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- $Unique_ID{BRK00644}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Are There Any Medications for Hiccups?}
- $Subject{hiccups medication medications esophagus stomach nasogastric tube
- chloropromazine Thorazine metoclopramide Reglan kidney lung infections tumors
- subdiaphragmatic process anticonvulsant drugs carbamazepine Tegretol phenytoin
- Dilantin valproic acid Depakene nifedipine Procardia antipsychotic haloperidol
- Haldol diazepam Valium infection}
- $Volume{R-10}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
-
-
- Are There Any Medications for Hiccups?
-
-
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-
- QUESTION: My hiccups sometimes go on for days. Are there any medications
- that can help me?
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- ANSWER: I presume that you've tried physical approaches, such as swallowing
- granulated sugar or bitters, deep breathing or rebreathing in a paper bag, for
- example. Sometimes a doctor will find that inserting a nasogastric tube into
- your esophagus is enough to "break" the hiccup reflex.
- If these conservative maneuvers haven't produced results, drug therapy
- may be the next course of action required. Two relatively mild ones are
- chloropromazine (brand name Thorazine) and metoclopramide (Reglan). If these
- don't stop your hiccups, your doctor will want to investigate some rather more
- serious causes of hiccups, such as kidney trouble, lung infections, tumors or
- subdiaphragmatic process.
- Should your tests turn out normal, then your doctor will move on to the
- anticonvulsant drugs, such as carbamazepine (Tegretol) or phenytoin
- (Dilantin). A few patients respond to a stronger anticonvulsant drug called
- valproic acid (Depakene), a heart drug called nifedipine (Procardia), an
- antipsychotic called haloperidol (Haldol), or tranquilizers in the
- benzodiazepine group like diazepam (Valium). All of these medications can
- only be obtained with prescriptions, and should only be taken under medical
- supervision. As the long list of medications indicates, hiccups (or
- hiccoughs) may be difficult to treat successfully.
-
- ----------------
-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
-
-