Sovereign remedies for hiccups?

December 13, 2004 3:48 PM

What is your personal cure for the hiccups?

I've had them on and off since 3 p.m.; I'll eat or drink, they'll go away, they come back. I'm going to the theatre at 8:15 and do NOT want to disrupt the show. Heeeeelp. I will be here doing them in real time as you post!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero to health & fitness (56 comments total)

Vodka shots. Not a joke as the physiological steps needed to down a shot of liquor seem to get the old diaphragm back to normal. Of course a shot of liquor is only a workable solution at certain times, but I imagine doing the same with a glass of water would work just as well.
posted by nathan_teske at 3:54 PM on December 13, 2004

A spoonful of peanut butter.
posted by claxton6 at 3:55 PM on December 13, 2004

I plug my ears and drink water. Works ever time.
posted by dobbs at 3:56 PM on December 13, 2004

I second dobbs solution. My wife gets them all the time and this works for her. Keep some drinking straws around. Fill a glass with water, plug your ears with your fingers, and drink as much water as you can in one, long, slurp. Really does the trick. I have no idea why.
posted by wheat at 3:57 PM on December 13, 2004

There should be a soft spot about an inch from the tip of your chin past the bone going directly back. Press into the soft spot with your thumb and hold for about 30 seconds. That always works for me.
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 3:57 PM on December 13, 2004

Drink a glass of water, but from the wrong side of the glass, i.e., stand at the sink, lean forward, and drink from the side farthest away.

I have no idea why this works for me, but it does. Maybe it's all the concentration on drinking the water that distracts my brain from the diaphragm.
posted by ambrosia at 3:58 PM on December 13, 2004

You should report back on what works for you.
posted by claxton6 at 3:58 PM on December 13, 2004

Nobody ever wants to try this when I tell them but it's the only 100 percent surefire cure I know. It really works. But it's not something you can do in public or if you are prone to vomiting easily.
Basically, what you do is stick your finger down your throat and make yourself wretch. Not puke, just wretch. And presto, your hiccups will vanish. It has something to do with releasing trapped air or something.
I know you are saying ewwww right now, but one day you will have painful hiccups and you will be forced to try this and you will shower thanks upon my head.
posted by CunningLinguist at 4:00 PM on December 13, 2004

I third the plugged-ear water-drinking method -- only make sure your ears are completely sealed off. Have somebody stand behind you and hold your ears firmly shut while you chug.

Good luck! The hiccups are horrible.
posted by damn yankee at 4:01 PM on December 13, 2004

Hehe, well of course my hiccups are gone now! And they'll probably stay away, too, just to spite me.

Maybe that's my cure- post something on Metafilter, hiccups go away. Hmmm....
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:01 PM on December 13, 2004 [1 favorite]

Um, retch.
I am a speelingless wretch.
posted by CunningLinguist at 4:01 PM on December 13, 2004

I do ambrosia's drinking-upside-town trick, best with cold water. It also works well over the tub or over the open door of the dishwasher if you can't lean far enough over the sink.
Eventually I learned how to stop them by holding my breath really hard. I don't know quite how to explain it but take a really deep breath and hold it in my lungs and push outwards for as long as I can.
posted by librarina at 4:03 PM on December 13, 2004

Tickle your soft palate with your tongue.
posted by mimi at 4:12 PM on December 13, 2004

Spoonful of vinegar. I like the balsamic sort. Or: press on your diaphram. Using the index and middle fingers of each hand, press about four inches into your abdomen directly beneath your breastbone. Relax stomach muscles and hold for thirty seconds. Breathe. It's kind of uncomfortable, that's why I like the vinegar.
posted by Specklet at 4:15 PM on December 13, 2004

I'm with librarina: I use the Valsalva maneuver, which is also useful for stopping heart palpitations if you have mitral valve prolapse. And Google also suggests various urinary benefits, so you learn something new every day!
posted by naomi at 4:18 PM on December 13, 2004 [1 favorite]

a glass of water. Take one mouthful, look straight up to the ceiling and then swallow. Repeat three times (magic number!) and the hiccups are gone.
posted by dabitch at 4:25 PM on December 13, 2004

Take a spoonful of sugar and let it dissolve in your mouth. Works every time, I swear!
posted by JoanArkham at 4:27 PM on December 13, 2004

Make out with someone. A long lip-lock (at least 45-60 seconds) has never failed to cure my hiccups. A really bad case may take two or three attempts, but it's a lot more fun than drinking water.
posted by Monk at 4:29 PM on December 13, 2004

Antacids work for me.
posted by Eekacat at 4:29 PM on December 13, 2004

bend over and then do ambrosia's drinking trick. works for me.

for me repeated hiccuping usually means that i'm way way overtired. once i conquer the hiccups, the eye twitching starts.
posted by heather at 4:30 PM on December 13, 2004

My Aunt Mary taught me this. I thought she was crazy, but it works.

