Baclofen for Intractable Hiccups

To the Editor: The treatment of intractable hiccups is, by definition, difficult whether the cause is known or not. We describe two patients with lengthy histories of hiccups who had dramatic, sustained responses to moderate doses of baclofen. A 61-year-old man had renal failure secondary to membranous glomerulonephritis and had intractable hiccups for three years after the subclavian insertion of a Gore-Tex graft for hemodialysis. Antacids (cimetidine and ranitidine), chlorpromazine (up to 400 mg per day), carbamazepine, nifedipine (up to 60 mg per day, causing hypotension), lorazepam, clonazepam, diazepam, and amitriptyline were ineffective. The patient was given 5 mg of.