I am a 40-year-old civil servant with a very troublesome com-plaint. For the past two years, I have been having hiccups which can be so bad that I find it difficult lying down. The hiccups are worse at weekends especially after a night out with my friends. I have tried several drugs without any improvement.

Your kind response will be appreciated.
Thanks
Samuel,(SMS)

The commonest cause of hiccups among your age group is dehydration, especially among those who consume a lot of stimulants such as coffee and alcoholic beverages. This could explain why your hiccups are usually worse at weekends when you would have consumed a lot of alcohol.

My advice will be for you to increase your fluid intake and reduce your alcoholic consum-ption. However, if this does not improve the situation, you may need to subject yourself to a thorough medical examination in order to rule out any medical cause such as liver or kidney problems among others. It is equally advisable that you don’t lie down immediately after a meal, in order to reduce the pressure on your diaphragm which can also cause hiccups.