Take a pencil and put it between your teeth sideways, as far back in your grin as possible (pencil ends are ourside your lips, pressed against your cheeks).

Sip water from a cup.

Behold the hiccup-cancelling power of my Aunt Mary's cure.

I think something about the placement of the pencil opens your throat, just so. But I'm happy to think it's just her ongoing magic...

It's worked for everyone I've ever offered it to.
posted by baltimore at 4:35 PM on December 13, 2004

Stretch your diaphragm in the following manner:

- breathe in to your maximum lung capacity
- now suck in a little more
- and a little more
- one little bit more!
- now hold it while you count to ten (or as long as you can)
- slowly release.

Always works.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 4:39 PM on December 13, 2004

Sugar and sugary things are supposed confuse the neuro-things that cause the muscle spasms. (This medical link says anything that interrupts the freaky circuitry will do the trick, which is where drinking upside-down and the like come in.)

Swallowing a spoonful of sugar has always worked for me, but I hate it having a mouthful of wet sugar. I discovered recently that grapes serve the same purpose, and now a mouthful of grapes is my go-to cure.

I promise it works.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:39 PM on December 13, 2004

I learned how to stop them by holding my breath really hard. I don't know quite how to explain it but take a really deep breath and hold it in my lungs and push outwards for as long as I can.

I also do this. Basically hold your breath and tighten all your stomach and butt muscles and try to count to 60 while staying all clenched. Has something to do with immobilizing your diaphragm which is what is spasming causing you to hic in the first place.
posted by jessamyn at 4:41 PM on December 13, 2004

Stretch your diaphragm in the following manner:

- breathe in to your maximum lung capacity
- now suck in a little more
- and a little more
- one little bit more!
- now hold it while you count to ten (or as long as you can)
- slowly release.

Huh I do exactly the opposite, probably achieving the same result:

-Blow all the air out of your lungs
-And some more
-And a little more
-Now pinch your nose shut and go as long as you can before taking a breath (without passing out, of course).
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 4:44 PM on December 13, 2004

Hiccups are diaphragm spasms.

Drinking upside down, Valsalva-ing, etc, all put "backwards pressure" on your diaphragm, and works for most people. I can do it now by taking a deep breath, holding it and forcing a series of dry swallows. Works every time.
posted by reflecked at 4:56 PM on December 13, 2004

Drop a spoon in a glass of water and put the handle under your tongue, then drink. Opens up the throat like all the other suggestions here. Works every time like all the other suggestions here.
posted by calculon at 5:15 PM on December 13, 2004

I'm with libarina and jessamyn in that I hold my breath hard but also make certain that when I have to breathe that I slowly exhale and try to start breathing as normal as possible avoiding any gasping for air. Always works for me.
posted by geekyguy at 5:18 PM on December 13, 2004

I put my chin to my chest while holding my breath as well. As a former bartender this always worked although most people did ask for a sugar packet first.
posted by geekyguy at 5:21 PM on December 13, 2004

Try laying a paper towel over the top of a cup and drinking the water through it. Not only does it work every time, it works instantly.
posted by quarked at 5:26 PM on December 13, 2004

I used to do the sugar thing, but now iIjust do the pushing down very hard on the diaphragm thing.

However, when I was a teenager, I used to get them all the time and my mom, a nurse, asked the pharmacist at work for advice. His method: light an entire book of matches, douse them in a glass of water and then drink the water. I did this for years before I discovered the simpler method of dissolving a spoon of sugar in your mouth. I look back now and wonder if I was poisoning myself. Maybe it is just a coincidence, but I just found out the hard way that I am allergic to sulfa drugs.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:33 PM on December 13, 2004

Willpower. My willpower for anything else is horrible, but some how I'm able to get rid of hiccups just by concentrating. A friend of mine told me that's what he did, and I didn't believe him until I tried it myself.
posted by zsazsa at 5:37 PM on December 13, 2004

Grab your tongue between your thumb and forefinger and pull on it as soon as u feel a hiccup coming on. Always works for me!
posted by ramix at 5:52 PM on December 13, 2004

This one's a bit ephemeral, and only works when someone else has the hiccups, but my favorite cure is the one my mom performed on me when I was six. We were at a fancy restaurant, and I had a terrible case of the hiccups that wouldn't go away. She calmly got out her pocketbook and handed me a $20 bill, a veritable fortune to a six-year old back then. Bam! No more hiccups. Unfortunately, she then took the $20 back.

