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Hiccups

Hiccups are sudden spasms of the diaphragm followed by a quick closing of the vocal cords. Almost everyone gets them, and they usually stop on their own within minutes. Hiccups that last more than 48 hours, or keep coming back, are worth seeing a doctor about.

See a doctor if hiccups last longer than 48 hours, or keep coming back and are affecting your life (NHS), or if they get in the way of sleeping, eating, drinking or talking (MedlinePlus).

Call 911 for hiccups that come with signs of a heart attack — chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, pain spreading to the arm, jaw, neck or back, or feeling faint (CDC) — or signs of a stroke: sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, sudden confusion or trouble speaking, sudden trouble walking or loss of balance, or a sudden severe headache with no known cause (CDC). Stroke and reduced blood flow to the heart are among the known causes of hiccups (Chang & Lu, 2012).

See a doctor promptly for vomit that contains blood or looks like coffee grounds, black or tarry stools, trouble swallowing, or weight loss you can’t explain (NIDDK).

What is a hiccup?

A hiccup has two parts. First, the diaphragm — the dome-shaped muscle at the base of the lungs and the main muscle you breathe with — moves suddenly on its own. Then the vocal cords snap shut, which makes the “hic” sound (MedlinePlus). The muscles between the ribs take part in the spasm too (Chang & Lu, 2012).

Researchers describe a hiccup reflex arc: nerves that carry signals in (the phrenic and vagus nerves and sympathetic nerves), a control center in the brainstem, and nerves that carry the signal back out to the diaphragm and rib muscles (Chang & Lu, 2012, Bowman et al., 2026). Anything that irritates part of this arc can set off hiccups (Chang & Lu, 2012).

Common triggers

Hiccups can start and stop for no obvious reason, but they often follow something that irritates the diaphragm (MedlinePlus):

Persistent and intractable hiccups

Most hiccups go away by themselves after a few minutes (MedlinePlus). Doctors use two terms for hiccups that don’t (Cochrane review, 2013):

  • Persistent hiccups last more than 48 hours.
  • Intractable hiccups last more than one month.

Some authors draw the second line at two months instead (Chang & Lu, 2012). Either way, long-lasting hiccups are uncommon (Cochrane review, 2013), but they can cause trouble sleeping, tiredness, weight loss, poor nutrition, and depression or anxiety (GARD). They are much more common in men (Aubignat, 2026).

What causes hiccups that won’t stop?

In rare cases, hiccups lasting longer than 48 hours are due to a medical condition or a medicine (NHS). More than 100 causes have been reported, and often the exact cause is never found (GARD). The main groups are:

Finding the cause matters because persistent hiccups can be a sign of a serious illness (Leung et al., 2020). A doctor will start with your history and an exam; depending on what they find, tests may include blood tests, a chest X-ray, an upper endoscopy or brain imaging (Aubignat, 2026).

Side by side

Six approaches compared

For every condition we look at the same six approaches: what each involves, what it typically costs, and what a patient can realistically expect.

ApproachWhat it involves Estimated costWhat to expect
Conventional medicine (AMA) Waiting it out for ordinary hiccups. For persistent hiccups: finding and treating the cause or changing a medicine, an acid-reducing medicine when reflux is suspected, and prescription medicines such as chlorpromazine, baclofen, gabapentin or metoclopramide. Nerve blocks are rarely needed. Cost estimate being researched. Ordinary hiccups stop within minutes. Treating the cause should stop hiccups that come from it. Chlorpromazine is the only FDA-approved hiccup medicine and doesn’t work for everyone; the other medicines rest on small studies.
Chiropractic No established role. We found no chiropractic studies of hiccups. Not applicable. A few small reports describe osteopathic treatment by physicians, which is a different practice. Hiccups that won’t stop need a medical checkup first.
Acupuncture Fine needles, studied mainly for persistent hiccups in people with cancer or after a stroke, usually alongside medical care. About $125–$230 for a first private visit and $90–$185 for follow-ups; community clinics about $50–$90. Medicare covers acupuncture only for chronic low back pain. Case series and small trials are encouraging, but reviewers rate the evidence as too weak to be sure it works.
Herbal medicine Little evidence. Sugar and vinegar are kitchen tricks, not proven treatments. A few Japanese herbal formulas have been tried in hospital patients. Cost estimate being researched. Harmless tricks may be worth a try for ordinary hiccups. Herbs can interact with medicines, so ask your doctor or pharmacist first. We don’t list doses.
Massage therapy No role in treating hiccups. Not applicable. We found little research. Massage shouldn’t be used to put off seeing a doctor about hiccups that won’t stop.
MBHA Wellness Coach Simple tricks to try, eating more slowly, smaller meals, cutting back on fizzy drinks, alcohol, gum and smoking, avoiding hot-then-cold food and drink, reflux habits, and ways to handle stress. Cost estimate being researched. These habits may mean fewer bouts of ordinary hiccups. They support, never replace, a medical checkup for hiccups lasting more than 48 hours.

Approach 1 of 6

Conventional medicine (AMA)

Most hiccups need no treatment. They usually stop on their own after a few minutes (MedlinePlus), and bouts shorter than 48 hours rarely need a doctor (Leung et al., 2020).

