The most effective treatment for hiccups is to eliminate its cause, either by eating in small amounts, avoiding soft drinks or treating an infection, for example. Medications, such as Plasil or Amplictil, are only indicated for people with persistent or chronic disorders. hiccups, which lasts more than 2 days.
However, most of the time, hiccups last a few minutes, with no treatment needed, except for a few homemade measures to last less, such as drinking a glass of cold water, holding your breath, or breathing a bag for a few minutes. Check out our tips to quickly stop hiccups.
- When hiccups are persistent and last longer than 2 days.
- It is necessary to seek help from your family doctor.
- Who may recommend the use of certain pharmaceutical remedies.
- Such as:.
These drugs act directly on the nervous system and help control the stimuli that cause hiccups, being used in most cases.
In more severe cases, your doctor may also guide the use of strong anticonvulsants and relaxants, such as phenytoin, gabapentin, or baclofen, for example, that can control neural impulses.
An excellent natural treatment for hiccups is to learn how to control breathing, using yoga techniques or Pilates, for example, as this allows the person to dilate the diaphragm and better control the respiratory muscles.
A good example of this is breathing 4-16-8, in which you must inhale the air counting to 4, hold your breath counting up to 16 and release the air counting to 8. Breathing should be very deep, using the abdomen and entire chest, and the air should also be completely expelled during exhalation.
Other home options to treat hiccups include
In addition, it is possible to use a technique to cover the nose with your hands and apply a force to release the air, contracting the chest, called Valsalva maneuver. Check out these and other tips on home remedies to cure hiccups.
Hiccups are mainly caused by inflammations, infections or irritations of the chest and gastrointestinal tract, so before using the medication, your doctor may recommend certain steps to eliminate its cause and make treatment more effective.
Other alternative treatment options, which may have good results, are hypnosis or acupuncture sessions, capable of stimulating sensations, perceptions and thoughts, useful for controlling the stimuli and spasms of the chest muscles.