The most effective treatment for hiccups is to eliminate their cause, either by eating them in a small amount, by avoiding drinks or by treating an infection, for example. The use of medicines, such as Plasil or Amplictil, is only indicated for people with persistent or chronic hiccup, which lasts more than 2 days.
Most of the time, however, the hiccup lasts for a few minutes, and no treatment is necessary except for some home-made measures to make it last longer, such as drinking a glass of ice water, holding your breath or breathing in a bag for a few minutes. Check out our tips to stop the hiccup quickly.
Main remedies for hiccups
When the hiccup is persistent, lasting more than 2 days, it is necessary to seek care from the general practitioner who may recommend the use of some pharmacy remedies, such as:
- Chlorpropramide (Amplictil);
- Haloperidol (Haldol);
- Metoclopramide (Plasil).
These drugs act directly on the nervous system and help control the stimuli that cause hiccups and are used in most cases.
In the most severe cases, the doctor can also guide the use of anticonvulsants and potent relaxants, such as phenytoin, gabapentin or Baclofen, for example, capable of controlling neuronal impulses.
Home remedies for hiccups
A great natural remedy for hiccups is learning to take control of breathing through yoga or pilates techniques, for example, because it makes the person able to dilate the diaphragm and better control the respiratory muscles.
A good example of this is breath 4-16-8, in which you must inhale the air counting to 4, hold the breath counting to 16, and let the air count up to 8. The breath should be very deep using this, the abdomen and the entire thorax, and the air should also be completely laid out during exhalation.
Other home remedies for hiccups are:
- Drink a glass of ice water, or suck ice;
- Hold your breath as long as you can;
- Breathe into a paper bag for a few moments.
In addition, it is possible to do a technique to cover the nose with the hands and to force force to release the air, contracting the thorax, call of maneuver of Valsalva. Check out these and other home remedy tips to cure hiccups.
How to avoid hiccups
The hiccup is mainly caused by inflammation, infection or irritation of the chest and gastrointestinal tract, so before using medicines the doctor may recommend some measures to eliminate the cause and allow treatment more effectively, as:
- Feed yourself in small quantity and slowly, because eating too fast or too much causes the dilation of the stomach;
- Avoid gas or alcoholic beverages to reduce reflux;
- Treat other diseases that may be causing the hiccup, such as pneumonia, gastroenteritis, meningitis, otitis, cholecystitis, changes in blood electrolytes or renal failure, for example. Understand more about these and other situations that are the causes of the hiccup.
Other alternative treatment options, which may have good results, are hypnosis or acupuncture sessions, capable of stimulating sensations, perceptions and thoughts, useful in controlling stimuli and spasms of the thorax muscles.
