*10 pts!* I have a back/neck injury and I get hiccups ALL the time (15-20 times a day); could it be related?

Question

Hi, I have a back/neck injury and I get hiccups ALL the time (like 15-20 times a day), and I'm wondering if it could it be related. I was diagnosed with brachial and cervical plexus neuralgia; my hands have myoclonic twitching, I have pain down my arms, in my chest, and my upper back, headaches, etc. The muscles in my upper body have also fibrosed and all my doctors say that they are the hardest muscles they've ever felt! I read the other day that the pneumogastric nerve is responsible for hiccups in most cases, and since that's right in the area where I got my injury, could that be the cause? The hiccups last for about 3-5 minutes at a time, and like I said, they happen MANY times a day.

If it could be related:

I was just prescribed Zonegran (zonisamide) for the nerve pain... if the hiccups could be related to the nerve problems, it is possible that the Zonegran would help with that? Thanks so much!

EDIT: In response to Answerer #3, thanks that was really informative! :) I was diagnosed with dystonia too, and I have tried Botox injections. They just made my muscles too weak, and my upper body was almost completely paralyzed for 3.5 months. It was terrible -- I was also allergic to something in the injections (maybe a preservative?) that gave me hives and a high fever.

Answer 1

Hiccups are present when there is inflammation or pressure on the Vagus nerve (cranial nerve X), which is one of the nerves that innervates the diaphragm. Zonegram may help, as might Neurontin.

Answer 2

Botulinum toxin (Botox) is commonly used to calm down/ temporarily paralize muscles that are overactive and cause involuntary movements. The pain is generally a result of the involuntary muscle movements because other muscles around it work overtime and stiffen up. The effect lasts generally 3 to 6 months, depending. Generally this is used for conditions of dystonia.

However, perhaps this would also work for you. Your own doctor might not be familiar with Botox treatment, but certainly you could do your own research and locate a specialist.

A good place to start to locate someone in your area, i.e. a neurologist who has experience with Botox, would be to go on the Mayo Clinic website or the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital website.

Also, just a suggestion, get a second opinion. This "twitching" that you describe sounds like a variation of a condition called dystonia. Find a dystonia expert who can diagnose you, or at least rule something out.
With conditions that are not so obvious and not very common, doctors often misdiagnose and then the patient searches for a long time (years?) for a solution. Although the solution is right there, but it's just the diagnosis was wrong.

So...get a second opinion from a dystonia specialist.

Good luck and keep searching! It'll get better.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

It is possibly related since hiccups are caused by a nerve that is overreacting that causes involuntary contractions of the diaphragm. Which is the principle muscle that controls breathing.

Zonegran is a medication meant for the treatment for symptoms of epilepsy. It probably wont treat your hiccups (although it could). But, in some trials, hiccups were a side-effect of Zonegran. This is something that you should speak to your neurologist about since their is no universal treatment that works for everyone with the conditions that you have. By telling your doctor how you are responding to the medication, it will give him or her a better idea if the medication is helping or working, or what might work better.