It's a one time trick, of course, but I've managed to stop a few friends' hiccups with the deft flash of a Benjamin. Much classier than sneaking up and yelling "Boo," as long as the exchange doesn't degenerate into a wrestling match over the money afterwards.
posted by flod at 6:02 PM on December 13, 2004

Willing them away is the only thing that works for me too. I usually only get hiccups after drinking too much, though, so maybe it's a self-regulation thing. That is, my brain is saying "You're too drunk. Go home and get rid of your hiccups" to keep me out of trouble.
posted by maniactown at 6:02 PM on December 13, 2004

I had the hiccups last week for like half an hour. While I had them I did a google search for hiccup cures and read to eat a spoonful of sugar. I figured it was a tasty enough cure and tried it and it worked instantly. I can't believe I was just enduring the hiccups like a dumbass in the past and also not eating sugar! No more!
posted by frenetic at 6:19 PM on December 13, 2004

If you're at a bar, ask the bartender to pour some bitters on a slice of lemon. Suck on the lemon for 10-15 seconds. Works for me.
posted by hootch at 6:28 PM on December 13, 2004

Breathe through something. If I'm at home, I'll get in bed and pull the covers over my head. My body craves oxygen and pulls itself together to breathe properly. If I'm out, I'll try putting a fleece jacket or some other thick fabric up to my mouth and breathing through that.
posted by wallaby at 6:33 PM on December 13, 2004

The easiest way for me has always been to immediately take a spoonful of sugar, put it at the back of my mouth and swallow. I don't like the feeling of all that sugar in my mouth, thus...
posted by somethingotherthan at 6:37 PM on December 13, 2004

Drink water with your mouth open.
Massage your earlobe (worked for about a year for me, doesn't any more... have heard similar reports from others)
Cross your arms over your diaphragm, exhale completely (bending forward), hold until you think you're going burst something, then breathe in again slowly and evenly.
posted by pompomtom at 6:53 PM on December 13, 2004

Gather three long hairs from the neck of a rabid dog. Toss them into the east-wind. Shampoo you hair with fingernail of newt and chant you mother's maiden name while twirling a baton.

Has the power to cure a whole town of hiccups. Use in moderation.
posted by MotorNeuron at 6:59 PM on December 13, 2004

you=your
posted by MotorNeuron at 7:00 PM on December 13, 2004

hold my breath (often done by pinching closed my nose) and swallow once or twice in quick succession.
posted by ifjuly at 7:04 PM on December 13, 2004

The teaspoon of sugar thing works with any fine powder - corn starch, flour, etc. Sugar's just the most palatable. And powdered sugar works even better than granulated.
posted by TimeFactor at 7:05 PM on December 13, 2004

Tickle your soft palate with your tongue.

I do that for when I need to sneeze and can't. It's the all purpose tool! I wonder about what the difference is between ordinary hiccups and the kind that people have for years. I had a great-uncle who had the hiccups for three years, and his cure for them was death.
posted by redfoxtail at 7:27 PM on December 13, 2004

Put a bit of sugar on the tip of your tongue, then take a big sip of water.

My roommate a few years ago would hold her nose and drink milk. It usually resulted in horrible coughing fits but seemed to get rid of the hiccups. I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it was definitely a lot of fun to watch.
posted by honeydew at 7:39 PM on December 13, 2004

Well, thank goodness, my hiccups did not return during the show. Deep breathing was what solved it, but I like monk's suggestion the best- making out solves yet another life problem!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:04 PM on December 13, 2004 [1 favorite]

Simpler variation of dabitch's solution: Sip. Look up (stretching neck). First sip, tilt head to the left, second sip, tilt head to the right.
posted by RavinDave at 9:11 PM on December 13, 2004

booze. alternately, heroin.
posted by dorian at 9:34 PM on December 13, 2004

106 Cures For The Hiccups
posted by anastasiav at 10:00 PM on December 13, 2004

I'm surprised nobody mentioned breathing in a paper bag. Conventional wisdom says if you raise the blood levels of carbon dioxide for a minute they go away.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 4:57 AM on December 14, 2004

After your first hiccup, take a deep breath, concentrate, and breathe in and out and say " ONE". That's the only one you'll have. Most times. If that doesn't work, keep going with "Two" or "Three". After that, I pretty much ride it out, but this really works three quarters of the time. I guess it falls in the willpower/breathing category.
posted by rainbaby at 6:11 AM on December 14, 2004

the spoonful of vinegar trick works for me every single time.
posted by fabesfaves at 9:12 AM on December 14, 2004

I'm waiting, but they haven't appeared to come back yet. The sipping water through the towel thing seemed to work, thirty long years and I finally discover the answer! Makes for a good belch too. Though the spoonful of sugar thing seems pretty interesting (not to mention the heroin!) Thanks everyone.
posted by prettyboyfloyd at 10:16 PM on December 19, 2004

A couple of large marshmallows works for me every time. I got this trick from my aunt, who was an RN, and it's what they used on their patients at the hospital.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:20 PM on November 13, 2005

Meant to add that to the new thread that's linking here, not the old thread, but, oh, well.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:21 PM on November 13, 2005