Treating the cause comes first. A doctor will look for a health condition or a medicine behind persistent hiccups; treating the condition or changing the medicine should stop them (NHS). There are no formal treatment guidelines, and most advice rests on case reports and small studies (Leung et al., 2020). A 2026 review suggests a step-by-step approach: treat the cause, try an acid-reducing proton pump inhibitor (PPI) first, then baclofen or gabapentin (Aubignat, 2026). For people whose hiccups come from the steroid dexamethasone given with chemotherapy, switching to a different steroid reduced hiccups in a randomized trial without making nausea worse (Go et al., 2017).

Medicines for persistent hiccups

We name these medicines so you can talk about them with your doctor. We don’t list doses.

A Cochrane review found too little good evidence to guide treatment with any medicine or other method; no drug studies met its standards (Cochrane review, 2013).

Procedures, rarely

When medicines and physical maneuvers fail, doctors may numb the phrenic nerve with a nerve block (Ke et al., 2023, Aubignat, 2026). Surgery is very rarely used (Leung et al., 2020).

What it costs

Cost estimate being researched.

Find a medical doctor in our directory

Approach 2 of 6

Chiropractic

Chiropractic care has no established role in treating hiccups. A PubMed search we ran in October 2026 for hiccups together with chiropractic, spinal manipulation or spinal adjustment returned no studies.

The nearest research is on osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), a hands-on method used by osteopathic physicians, which is a different practice. A pilot study of five people with intractable hiccups found fewer daily hiccups after one session (Bowman et al., 2026), and a single case report described hiccups from chemotherapy stopping after OMT (Aluri et al., 2026). Studies this small can’t show that the treatment works.

Spinal manipulation of the neck has been linked to rare tears in neck arteries that can lead to a stroke (NCCIH). Hiccups lasting more than 48 hours need a medical checkup first (NHS).

Find a chiropractor in our directory

Approach 3 of 6

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been studied mostly for persistent hiccups in people with cancer or after a stroke, usually alongside medical care. The evidence is promising but weak.

  • A small case series in people with cancer: at the National Institutes of Health, 16 men with cancer and persistent hiccups had one to three acupuncture sessions; hiccups stopped completely in 13 and eased in the other 3 (Ge et al., 2010). There was no comparison group.
  • Cancer-related hiccups, 2024 review: nine randomized trials (580 patients) favored acupuncture over medicines, but every trial had a high risk of bias, and the authors said there is no conclusive evidence yet (Guo et al., 2024).
  • Intractable hiccups, 2025 review: 41 trials, all done in China, suggested benefit, but the authors noted possible bias and uneven quality (Zhai et al., 2025).
  • Cochrane review: the four acupuncture studies that qualified all had a high risk of bias and none compared acupuncture with a placebo (Cochrane review, 2013).

Safety and cost: relatively few complications have been reported, but nonsterile needles and improper treatment have caused serious harm; most states license acupuncturists (NCCIH). A first private visit is about $125–$230, follow-ups about $90–$185, and community clinics about $50–$90 (The Pricer, 2026). Medicare covers acupuncture only for chronic low back pain (Medicare.gov).

Find an acupuncturist in our directory

Approach 4 of 6

Herbal medicine

There is little evidence that any herb treats hiccups.

Some herbs interact with prescription medicines (NCCIH), so ask your doctor or pharmacist before trying one, especially if you are being treated for cancer or another serious illness.

Approach 5 of 6

Massage therapy

Massage therapy has no role in treating hiccups, and we found little research on it. It shouldn’t be used to put off seeing a health care provider about a medical problem (NCCIH).

Find a massage therapist in our directory

Approach 6 of 6

MBHA Wellness Coach

An MBHA Wellness Coach can help you spot your own triggers and build habits that may mean fewer bouts of hiccups:

Hiccups lasting more than 48 hours still need a doctor (NHS).

Another approach

Home tricks: what’s known

Nearly everyone has a favorite hiccup cure. Here is what the evidence says:

Hiccups often stop on their own within minutes anyway (MedlinePlus), which is one reason so many cures seem to work.

Another approach

Hiccups that won’t stop

See a doctor if hiccups last longer than 48 hours, or keep coming back and are affecting your life (NHS). Bring:

Long-lasting hiccups can take a real toll — poor sleep, tiredness, weight loss and low mood (GARD). A good team effort to find the cause matters (Kohse et al., 2017), and treating that cause or changing a medicine should stop the hiccups (NHS). If you’re having cancer treatment and develop hiccups, tell your care team: switching from or leaving out the steroid dexamethasone has helped in studies, but only your care team should change your medicines (Sutcliffe & Eche-Ugwu, 2026).

Another approach

Hiccups in babies

Hiccups are common and normal in babies, and babies can even hiccup in the womb, which feels like small, jerky, rhythmic movements (Pregnancy, Birth and Baby).

Call 911 if your baby has trouble breathing, their skin or lips turn blue, or you think they may be choking. Trust your instincts and have your baby checked whenever you feel they need it (Pregnancy, Birth and Baby). In pregnancy, contact your midwife or doctor right away about any change in your baby’s usual movements (Pregnancy, Birth and Baby).

Member stories

Living with Hiccups? Share your experience

Real experiences help others choose. Tell us what you tried — conventional medicine, chiropractic, acupuncture, herbs, massage or coaching — what it cost and what changed.

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Which approaches have you tried?

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Sources

This page is for education only and is not medical advice. Costs are typical U.S. ranges and estimates; yours will depend on your provider, location and insurance. Talk with your doctor before starting, stopping or combining any treatment. In an emergency, call 911. See our disclaimer.

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