Did you know that hiccups are one of the most common side effects of taking xanax? If your doctor has recommended this drug to help you with anxiety, panic attacks or insomnia, then it is likely that he/she has advised against eating foods like spicy, acidic or carbonated drinks while taking it.
An unexpected side effect known as hiccups is one of the most common and well-known ones when it comes to taking xanax. It is believed that drinking soda or carbonated drinks while on xanax can lead to getting hiccups.
In fact, there are many people who have experienced the same thing when trying to take xanax. But why does this happen?
Read on to find out more about what causes hiccups from xanax so you can understand why your body reacts the way it does after consuming these two things together.
Table of Contents
How does xanax work?
Xanax is a prescription medication that is used primarily to treat anxiety and panic attacks. It belongs to a class of drugs called benzodiazepines and acts by increasing the amount of GABA in the brain.
GABA is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for regulating various processes in the human body, including anxiety and muscle relaxation. Therefore, taking xanax results in a reduction of anxiety and an improvement in the ability to fall asleep.
Xanax is usually taken once or twice daily with a dose of 0.5 mg being the most common recommendation. The effects of xanax are usually seen within 20-50 minutes and can last for 6 hours.
When taking xanax, you need to follow a few instructions to make sure that you benefit from it as much as possible and don’t experience any unwanted side effects.
First of all, you need to take it only as prescribed by your doctor. Secondly, you need to avoid eating heavy meals or drinking acidic or carbonated drinks when you take xanax.
What happens when you take xanax and drink soda?
As previously mentioned, xanax is known to cause hiccups when combined with carbonated drinks. But why does this happen? It all comes down to the way xanax reacts with carbonated drinks.
When you take xanax, it enters your bloodstream. From there, it is transported throughout the body and enters organs and tissues through the blood vessels.
This can occur in the stomach and in the pancreas. Now, the carbonated drinks that you consume enter the stomach and the carbon dioxide in them causes the stomach to release excess gas. If the amount of gas released is more than what the stomach can handle, then it escapes through the mouth.
This is when hiccups can occur. The pressure caused by the release of excess gas in the stomach also pushes the xanax into the pancreas. When this happens, the pancreas reacts by producing enzymes.
This reaction triggers the release of gastrin, a hormone that stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
Why does xanax cause hiccups?
Now that we know how xanax reacts when taken with carbonated drinks, we can understand why it causes hiccups.
When the stomach releases excess gas, this gastric gas is transported through the bloodstream and travels to the lungs.
This is when the hiccups start and can very well continue for hours. Even though the exact reason behind this is unknown, some people believe that the constant release of gas from the stomach causes the diaphragm to contract, resulting in the hiccups.
Another theory suggests that the excess gastric acid and carbon dioxide in the blood are responsible for the hiccups.
Does carbonated drinks cause hiccups from xanax?
As we have already discussed, xanax causes hiccups when taken with carbonated drinks. But what happens if you take xanax and then drink soda? If you take xanax and then drink soda, you might experience a different kind of side effect.
Namely, you might experience increased heart rate, nausea and vomiting. These are side effects that occur when you combine xanax with any kind of carbonated drink and not just soda.
The reason behind this is that xanax can increase the amount of CO2 in the bloodstream, which can trigger the release of gastric acid. This gastric acid can then cause the soda to become more acidic.
The acidity of the soda can then cause irritation in the esophagus and lead to heartburn. Heartburn can then lead to nausea and vomiting.
Xanax with spicy food can also lead to hiccups
We have seen that xanax and carbonated drinks can cause hiccups, and xanax and spicy food can also lead to hiccups. But what about xanax and spicy food?
In fact, eating spicy food with xanax can also lead to hiccups. This is because spicy food is acidic in nature, and xanax can react with the acidity of the food and cause hiccups.
A similar reaction can occur when you take xanax with acidic foods like lemon or orange juice.
The acidic content of these foods can react with the xanax in your stomach and trigger a reaction in the pancreas, which can lead to hiccups.
Conclusion
As you can see, xanax can cause hiccups in many different ways. This is why it is so important to follow your doctor’s instructions and avoid acidic and carbonated drinks while taking xanax.
In fact, it is best to avoid spicy foods as well when taking this medication. That way, you can ensure that you don’t experience any unexpected side effects.
