Hong Kong's fast-paced lifestyle leads many office workers to suffer from frequent headaches due to heavy work pressure. Many people habitually take over-the-counter painkillers when they have a headache, but often cannot distinguish between ordinary headaches and severe migraines. HOY information program Health Focus Group invited neurologist Dr. Fong Ka-cheung and registered dietitian Vin Ip Chun-jin to delve into the common urban health issue of migraines.
Fong pointed out that the prevalence of migraines in Hong Kong is similar to the global average, with approximately 12.5% of the population affected. Notably, this pain primarily affects women aged 15 to 45, and the proportion of female patients is significantly higher than males, with a ratio of approximately 3-4 to 1.
Fong explained that the significantly higher proportion of migraines in women is most clearly related to the menstrual cycle and cyclical hormonal imbalances. Therefore, many female patients suffer not only from menstrual cramps but also severe migraines during their period; some patients even experience migraines only at the onset of menstruation.
Regarding migraines, which have been debilitating for many patients in the past, Fong revealed that the medical field has now introduced newer types of drugs. These new drugs are related to CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) and are available in both oral and injectable forms. They effectively block CGRP transmission, thereby preventing migraines and reducing the severity of headaches. This medical breakthrough offers new hope for long-term patients who were previously unable to effectively manage their condition.
Many Hongkongers rely excessively on painkillers when they have a headache. Fong cautioned that if you take painkillers frequently, for example, needing medication on more than 10 days within a month, besides potentially not providing full pain relief, you may develop a complication called "medication overuse headache" (rebound headache).
This complication causes the medication's effectiveness to gradually diminish, leading patients to need increasing amounts. Eventually, if you stop taking the medication for even one day, the ensuing headache will be even more severe than before. Fong emphasized that these patients are exactly the group who most need preventive treatment to manage their headache condition.
Beyond triggering rebound headaches, blindly increasing the dosage of painkillers can cause irreversible damage to body organs. The doctor pointed out that this depends on which type of painkiller is taken. If taking painkillers with anti-inflammatory components, long-term heavy use will severely harm the stomach and kidneys, potentially causing gastritis or kidney failure.
As for paracetamol, the most easily accessible over-the-counter painkiller, taking excessive amounts is also fatal. Fong issued a stern warning: if a person takes more than 10 or even 20 paracetamol tablets within a single day, they risk developing acute liver failure. In severe cases, patients may fall into a coma or even face life-threatening danger. Fong also revealed that he once encountered a patient who "took 20 tablets a day." Therefore, if headaches persist, seek medical attention promptly to find and treat the root cause.
Source: HOY Health Focus Group
