Do your pain meds give you hiccups??

[Sarajmt]

Hi all:  I know this is a stupid question but...  Since I've been on the Lortab (changed from Norco last pmp visit) I keep getting the hiccups.  This happened when I was on the fentanyl patch.  Does this happen to anyone else?  Does anyone know why this might happen?

I know this is  stupid question but they're starting to get really irritating!
Sara

[Catdaddyz1]

I get  them all the time from Oxycodone, something else I have happening is thick, heavy, yellowish congestion I cough out in small amounts. If I'm not taking Oxy nothing happens. The hiccups I discovered I can stop by slowly eating about a cup of yogurt, must do slowly. If you chow down to fast you get them back. It's wierd but I think it has to do with the texture

[Catdaddyz1]

Well it's basically the deprivation of oxygen, just like hiccups from getting drunk. I've been on about 10 different sites so far and is very common. I'm still trying to find the ultimate cure.

John

[Unknown1979]

Peanut butter is the ultimate cure for hiccups,. Tablespoonful don't open your mouth until it done with the it.  They will be gone immediately!

[JayBKuzava]

Absolutely!!!  you are not crazy.  If I inject 2 or more 8mg Diladids in a 24bhr period, I get severe hiccups that can last up to 3 weeks.  The only way I can stop them is to stop injecting them.  My hiccups are so loud and violent that I keep everyone in the house awake.  It is really a mess when I get them.

[PTIPPY]

I hear you loud and clear man and can relate 100% on this matter! I take Methadone for an Oxy habit formed from an injury in July 2004 actually it will be 9 years from the 4th of July.....  :(   Anyways that is besides the point! I have always gotten hiccups from any of the Opiates I have taken over the years. I have found that on Methadone I get them more frequently and once they're gone they come right back 2 min later and last upwards of 20 min. This is usually only once I have taken my Medicine in the morning. So right after I dose, I will get a few attacks of the feared Hiccups! :)  Anyways they are very annoying but honestly I would take hiccups over the with drawls and other BS I have delt with over the years with all this. Thank god I am coming up on my 2 year sobriety from Major drugs, drinking, and cigs. Even though I guess you could consider Methadone a "Drug" I don't see it the same way whatsoever!  

Hope this helps, make sure your drinking lots of water. I seem to feel that helps with the hiccups.

~Marcus

[JennylynnW]

You are USING the methadone, like one would use an antidepressant, as opposed to ABUSING illicit drugs. You are clean!

[mrknowitall5757]

I haven't read all the comments on this but if you understand the root cause of hiccups you'll see why this isn't surprising.  Hiccups are a muscle spasm or twitch in your diaphragm...the muscle that is used for breathing.  If you get spasms, you get hiccups.

Narcotic pain medicines, especially Norco, Fentanyl and other opiates have the effect of suppressing the body's ability to control this muscle...if you take too much of any of these you will stop breathing altogether.  But at much lower, normal doses you have impaired control of your diaphragm and hence you trigger spasms and voila, you've got hiccups.

The only effective treatment I've ever seen is one I tried on myself first and which was just to follow a logical reverse course.  Stop the spasms.  I do this by sitting down someplace quiet and alone, I close my eyes and take a slow deep breath in, the slowly release it.  I do this again and again very slowly speeding up the intervals.  You will probably keep hiccuping at first but after about 3-4 minutes of doing this I find the regular, steady pattern I'm forcing my diaphragm into stops the spasms and 99% of the time this works on the first attempt.

Good luck.

[Unknown_dom]

I get them occasionally with my pain meds use. Drink water slowly, take a deep breath and hold, then swallow water until you need to breathe out,then slowly breath out then again drink water slowly until you need a breath. All belly breathing by the way to control the diaphragm.

[cam901]

I get them too, and I resd them as a side effect from pain meds. its not a serious side effect, but it happens at the worst times!. During conversations I have to hold my breath to get rid of them!. you're not alone...

[Bigmike8045]

@tragicallytwisted ...I have been trying to find my way back to this particular thread for a while now. Just wanted to let you know that ever since I read your post some months ago, the concentrating and breathing deeply has worked WONDERS for me. I honestly believe that your theory is pretty darn accurate...LOL. I have been on oxycodone for over 4years now for a back injury and severe nerve damage from bad surgery, and this hiccup thing was absolute torture. Have always been told I was crazy and was just a coincidence. I too am bad about the twitching/jerking almost IMMEDIATELY after falling asleep. Anyway to sum it all up...end the rambling..lol. Thanks for the advice! It works : )

[iRELEh8pain]

I have this happen randomly, from percocet &  Opana ER...it drives me insane, because one on my chronic pain problems is in my ribcage, post-surgical nerve damage --& the hiccups are agonizing, & exacerbate the chronic pain for which I'm taking the meds.....! This thread is a relief, & I'm going to show it to all those people who swear I'm nuts (I am, but not about this one thing).
I checked the sites that you posted; looks like we're just the lucky few...Dandy. I wish my luck was so good when buying lottery tix.
Seems like everyone's effective remedy if different. The only one which works for me is drinking out of the back side of a glass, 15 swallows without breathing. Oh-- & one other weirdie: one friend can sit facing me, gently take my earlobes in his fingertips for about 2 minutes, in complete silence, & they go away. Not only that; they do NOT come back for up to 6 weeks. No clue why this works, nobody else can do it. Unfortunately, he's moving halfway around the world. Next time I hic I'll have to go Down Under.

