In most cases, an episode of hiccups will stop all on its own after a few minutes. You can try the following, although none of these have been proven to stop hiccups: holding your breath for a short period sipping cold water breathing into a paper bag Other unproven remedies including biting on a lemon and getting a fright. If your hiccups last longer than 2 days, see your doctor. If an underlying condition is causing your hiccups, treating that condition may help. A number of medications, and also acupuncture treatments, have been used to treat long-lasting hiccups. However, it is not clear how well these treatments work.