Up to a million people in the UK have "completely preventable" severe headaches caused by taking too many painkillers, doctors said. They said some were trapped in a "vicious cycle" of taking pain relief, which then caused even more headaches.
英国国家卫生与临床优化研究所近期发布的头痛治疗指南指出，过度服用止痛片是头痛久治不愈的源头，甚至会加重病情，患者应该停止对止痛片的依赖。

There is no definitive UK data on the incidence of the condition, but studies in other countries suggest 1-2% of people are affected, while the World Health Organization says figures closer to 5% have been reported. While painkillers would be many people's instant response, they could be making sufferers feel even worse. Prof Martin Underwood, from Warwick Medical School, who led the panel, said: "This can end up getting into a vicious cycle where your headache gets worse, so you take more painkillers, so your headache gets worse and this just becomes worse and worse and worse.
世界卫生组织的数据显示，因过度服用药物导致的头痛患者占所有头痛患者的5%。华威医学院教授马丁•安德伍德表示，用止痛片在解决头痛问题可能会陷入一个恶性循环，头痛越厉害，服用的止痛片越多，结果导致头痛更加严重。至于止痛片为何会对头痛患者有如此影响，目前尚无从得知。

Manjit Matharu, a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, said there was a tipping point at 10 to 15 days of using pain relief each month when the drugs became the issue. People with a family history of tension-type headaches or migraine may also be genetically more vulnerable to medication overuse headaches. They could be susceptible when taking pain relief even if it is not for headaches.
不过，英国国立神经内外科医院一位神经科医生表示，头痛患者每月服用止痛片达到10至15天时通常会出现上述恶性循环情况。在头痛治疗指南中，医学专家们建议头痛患者停止服用止痛片，提前进行预防性治疗，并建议用针灸来治疗头痛。另外，专家们还建议患者不要为了“确信没有长脑瘤”而做脑部扫描检查。他们表示，脑瘤通常会伴有行为类变化等其他症状。