[lsi]

My husband just had rotator cuff surgery for the second time.  Just like last time he now has the hiccups and can not get rid of them.  We have decided it must be from the pain meds.  Nice to know others have the same problem, but sure wish there was something that he could take to stop them.  Each time he hiccups it hurts his shoulder.  Last time he had the surgery we tried every method listed to get rid of them and nothing worked.

[tragicallytwisted]

I have the same issue. and a theory to go with it. some doctors believe that fetus get the hickups to exercise the muscles that help us breath so they will be ready for that first breath. they also say that the reason we sometimes jurk as we fall asleep is because our brain senses our heart rate blood flow and breathing slowing thinks the body could be dying and is trying to wait it up. all the drugs mentioned slow your breathing. they are respiratory depressents. what if our body are simply trying to make sure we are breathing well? Next time i get the hiccups on my meds Im going to try breathing deeper and focusing on breathing normal to test my theory

[tragicallytwisted]

I have the same issue. and a theory to go with it. some doctors believe that fetus get the hickups to exercise the muscles that help us breath so they will be ready for that first breath. they also say that the reason we sometimes jurk as we fall asleep is because our brain senses our heart rate blood flow and breathing slowing thinks the body could be dying and is trying to wait it up. all the drugs mentioned slow your breathing. they are respiratory depressents. what if our body are simply trying to make sure we are breathing well? Next time i get the hiccups on my meds Im going to try breathing deeper and focusing on breathing normal to test my theory

[sweetxpease]

When I was younger I used to pop pills like crazy. I just called them high-cups. They'd last for like 10-20 minutes, and they were painful. Especially while trying to smoke a cigarette.

[chronicpainsuffer]

Soda gives me hiccups to but my pain meds also give them to me i know how you feel sometimes i will get them so bad that it hurts to hiccup i hope it does not do that to you

[chronicpainsuffer]

yes i do get the hiccups when on any pain meds but i get them more when i am on lortabs so yes i know what you mean and i have heard that when you have hiccups like that it means you have air in your stomach but i am not sure about this but i drink water with a spoon in the glass that i am useing and some how it works every time i know it may sound stupid but it really does help me when i do that but you have to be very carfull with the spoon its hard to explan how to do it but it works very well for me

[FrozBear]

Hey, I've been on oxy (high doses) for about 2 years now, I smoke off and on (sometimes go a month without) but I do get hiccups both when I smoke and when I don't, and I'm assuming it's from the opiates.  It's very random and usually happens out of no-where.  I'd wager it probably is caused from eating or drinking (anywhere from 10-60 minutes after) but I'm not really sure it has anything to do with that.  It's happened so often that when the first or second one starts I'll automatically start holding my breath for 20-30 seconds out of habit.  That almost always gets rid of them.  It's very odd indeed but certainly not a reason to stop pain management!  I hear some people hold their breath and drink some water, that might help too.  Sorry I was a little late replying, I found this post while looking up info about Embeda.  Good luck!

[Sarajmt]

Thanks Starman!  This really gets irritating!
Sara

[Starrman]

I get the hiccups from dilaudid,this happens mostly when I'm hospitalized.I was given thorazine in the ICU and that took them away,but it was a very strong drug and I'm not even sure if thats a normal course of action.I don't know of anything else for hiccups but if I find out anything I will let you know.

[jamlws]

I don't get hiccups from pain meds. I have never heard of this but it sounds like your not alone with it. I wish there was something that can take hiccups away.
Jamie

[tiredofhurting165]

OMG!  I thought I was the only one who got hiccups on my meds.  I'm not on lorcet (Embeda and oxy).  It is so irritating.  Glad I'm not alone, thanks for your post!

[mummy3too]

Soda gives me hiccups. One sip and they begin.

Thankfully my medication has not.

I know everyone has their 'sure fire' remedy for hiccups - BUT... one teaspoon of sugar, chew and swallow quickly - ALWAYS works for everyone in my family!

[geminigirl1963]

Yes, I get the hiccups quite often after taking my lorcet (same active ingred as norco).  I though it was only me, but apparently not!  it doesn't happen all the time for me, but often enough and I can definitely relate it to when I've taken the medication.  Interesting....

[Sarajmt]

It seems we're not alone.  I did find the following information:
http://www.pharmer.org/forum/discussion-prescription-and-otc-meds/opiates-and-hiccups
http://www.drugs.com/ppa/hydrocodone-bitartrate-ibuprofen.html

There is more.  But we're not alone.  I still don't know why some of us do this.

[runitskat]

I thought I was the only one!!! I take Norco and I get the hiccups all the time while on it. I have no idea why it happens but it would be interesting to find out.

[mellie4]

I haven't had this problem either.  But I remember a lot of years ago my dad had them for weeks from something.  It actually got painful after a few days.  I remember he eventually had to get some kind of shot, and that worked.  

Do you get them continually or do they come and go?  Do the usual remedies to get rid of hiccups work?  That would be one side effect I don't think I could tolerate.