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Suggest Treatment For Recurrent Hiccups With Dry Heaves And Shortness Of Breath

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Posted on Mon, 23 Mar 2015
Question: Last night after one drink and I began to eat. I got a severe case of hiccups that led to inability to swallow, dry heaves, build up of saliva and shortness of breath. It lasted about 2 hours and then went away. This is not the first time this has happened but usually a few deep breaths stop things. Not last night??
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Rovena (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
don't need to worry.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Welcome to Healthcare Magic.

I read carefully your query and understand your concern.

Hiccups that lasts only few minutes are very common without any apparent reason.Sometimes can happen that hiccups last longer ,few hours in healthy peoples.This is not reason of concern.
Mostly they are triggered by some factors including:
-Eating spicy foods
-Alcohol consumption
-consuming very hot or very cold foods
-A bloated stomach

Sometimes hiccups can be a symptom of a serious condition like stroke ,brain tumor,pneumonia etc.
In these cases the hiccups tend to persist until the cause is treated.Also you would have other symptoms suggestive for the condition.
So in your case ,it seems to be just common hiccups that lasted more then usual but doesn't seems to be related to an underlying medical condition.

Since your hiccup lasted for 2 hours and went away ,you don't need to worry.
Usually only persistent hiccups that last more then 2-3 days ,require medical evaluation to determine the cause.
If you experience very frequent episodes of severe hiccups that last hours ,you might need to consult your physician for evaluation to exclude possible pathological causes.

Hope it helps.
Let me know if you need further help.

Kind regards,
Dr.Rovena Murati
Note: For further follow up on digestive issues share your reports here and Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dr. Rovena

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2013

Answered : 1243 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Recurrent Hiccups With Dry Heaves And Shortness Of Breath

Brief Answer: don't need to worry. Detailed Answer: Hello, Welcome to Healthcare Magic. I read carefully your query and understand your concern. Hiccups that lasts only few minutes are very common without any apparent reason.Sometimes can happen that hiccups last longer ,few hours in healthy peoples.This is not reason of concern. Mostly they are triggered by some factors including: -Eating spicy foods -Alcohol consumption -consuming very hot or very cold foods -A bloated stomach Sometimes hiccups can be a symptom of a serious condition like stroke ,brain tumor,pneumonia etc. In these cases the hiccups tend to persist until the cause is treated.Also you would have other symptoms suggestive for the condition. So in your case ,it seems to be just common hiccups that lasted more then usual but doesn't seems to be related to an underlying medical condition. Since your hiccup lasted for 2 hours and went away ,you don't need to worry. Usually only persistent hiccups that last more then 2-3 days ,require medical evaluation to determine the cause. If you experience very frequent episodes of severe hiccups that last hours ,you might need to consult your physician for evaluation to exclude possible pathological causes. Hope it helps. Let me know if you need further help. Kind regards, Dr.Rovena Murati