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Have you ever had hiccups with or after chemotherapy?
We all know what hiccups are, right? They are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm — the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen and plays an important role in breathing. Each contraction is followed by a sudden closure of your vocal cords, which produces the characteristic "hic" sound.
Mayo Clinic investigators want to learn more about hiccups in people who are receiving cancer treatment and, if you have experienced hiccups, how they may have affected your quality of life.
So, whether you’ve had hiccups or not, we asked Connect members to take part in a survey. Responses in the survey remain anonymous and are kept completely confidential. The survey is now closed. I will share the results of survey after analysis.
In the meantime, feel free to take part in this discussion about hiccups, if you want to share.
Have you had hiccups after chemotherapy? If yes, were they different than you’ve experienced before? Did they bother you or affect your daily living?
+++Study Results+++
Frequency and Symptomatology of Hiccups in Patients With Cancer: Using an On-Line Medical Community to Better Understand the Patient Experience
By C Ehret, C Young, C Ellefson, L Aase, A Jatoi
Published April 1, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1177/10499091211006923
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Yes, since chemo I have had bouts of hiccups come on forcefully and surprisingly. Before chemo my frequency of hiccuping was quite a bit smaller (barely ever). The sudden hiccuping seemed most frequent for me the few months after chemo, but I am 5 mths out now & the frequency is reduced significantly since a few months ago.
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1 ReactionAfter chemo for lymphoma B cancer I got hiccups on a cycle of 3days hiccups and then seven days with out. oncologist tried three or four pills but nothing has given relief. Nine months just the same. Very hard to get any sleep.
Any one have similar problems?
My husband had severe bouts of hiccups lasting hours and hours. His doctor prescribed Gabapentin 100mg taking 1 capsule every 8 hours. This was the 2nd medicine he tried and it seemed to help better. They occurred after each round of chemo usually starting that night. Hope you can find relief soon.
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1 ReactionThanks kjc
I will get oncologist to review the drug to see if it helps
Lately the last two times the hiccups have been lighter, maybe they will eventually stop ,will see
From others I tried Vicks 44, also tried baking soda , Prevacid , sugar etc home remedies with no success
My hiccups did not start until soon after all chemo treatments
I had continuous hiccuups from memory the first time I had Fulfirinox treatment which almost drove me crazy. It lasted almost continuously for a day and night and then just stopped... In fact stopped, once I got a prescription for some drug which was supposed to stop it!
So I now have an unopened bottle of tablets to stop hiccuups to add to the plethera / collection of other drugs in my bathroom sink! 🙂
Yes. I had hiccups after every cycle. It was weird and it went away after several hours.
I have noticed that I get the hiccups for some reason since my treatments have started. They are not constant but enough for me to notice.
Hi @tracielm, may I ask what type of cancer you have? What treatment are you getting?
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1 ReactionYes, my partner did after round 1 of chemo. It was a known side effect.
Could you give us details of time and cure of hiccups