Have you ever had hiccups with or after chemotherapy?

Thank goodness I'm not crazy!
I've never been much of a hiccup person so I've been baffled at the numerous times I've been getting them in the last few months. Alas! This could be the answer. I ended chemo at the end of August and I still have bad hiccups. Sometimes multiple times a day. One of my boys mentioned it the other day, and I told him I have no idea where they're coming from, that I guess it's just my new normal. Like so many other things.

Welcome to the club, I am sorry about the hiccups.

My husband just began chemo, has had two cycles of mFolfirinox, and has had hiccups for the first several days after both infusions. They are uncomfortable for him and irritating for me. They think the cause is the Dexamethasone pre-med. He’s hiccuping right now as I type this!

I just started having them last week after 2nd chemo treatment.

Me too!

They my be part of Myoclonus movement disorder

My husband is receiving Folfirinox chemotherapy post Whipple surgery for pancreatic cancer. At their worst, his loud, jarring hiccups continued almost 24/7 for 7 days, beginning a couple days after each chemo. In addition, several times a day he would have a throat spasm at the end of a hiccup, almost as if the hiccup became stuck, when he wouldn’t be able to breathe for anywhere from 10-30 seconds. This alarming situation led the oncologist to try several remedies and ultimately even ask him if he wanted to continue this chemo. Ultimately, after the 6th cycle of chemo and the following changes, he had no hiccups: the first thing that was tried was to start Omeprazole once a day and reduce the pre-chemo steroid Dexamethasone from 12mg to 8mg. This seemed to help for the next two cycles. But then the following cycle was worse than ever. At that point it was noted that his Potassium and Magnesium levels were lower than they had been after previous cycles and replacement therapy was implemented as it had been previously. In addition Omeprazole was changed to twice a day. And his Dexamethasone was reduced once again, now from 8mg to 4mg. For the first time, he had no hiccups after The sixth cycle of chemo. These hiccups are not a little thing. People experiencing them need answers and solutions.

I have myoclonus leg jerks any time I get drowsy. They hurt. I can imagine how much hiccup pain it causes. If I am correct, Parkinson's medicines have helped restless leg, Periodic movement disorders (both at night) and myoclonus problems. I take Ropinirole (a parkinsons medicine) and Gabapentin (a seizure and nerve healing medication) These work if I can take them before they start ( after dinners, before sleep and waking up with some time on the clock. Most of the motion problems take a combination of drugs. I have not seen a real movement specialist yet. But, do do confer with my neurosurgeon in a couple of weeks. I have to travel 2 hrs fro Taos to Santa Fe, So I am not looking forward to the trips for scans,emg,etc.
Study the brain barrier and chemicals that come across but don't get out as fast. With magnesium being to much, I have been put on potassium. (Note:I had hypercalciumia. Rarely know, too much calcium can cause weakness. I spent 100 days in the nursing home before the found out I was overdosng with flomax injections for osteopenia..

@susan2018 Ive read that dexamethazone can definitely cause hiccups with chemotherapy patients. Since dexamethazone is frequently used to lessen some side effects, has your husband had to deal with anything new?

I am not aware that he experienced any side effects related to the decrease in steroid pre-medication of Dexamethasone, no nausea or vomiting. It did happen that he was not able to keep on schedule for the next cycle of chemo, his seventh, because of low platelets but that shouldn’t have been related, I wouldn’t think.