What Casues Non-stop Hiccups?

Posted on Tue, 8 Jul 2014

Question: my husband has been on a very, very strick weight loss program which commences with him taking 3x day drops of a female homone drug called "HCG"...he then has to eat no more that 500 calories per day...which is really leaving him a drop of energy. he has been ad it for 2 weeks now, but yesterday around 4:00 p.m. he commenced "the hiccups" and he has now NONE STOP continuing...he drinks a lot of water (per diet instructions), but I believe he is "drowning" his stomach with water, ergo, hiccups that WILL NOT STOP....many hours now. He has driven himself to an emergency room at a local Veterans Administration hospital and they don't know what is causing this...only will prescribe something to make him stop the hiccups. Can you have a doctor talk with me regarding this matter...I assume having "hiccups" for a short time is normal, but not this long as my husband is experiencing. What's the cause please...does he not have to be xrayed or tested? The VA hospital is just prescribing something to stop it and NOT TREAT IT! Can you please answer and suggest what he might do?will you be sending your recommendations and explanation of what caused this hiccup marathon that my husband is now experiencing for 12+ hours to the e-mail address of: YYYY@YYYY

Answered by Dr. Dr. Klerida Shehu (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Following causes to Non-stop hiccup...

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I have gone through the medical history of your husband and feel sorry for the fastidious situation he is in.

There are many causes to hiccups:
- reflux/GERD : aggravated by the weight loss programme he is following
- neurological issues
- demyelination of frenulum nerve of the diaphragm
- ingesting lots of gas (aerophagia): carbonated drinks, quick eating
- alcohol drinking

I suggest to :
- do upper endoscopy and pH study to exclude reflux or upper GI problems
- consult with neurologist
- chest X-ray
- cardiac tests: ECG, stress test, echocardiogram

With regards to treatment, I advise to:
- do Valsava manouver: deep breathing (through nostrils), keep breath and then breathe out through mouth
- chlorpromazin and other benzodiazepines can be added to the treatment

Wish fast recovery! Let me know if I can assist you further!
Dr.Klerida

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar