The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Pickle Juice
Posted by Jennifer (Hattiesburg, MS) on 04/03/2007
★★★★★
My 4 yr old son had hiccups for over 4 hours until I gave him a drink of pickle juice. It worked instantly.
Vinegar
Posted by Klars (Ottawa, Canada) on 03/31/2007
★★★★★
The only thing that has ever cured my hiccups has been to take a swig of vinegar. It burns terribly all the way down but instantly that looming hiccup feeling dissipates.
For those with real trouble with hiccups, who can hold their breath until they turn blue while standing on their head drinking water only to resume hiccuping afterwards, I can't recommend the vinegar highly enough. Often I get them when I've eaten too much and drinking water or eating peanut butter seems to just make them worse. I was skeptical, but elated to discover that vinegar works.
Peanut Butter
Posted by Brian (Lexington, Kentucky) on 03/30/2007
★★★★★
Peanut butter cured my son's hiccups. My step son had the hiccups this morning. Hiccups are bad for him because he is going through chemo and hiccups sometimes cause him to vomit. I found the peanut butter cure on your website and tried it. It worked! I was so surprised and happy that I told my wife about it on the phone (she was at work) and she said that she had known about the peanut butter cure for years and had always used it. Thanks to Kristopher from Houston and to Earth Clinic.
Peanut Butter
Posted by Kristopher (Houston, Texas) on 03/20/2007
★★★★★
A teaspoon of peanut butter has worked to cure hiccups for myself, my wife, my son, my mother and just about every other member of my family and any of the friends I've told.
Water and the Help of a Friend
Posted by Lucinda (Perth, Australia) on 02/20/2007
★★★★★
A friend showed me this trick and I have never seen it fail. If some one has hiccups give them a large glass of water, six or seven hundred mls, put you hands over their ears firmly and tell them to drink and keep drinking until you say stop. Let them drink most of the water and then take your hands away. The hiccups will disappear. I get my husband to do this for me and it works every time. Makes a good party trick too.
Holding the Breath Technique
Posted by Jess (PA) on 11/07/2006
★★★★★
Take three deep breaths, and then on the third breath, hold it as long as you can. I was told this by my anatomy teacher who says hiccups are nothing but your diaphragm having a spasm. So taking three deep breaths and holding the last one stretches your diaphragm, and therefore stops the hiccups. I have tried this many times, and it does work instantly.
Holding the Breath Technique
Posted by Rachel (Bronx, NY) on 06/21/2008
★★★★★
Hello, I wanted to add that the 2+1 BREATH method for hiccups which requires you to take three deep breaths, and then on the third breath, hold it as long as you can, as described by Jess works. I had the hiccups and the above method cured them immediately. Thanks again earth clinic (and Jess)!
Holding the Breath Technique
Posted by Nicole (New York, Ny) on 10/19/2009
★★★★★
Wow this really does work I just tried this and my hiccups were gone instantly. Just make sure you're not sucking in your stomach otherwise you won't be breathing through with your diaphragm.
Holding the Breath Technique
Posted by Jopa (Paradise, California) on 01/14/2010
★★★★★
My girlfriends son has had chronic hiccups since before birth. He gets them at least once a week. Often a bout of laughter triggering an episode. This helped immediately.
Holding the Breath Technique
Posted by Kj (Virginia, USA) on 06/14/2010
★★★★★
I had to respond and agree with this post! I tried this, and after having the hiccups 5 times today, they were gone instantly - if only I knew this trick earlier haha! Thanks so much!!
Holding the Breath Technique
Posted by Sandy (Eastern Shore, Virginia) on 08/14/2010
★★★★★
Right before my very eyes this stopped my husband's torturous hiccups instantly! (2+1 breathe and hold) This is his second round of cisplatin. First time he had a few hiccups everyday and they went away. Last night he had them for well over an hour to no avail. Thank you so very much.
Holding the Breath Technique
Posted by Brigitte (Winterhaven, Fl) on 07/18/2012
★☆☆☆☆
I tried this 3 times and it didnt work.
Sugar
Posted by Rick (Las Vegas, NV) on 10/06/2006
★★★★★
Our son would get terrible bouts of hiccups. We tried "everything". One day while baking, my wife offered him a spoonful of sugar while he was hiccupping. He stopped within a minute! It's worked every time since, although a couple of times he needed a second spoonful.
Holding the Breath Technique
Posted by Vinny (Atlanta, GA) on 04/25/2006
★★★★★
Hi, Ever since when I was a little kid, I had heard many things but only one worked for me. I hold my breath for about 6 secs (if you hiccup while holding your breath start over) and continue doing this for about 4-5 times and it should be gone. Good Luck.
Pencil Technique
Posted by Ann (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) on 03/30/2006
★★★★★
Placing a pencil crosswise in your mouth and holding it with your teeth and then drinking water until you have to take a breath, stops hiccups.
Malt Vinegar
Posted by Graham (Toronto, Ontario) on 03/21/2006
★★★★★
My mother always gave me malt vinegar for hiccups, when I was a child, and it worked immediately every single time. Assuming it's available, these other weird and wonderful remedies (which don't always work anyway)can't touch vinegar for effect. I believe it works on the vagus nerve, and affects the diaphragm in some way.
Drink Water Through Paper Towel
Posted by Saba (Mentor, Oh) on 02/13/2013
Wouldn't you be ingesting all the chemicals that the paper towel is made of? Be safe. Try raising both arms up and hold it there for a minute next time.
Tilt Head Backwards and Breathe Deeply
Posted by Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 05/08/2011
Interesting... My husband drinks water from the wrong side of the glass, so in fact he is doing exactly the same thing, lowering his head as far as he can to be able to drink from the other side. Now I know, next time one of us has the hicups we will try without the glass, much easier.
Drink Upside Down
Posted by Isabelle (Garden Grove, Ca Usa) on 07/14/2010
★★★★★
Yea! Hello everybody from our wonderful earth clinic community! It seem to be that the action of swallowing while the diaphragm is compressed and not moving with our breathing stop hiccup after 2 to 5 swallows. Even when I don't have water handy , I just take a deep breath block it , bend and swallow a bit of saliva a few time without breathing and the diaphragm go back to behave normally: no more hiccup! Peace!
Sugar
Posted by Bob (Memphis, TN) on 04/25/2009
★★★★★
Let me give you my cure for hiccups. I have been using this method for years and have never had it fail to work. Before I found this cure I would sometimes get the hiccups and it would last for hours. I use regular white sugar. Use 1 heaping teaspoon but the key is how you do it. You have to hold your breath and then dump the sugar down your throat all at one time and swallow it and keep on holding your breath for as long as possible. It will not work if you don't hold your breath. It really does work. I know this is a problem for a lot of people so, good luck!
Sugar
Posted by Nonni (Cleveland, OH) on 04/25/2009
★★★★★
Yes, this is a great remedy for hiccups and my mom used to give this to us kids growing up. One teaspoon always did the trick. I never heard before that there was a special way to take this, but I do know that eating that whole teaspoon of white sugar never failed. Honey would be more nutritious than white sugar, but I don't know if honey would work for hiccups.
Vinegar
Posted by Joe Mama (Green Bay, WI) on 04/24/2009
★★★★★
How to cure hiccups 95% of the time. Vinegar, it doesn't matter what kind. The trick is to find the most sour thing you can. Make sure you take a good amount. 1 spoonfull is all you need. If you make a face when taking it, then it will work. Lemon juice, lime juice or anything super sour will work. It's weird because you expect the next hiccup to come and it never does. Guaranteed to work or your money back. lol
Lemon
Posted by Tara (Atlanta, Georgia) on 12/19/2007
★★★★★
I was a bartender too. You're right about the lemons. I would take just one lemon wedge, give it a quick suck, and hiccups....GONE! It took some talking to get my customers to try it, but once they did....they were amazed!
Water and the Help of a Friend
Posted by Pam (Arlington, TX/United States) on 11/24/2008
★★★★★
I have a similar remedy for hiccups. It takes water and the help of a friend. Have the person with hiccups drink about 1/2 glass of water (4-6 oz.), breathing normally. While they are drinking, someone else must pull up their earlobes. Works every time. Even on babies. Just hold up their earlobes while they're drinking their bottle.
Water and the Help of a Friend
Posted by G (SF, CA) on 11/27/2008
Weird....try some sugar on a teaspoon...This has worked for me for more than 20 years.
Water and the Help of a Friend
Posted by Ani (Ontario, Canada) on 11/29/2008
Holding breath. The drinking remedies are all related to holding breath because you HAVE to hold your breath as you drink.
Holding the Breath Technique
Posted by Nestor (Sydney, Australia) on 05/25/2006
★★★★★
i don't usually have hiccups but when it does it really bothers me because it last for so many hours and even days. i tried so many remedies like holding my breath for as long as i can, but it didn't work, so i searched the net and this is what i found that cured my hiccups....take a deep breath using your mouth until your lung is full.. DO NOT BREATH (PINCH YOUR NOSE SO THAT NO AIR CAN ESCAPE) swallow, or pretend that you are swallowing something, inhale more air through your mouth while holding your breath, swallow, inhale then swallow..by this time you might be turning pale...release your breath through your nose.....it worked for me and i hope it will for you...if it does please let me know.
Malt Vinegar
Posted by Amber (Portland, Oregon) on 02/25/2009
★★★★★
Wow, this really worked for me! I had hiccups this past weekend. Whenever I come down with them I tend to get them multiple times (4-5) for the rest of that day. After reading this post and getting them twice later in the night, I took a quick capful of Apple Cider Vinegar, and instantly my hiccups ceased! I got them again about an hour later and again took them down with the vinegar cure!
