medical attention?

There are two scenarios that should send you for medical care. First, if hiccups persist more than a couple of days, you should seek care with your primary care provider. This is important especially if the hiccups are preventing you from sleeping. Your provider can rule out other medical causes and may prescribe medications if more traditional methods of stopping your hiccups aren’t working.

More important than the duration, though, is the onset of additional symptoms with the hiccups. You may need to seek emergency care if your hiccups are accompanied by symptoms such as the sudden onset of numbness or coordination issues. These could indicate a stroke, which is serious and needs immediate treatment. Other symptoms of stroke include the sudden onset of difficulty speaking or swallowing, facial droop, speech change, vision changes (losing part of your vision) or weakness on one side of your body.

Pay attention to your body. If the onset of hiccups includes any cardiovascular symptoms, go to an emergency department and get evaluated right away.

But if you’re not experiencing anything else, give it a couple of days. Transient hiccups are usually part of the normal spectrum of life.

 

J. Chad Hoyle is a neurologist specializing in neuromuscular disorders and electromyography at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Visit Ohio State Health & Discovery for more stories on health, wellness, innovation, research and science news from the experts at Ohio State.

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Hiccups: Causes and Home Remedies

Hiccups happen to everyone every now and again. However, ones that last more than a few minutes can become irritating and uncomfortable. It helps to know more about hiccups, what causes them and how to stop them before they cause problems.

What are hiccups?

A hiccup is simply an involuntary contraction or spasm of your diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle that divides your chest from your abdomen. When your diaphragm contracts, your vocal cords close and produce the “hic” sound.

What causes hiccups?

Hiccups can start without any warning. Anxiety and stress can cause them. They’re also the result of many other normal activities, including:

  • Becoming excited
  • Chewing gum
  • Crying
  • Drinking alcohol
  • Drinking carbonated beverages
  • Eating a large meal or eating spicy food
  • Experiencing quick temperature changes
  • Smelling noxious fumes
  • Swallowing too much air

How long should hiccups last?

Most of the time, hiccups only last a few minutes to a few hours. Sometimes they can last for a couple of days.

Though it’s rare, hiccups can continue for months. When this happen, hiccups can disrupt your eating, breathing and sleeping. Hiccups then can become exhausting, painful and cause weight loss. They can also be a warning sign that you need medical attention.

What are chronic hiccups?

Hiccups may be the result of a hidden medical condition or problem. Chronic, persistent hiccups can be a warning of the following:

  • Alcoholism
  • Bladder irritation
  • Bowel disease
  • Esophagus disorder
  • Hepatitis
  • Liver cancer
  • Neurological damage
  • Pancreatitis
  • Pleurisy of your diaphragm
  • Pneumonia
  • Pregnancy
  • Stomach disorder
  • Uremia (kidney damage)

Persistent hiccups could also be a side effect of a medication. Medicines that can cause hiccups include acid reflux drugs, chemotherapy, barbiturates and opioid pain relievers. You may also get hiccups if you’re coming out of anesthesia after a surgery.

Ways to stop the hiccups

Hiccups aren’t considered a medical emergency. If you’ve had the hiccups for a few minutes, there are a few tips you can use to stop them.

Be sure to avoid the myths though. You’ll rarely cure the problem by having someone come up behind you to scare your hiccups away. Instead, you can stimulate the nerves near your diaphragm to end hiccups.

Try the following:

  • Breathe in slow, measured breaths — in for a count of five and out for a count of five
  • Compress your chest by leaning forward to put pressure on your diaphragm
  • Dissolve a spoonful of sugar, peanut butter or honey in your mouth and swallow it
  • Drink a glass of water fast
  • Gargle with vinegar (or put a drop on your tongue)
  • Hold your breath
  • Hug your knees to your chest for a couple of minutes
  • Massage your carotid artery (the side of your neck) in a circular motion for a few seconds
  • Pull hard on your tongue
  • Squeeze the middle of your palm with the thumb of your opposite hand
  • Suck on a lemon
  • Suck on an ice cube or gargle with ice water

If these home remedies haven’t stopped your hiccups and they’ve lasted more than 48 hours, it’s time to contact your primary care provider. They should be able to prescribe a medication to stop your hiccups or refer you to a specialist.

Want to talk to a primary care provider from the comfort of your own home? Learn more about the virtual visit options we offer at Bon Secours.

Straw with valve stops hiccups

American doctors tested a device for hiccups, which is an L-shaped rigid drinking tube with an inlet valve that requires the person to force suction
water. This creates high negative intrathoracic pressure and diaphragmatic contraction, followed by closure.
epiglottis. In a paper published in JAMA Network Open , scientists tested the invention on
249 volunteers and more than 90 percent of cases have been successful in stopping hiccups. The researchers hope that the new tool will bring relief to people, especially those who suffer from chronic hiccups.

Hiccups may be due to pulsation of the phrenic nerve, which
causes the diaphragm to contract. This is due to irritation of the vagus nerve, which, together with the esophagus, passes through a narrow
hole in the diaphragm into the abdominal cavity. In this narrow place, the vagus nerve can be irritated, for example, when
hasty absorption of food, drink or a sharp breath.

Also
hiccups can be caused by various disorders of the digestive system, brain diseases (stroke, aneurysm), or medication. Another cause of hiccups is cancer, especially cancer of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, and lungs. With prolonged and painful hiccups, even drugs are prescribed, but these drugs have unpleasant side effects, and home remedies for stopping hiccups do not always help.

now
Physicians led by James Alvarez (James Alvarez) from the University of Texas at Austin invented a device to stop hiccups, which is an L-shaped tube. The invention was called the forced inhalation and swallowing instrument (FISST).

To
to stop hiccups with this device, you must place it in a glass of water and suck the water strongly through the tube, and then swallow it. Repeat 2-3 cycles without stopping.

These efforts require a powerful contraction of the diaphragm due to the activation of the phrenic nerve coming from the cervical
vertebrae (C3–C5). In this way, two main nerves responsible for
for hiccups. The straw can be used by both adults and children, the modes are regulated. The inventors have patented the device and are selling it under the name “HiccAway”.

Researchers tested the straw on 249 volunteers. Most participants (about 70 percent) reported having hiccups at least once a month and lasting less than two hours. Scientists looked at how effectively the tool copes with hiccups. After the volunteers tried to stop hiccups with the new device, they filled out an online questionnaire in which they rated the effectiveness of the tool on a 5-point Likert scale compared to traditional methods of getting rid of hiccups.

The FISST device stopped hiccups in 92 percent of cases, and all participants felt that the tube was more effective than traditional methods in curing hiccups.

The idea of ​​​​creating this device belongs to the neurosurgeon Ali Seifi, head of the department of neurological
intensive care unit at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He has looked after patients for many years.
suffering from hiccups due to neurological injuries, and sought to find a simple and effective solution.

Victoria Baranovskaya

Found a typo? Select the fragment and press Ctrl+Enter.

Hiccups and heartburn – Oncopods

Hiccups and heartburn are common problems that we face in everyday life. It happens and goes away without any medical intervention. In the case of cancer patients, hiccups can be problematic as they can last longer.

What causes hiccups

Hiccups are caused by irritation of the diaphragm and a sharp contraction between breaths. The nerves that control the diaphragm become irritated for various reasons.

What causes hiccups in cancer patients

  • Distended and distended abdomen
  • Infection affecting the chest or esophagus
  • Tumor pressing on the diaphragm
  • Tumor in the brain e
  • Treatment such as chemotherapy
  • High calcium levels in the blood
  • Kidneys not functioning properly
  • Fluid near the lungs or heart
  • Stress

When to see a doctor for hiccups

Hiccups usually last for minutes or hours, but if they last more than a day or two, see a doctor as soon as possible. Constant hiccups indicate serious health problems.

Ways to deal with hiccups

There are medications available to deal with hiccups that don’t go away on their own. You can try the following hiccup control methods:

  • Take a slow, deep breath in a paper bag
  • Drink water slowly
  • Keep some sugar in your mouth and swallow it
  • Avoid violent eating
  • Hold your breath as long as you can

Heartburn

Heartburn or indigestion is a burning condition in the throat, chest and upper abdomen. The situation is exacerbated by malnutrition or lying after eating.

Symptoms of heartburn

  • Chest pain with burning sensation extending to the throat
  • Bitter or sour taste
  • Reflux of food or liquid
  • Pain that worsens when lying down or bending over

Ways to manage heartburn , instead take a small portion and eat 4 small meals food.

  • Enjoy your meal without rushing.
  • Avoid foods that aggravate heartburn
  • Limit caffeine and alcohol and stop smoking.
  • Lose weight if you are obese or overweight
  • Drink plenty of fluids

    • When to see a doctor

    Seek professional help if:

    • If there is no improvement after taking prescribed medications
    • Presence of blood in stool, cough or vomit.
    • Loss of appetite or difficulty eating.
    • Constipation due to bloating
    • Chemotherapy
    • Trouble breathing or swallowing

    Conclusion

    Tell your doctor about your symptoms and find ways to manage hiccups and heartburn. See your doctor if hiccups and heartburn continue.

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